I thought my big business trip to Los Angeles would be just another day, until a cryptic request from the pilot made me question everything I knew about my past. The truth he shared would change my future in ways I never imagined.
My flight to Los Angeles was supposed to go smoothly, but what happened during that two-hour journey changed my life forever. But before I tell you about it, let me tell you why I had to get to Los Angeles that day.
So, I work as an architect for a well-known construction firm, and it’s my dream job. Let me tell you, it wasn’t luck that got me here. It was my hard work and all those sleepless nights I spent in college perfecting my skills and learning new concepts.
Recently, my boss gave me the opportunity to present a big project to some of our top investors in Los Angeles.
It was a big deal because it could lead to a long-awaited promotion, so I gladly accepted.
Honestly, I was so grateful for it because it was also a chance to make my mum, Melissa, proud of me. She’s my best friend, and that’s mostly because she raised me in a single-parent family. She told me that my father passed away before I was born, but she never stopped me from pursuing my dreams. My mum was always there to support me and I love her for that.
When I told her about the meeting in Los Angeles, she gave me a hug and said: ‘Go get them, honey! I will pray for you.’
The time at the airport flew by and soon I was comfortably seated on the plane, ready for takeoff. The flight attendants were so friendly and I was lucky to have an empty seat next to me!
As the plane started to gain altitude, I couldn’t help but feel excited. I had prepared well for my presentation and hoped that the investors would like it.
A few minutes into the flight, a friendly flight attendant named Bethany approached me with a tray of drinks.
‘Can I get you something to drink?’ – She asked with a smile.
‘Just orange juice, please,’ I replied, raising my hand to accept the glass. As she did so, Bethany glanced at the birthmark on my wrist.
‘Excuse me, could you give me your passport?’ – she asked abruptly.
Strange, I thought.
Confused, but not wanting to argue, I handed it over. Bethany looked it over carefully and nodded.
‘Just a standard protocol check. Thanks!’
Sounds cool.
After a while, Bethany returned to my seat.
‘Excuse me, are you going to take your time after boarding?’ – She asked.
‘Yeah, I have a connecting flight to catch and I’m already running late,’ I explained, subconsciously clenching my hands into fists.
‘Well, the pilot wants to talk to you after we land.’
‘The pilot?’ I asked. ‘Why? Can’t he talk to me now?’
‘I’m afraid not,’ Bethany replied seriously. ‘He wants to talk to you in person. I know you’re in a hurry, but trust me, you’ll want to hear this. You’ll regret it if you don’t.’
I sat there in utter bewilderment.
What exactly was the pilot supposed to tell me? And why did it have to be only after we landed? My important meeting was hanging in the balance, and I didn’t want to risk being late for docking. But Bethany’s insistence made me feel like it was something important.
When the plane landed and the other passengers began to disembark, I pulled myself together and waited patiently for the pilot to approach.
When the cabin was finally empty, a tall man with grey hair entered, and his gaze immediately stopped on me.
At that moment I literally dropped my bag and jacket. My jaw almost hit the floor, because I could have sworn I’d seen this man before.
I instantly recognised him from the old photos my mum used to show me. It was Steve, her childhood friend.
But the man didn’t look happy to see me.
Tears were streaming down his face and he hugged me tightly. I stood there completely bewildered and he sobbed on my shoulder.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked in a trembling voice. ‘What’s wrong?’
He pulled away, looking at me with reddened eyes. Then he gently took my hand and showed me the mole on his wrist. It completely matched the one on mine.
‘Courtney,’ he said, panting, ’I’m your father.
‘Wait, what?’ I looked at him wide-eyed. ‘My dad? But Mum said…’
Why did my mum lie to me, I thought. Why didn’t she ever tell me that Steve was my father?
‘I don’t know what Melissa told you, Courtney, but it’s true,’ Steve continued. She suddenly disappeared from my life when I was about to enter aviation school.’
‘She didn’t even tell me she was pregnant… I… I found out through a friend, but that was years after you were born.
At that moment, all I wanted to do was talk to my mum. I wanted to find out why she’d left Steve. I wanted to know why she kept everything from me.
I immediately pulled out my phone and called her.
‘Mum, why didn’t you ever tell me about Steve?’ I demanded as soon as she answered. I put it on speaker so Steve could hear. ‘Why did you keep it from me?’
‘Steve? What do you mean, honey?’ – She asked, still trying to hide the truth from me.
‘Mum, please stop!’ I rolled my eyes. ‘I just met Steve on the plane. He’s here with me. Now please tell me everything. I need answers. He needs answers!’
After a few seconds of silence, Mum finally spoke. Her voice was thick with emotion as she began to explain.
‘Oh, Courtney, I’m so sorry,’ she cried. ‘When we were little, Steve wanted to go to aviation school and become a pilot. But then I got pregnant with you…and…and…and I knew that if he found out, he’d give up his dream to be with us…’
‘I couldn’t let him do that,’ she continued after a pause. ‘So I left without saying anything to him. It seemed right to me at the time, but now I realise how much it hurt all of us.’
Steve’s face crinkled as he listened.
‘Melissa,’ he gasped, ’I…I loved you so much. I was willing to do anything for you and our baby… Why didn’t you trust me?’
‘Steve? Oh, God…’ Mum gasped. ‘I…I thought I was protecting you. I got scared. I’m so sorry, Steve. I’m really, really sorry.’
I felt myself getting dizzy. All these years my mum had lied to me about my dad’s fate, and now here he was, a complete stranger, pouring his heart out to both of us. I couldn’t process it all.
‘Mum, this is… this is really hard to take,’ I stammered. ‘I’m already late for an important investor meeting… I don’t know how I’m going to get to LA now.’
Steve’s eyes widened when I mentioned investors.
‘You’re going to LA? What will the meeting be about?’
I quickly explained the details to Steve. I told him how I had to present a major project to get a big promotion at work.
I could see the look on his face change as I told him all about the company and the investors.
‘Well then, we can’t let you miss this meeting,’ he stated, ’because I know these investors very well, Courtney.
‘What, how?’ asked I.
‘I flew on their private jet a few years ago and they were very nice to me,’ Steve said, pulling out his phone. ‘Now I’m going to make some calls and you’ll end up at their place tonight.’
True to his word, he got straight to work, making a series of quiet phone calls. An hour later, I was ushered into a swanky conference room. I couldn’t believe it.
The best part was that the meeting went better than I could have imagined. The investors were impressed and agreed to fund my project idea. In addition, my boss called me and offered me the promotion I had been hoping for. I was very happy!
As I left the room, I saw Steve waiting for me with open arms.
‘You did it!’ – he exclaimed, hugging me tightly. ‘I’m so proud of you, Courtney.’
I felt a lump in my throat as I hugged him back.
This man I had never known was now an integral part of my life, and it felt right. All those years of feeling like something was missing had brought me to this moment, and I couldn’t help but wonder what else the future held.
The following week, Steve came to our house to meet my mum.
It was an emotional reunion filled with tears, laughter and a sense of wholeness that had been missing for so long. That day I realised what it meant to have a complete family.
Lying in bed that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about the incredible turn of events. Who would have thought that a routine flight to Los Angeles would lead to the discovery of my long-lost father? That’s the kind of plot twist you only see in the movies. But here I was, living it.
And while it was overwhelming, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude and excitement for what the future held for me.
