Stella had finally reached her seat in business class on the plane. However, a man refused to sit next to her and told the flight attendant that the elderly woman should be in economy class. The flight attendant denied his request, and Stella was able to sit in her seat. Later, Stella shared the bittersweet story of her life.
“I don’t want to sit next to this… woman!” Franklin Delaney almost yelled at the flight attendant, who had escorted an elderly woman and told her she needed to sit next to him.
“Sir, that’s her seat. There’s nothing we can do about it,” the flight attendant said softly, trying to persuade the grumpy businessman.
“This can’t be true. These seats are way too expensive, and she could never afford one! Look at her clothes!” Franklin nearly shouted, pointing to the elderly woman’s outfit. Stella felt embarrassed. She was wearing her best clothes and hated that others knew they were cheap.
Other business class passengers turned to look, and the elderly woman, Stella Taylor, lowered her gaze to her feet. The altercation continued, delaying the boarding process. Several other flight attendants arrived, trying to calm Franklin.
Surprisingly, other passengers agreed with the businessman. They recognized the woman couldn’t have paid for the seat and told her to leave. This was the most humiliating experience of Stella’s life, and she almost gave in.
“Miss, it’s okay. If you have another seat in economy class, I’ll sit there. I spent all my savings on this seat, but it’s better not to disturb others,” she said softly, placing her hand on the flight attendant’s arm.
This woman had been so kind to her when Stella got lost at the airport. At 85 years old, Stella had never traveled before, and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had been overwhelming. But the airline had assigned a flight attendant to guide her through the process, and they eventually made it to her flight to New York.
The man helped her pick up her things, proving he wasn’t entirely unreasonable. The flight attendant didn’t want to argue with the businessman, who refused to believe Stella belonged in the seat next to him, even though they showed him her boarding pass. The woman turned to Stella with a stern face, though her anger wasn’t directed at Stella.
“No, ma’am. You paid for this seat, and you deserve to sit here, no matter what anyone says,” the flight attendant insisted.
She turned back to the man and threatened to call airport security to escort him off the plane. At that point, the man sighed in defeat and allowed Stella to sit next to him. The plane took off, and Stella became so nervous that she dropped her purse.
Fortunately, the man wasn’t entirely unreasonable and helped her retrieve her belongings. However, her ruby medallion fell, and the man whistled at the object. “Wow, that’s something,” he commented.
“What do you mean?” Stella asked.
“I’m an antique jeweler, and this medallion has incredible value. These are definitely real rubies. Am I wrong?” he said, handing the medallion back to her. Stella grabbed it and stared at it.
“Honestly, I have no idea. My father gave it to my mother years ago, and she gave it to me when my father didn’t come back home,” Stella explained.
Stella’s father was a fighter pilot who died during the war.
“What happened?” the man asked. “I’m sorry. My name is Franklin Delaney. I want to apologize for my behavior earlier. Complicated things are happening in my life, and I shouldn’t have acted that way. Can I ask what happened to your father?”
“My father was a fighter pilot during World War II. When America joined the war, he left home but gave this medallion to my mother to promise he would return. They loved each other dearly. I was only four at the time, but I remember that day clearly. He never came back,” Stella explained.
“That’s terrible.”
“Yes, it is. War is senseless. Nothing good comes from it. And my mother never recovered from the loss. She was a shell of herself, and we barely survived. But even when things were tough at home, she never considered selling it. She gave it to me when I was 10 and told me to keep it. But I never thought of selling it either, even though I’ve had financial struggles. Honestly, its true value is inside,” Stella revealed, smiling at Franklin as she opened the medallion.
Inside the medallion was a photo of a baby.
There were two photos inside the medallion. One was sepia-toned and showed a couple, and the other depicted a baby. “These are my parents. Look how in love they were,” Stella said nostalgically.
Franklin nodded without saying anything but looked at the other photo. “Is this your grandson?” he suddenly asked.
“No, it’s my son, and in fact, he’s the reason I’m on this flight,” the elderly woman replied.
“Are you going to see him?”
“No, he’s here. You remember when I said I had financial troubles? Well, I got pregnant years ago. I was in my thirties, and my boyfriend disappeared. I had my son for several months, but it became clear that I couldn’t provide him with a good life. I had no support. My mother had passed away years earlier after suffering from dementia, so I gave him up for adoption,” Stella revealed.
“Did you reconnect later?”
“I tried. I found him through DNA tests. I asked a neighborhood child to help me send him an email. But Josh — that’s his name — responded that he was fine and didn’t need me. I tried several times to contact him and apologize, but he never responded to my emails again.”
Franklin scratched his head in confusion. “I don’t understand why you’re on this flight then. You said you were here for him.”
“He’s the pilot on this flight. I’m here because it’s his birthday. He was born on January 22, 1973, and I may not have much time left, so I wanted to spend at least one of his birthdays with him. This is the only way to do it,” Stella explained, smiling at Franklin before turning her gaze back to the medallion.
She didn’t notice Franklin wiping away a tear or that some of the flight attendants and passengers had overheard the story. After a few minutes, a flight attendant entered the cockpit.
“Anyway, it’s one of his longest flights, so I’ll have five hours with my son,” Stella said, finally closing the medallion and placing it back in her bag.
The entire plane applauded.
According to Stella, those five hours passed quickly, and when the pilot’s intercom came on, he announced that they were about to arrive at JFK. But instead of ending the communication, he continued.
“Also, I want everyone to welcome my birth mother, who’s flying on my route for the first time. Hey, Mom. Wait for me after the plane lands,” Josh said through the intercom. Stella’s eyes welled up with tears, and Franklin smiled, ashamed of his earlier rudeness. But at least he had already apologized.
When Josh landed the plane, he left the cockpit, breaking protocol, and went directly to Stella, his arms wide open, embracing her tightly. All the passengers and flight attendants cheered and applauded.
No one could hear it, but Josh whispered in Stella’s ear, thanking her for doing what was best for him all those years. After responding to her first email, Josh realized he wasn’t really angry at his mother for abandoning him but didn’t know what to say. So, he apologized for not replying to her other emails and not listening to her before. She told him he didn’t need to apologize, as she understood why.
