
Stella finally made it to her business class seat on the plane. But one man didnโt want to sit next to her and told the flight attendant that the older woman should be in economy class. The stewardess declined his request, and Stella was able to take her seat. Afterward, Stella told the most bittersweet story of her life.
โI donโt want to sit next to thatโฆ woman!โ Franklin Delaney almost yelled at the flight attendant who had accompanied an older woman and told him she was seated next to him.
โSir, this is her seat. We canโt do anything about it,โ the stewardess said gently, trying to persuade the businessman who had a scowl on his face.
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โThat canโt be true. These seats are way too expensive, and she couldnโt possibly afford one! Look at her clothes!โ Franklin almost yelled, pointing at the older woman’s clothes. Stella was ashamed. She was wearing her best clothes and hated that others knew her outfit was cheap.
Other passengers in business class turned to look at them, and the older woman, Stella Taylor, looked down at her feet. The altercation continued, and it was delaying filling the plane. Several other flight attendants showed up, trying to calm Franklin down.
Surprisingly, other passengers agreed with the businessman. They agreed that the woman couldnโt possibly have paid for the seat and told her to get out. It was the most humiliating experience of Stellaโs life, and finally, she relented.
โMiss, itโs ok. If you have another seat in economy, Iโll stay there. I spent all my savings on this seat, but itโs better not to inconvenience others,โ she said, placing her hand on the stewardess’ arm gently.
The woman had already been so kind to her because Stella got lost at the airport. She was 85 years old and had never traveled in her lifetime. Therefore, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had been pretty confusing. But the airline finally assigned her an attendant, who accompanied her through the entire process, and they finally reached her flight, which was departing for New York.
The flight attendant didnโt want to fight with the businessman who wouldnโt believe Stella was seated next to him, although they even showed him her boarding pass. The woman turned to Stella with a severe scowl, although the anger was not directed at Stella.
โNo, maโam. You paid for this seat, and you deserve to sit here, no matter what anyone says,โ the flight attendant insisted.
She turned towards the man again and threatened to call airport security to escort him out. Thatโs when the man sighed in defeat and let Stella sit next to him. The plane took off, and Stella got so spooked that she dropped her purse.
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Luckily, the man was not completely unreasonable and helped her retrieve her things. But her ruby locket fell out, and the man whistled at the item. โWow, this is something else,โ he commented.
โWhat do you mean?โ Stella asked.
โIโm an antique jeweler, and this locket is insanely valuable. Those are definitely real rubies. Am I wrong?โ the man said, handing her the locket back. Stella grabbed it back and stared at it.
โHonestly, I have no idea. My father gave it to my mother so many years ago, and she gave it to me when my father didnโt return home,โ Stella said.
โWhat happened?โ the man asked. โIโm sorry. My name is Franklin Delaney. I want to apologize for my earlier behavior. Some complicated things are happening in my life, and I shouldnโt have acted that way. May I ask what happened to your father?โ
โMy father was a fighter pilot during World War II. When America joined the war, he left home but gave this locket to my mother as a promise he would return. They loved each other dearly. I was only four years old at the time, but I remember that day clearly. He never returned,โ Stella explained.
โThatโs terrible.โ
โIt is. War is senseless. Nothing comes from it. And my mother never recovered from the loss. She was a shell of herself, and we barely scraped by. But even when things were dire at home, she never thought to sell it. She gave it to me when I was ten years old and told me to keep it. But I never thought to sell it either, although Iโve been through financial difficulties too. Honestly, its real value is inside,โ Stella revealed and smiled at Franklin as she opened it.
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Two pictures were inside the locket. One was sepia-toned and featured a couple, and the other one showed a baby. โThese are my parents. Look how in love they were,โ Stella said nostalgically.
Franklin nodded, not saying anything, but looked at the other picture. โIs that your grandchild?โ he wondered suddenly.
โNo, thatโs my son, and actually, heโs the reason Iโm on this flight,โ the older woman replied.
โYouโre going to see him?โ
โNo, this is it. Do you remember how I said I had financial troubles? Well, I got pregnant many years ago. I was in my 30s, and my boyfriend disappeared. I had my son for several months, but it was clear that I wouldnโt be able to give him a good life. I didnโt have a support system. My mother had already passed years earlier after suffering from dementia, so I gave him up for adoption,โ Stella revealed.
โYou two reconnected later?โ
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โI tried. I found him thanks to those DNA test things. I asked a neighbor kid to help me email him. But Josh โ thatโs his name โ replied that he was fine and didn’t need me. I tried several times to contact him and asked for forgiveness, but he never answered my emails again.โ
Franklin scratched his head in confusion. โI donโt understand what youโre doing on this flight then. You said you were here for him.โ
โHeโs the pilot on this flight. Iโm here because today is his birthday. He was born on January 22, 1973, and I might not have long on this earth, so I wanted to spend at least one of his birthdays with him. This is the only way,โ Stella explained and smiled at Franklin before turning her eyes to the locket again.
She didnโt notice Franklin wiping an errant tear off his face or the fact that some flight attendants and several passengers had heard the story. After a few minutes, one stewardess went into the cockpit.
โAnyway, this is one of his longest routes, so I get to spend five hours near my son,โ Stella said, finally closing the locket and placing it in her bag.
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In her opinion, those five hours passed quickly, and when the pilotโs intercom came on, he announced they would arrive at JFK soon. But instead of turning off the communication, he continued his message.
โIn addition, I want everyone to welcome my birth mother, whose flying on my route for the first time. Hey, Mom. Wait for me once the plane lands,โ John said through the intercom. Stellaโs eyes watered, and Franklin smiled, ashamed that he had behaved so rudely earlier. But at least, he apologized already.
When John landed the plane, he exited the cockpit, breaking protocol, and went right to Stella with his arms wide open, hugging her fiercely. All the passengers and flight attendants cheered and clapped for them.
No one heard it, but John whispered in Stellaโs ears, thanking her for doing what was best for him all those years ago. After replying to her first email, John realized he was not really angry with his mother for giving him up but didn’t know what to say to her. So he apologized for not answering her other emails and not listening to her before. She told him there was nothing to be sorry for, as she understood why.
What can we learn from this story?
- Never be rude to strangers no matter what. Franklin was rude to the woman for no valid reason and was ashamed of his actions later.
- Forgiveness is divine. Stella was quick to forgive Franklin for his actions and held no grudge against the man seated next to her.
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