Stella had finally managed to reach her seat in the executive class of the plane. However, a man refused to sit next to her and told the flight attendant that the older woman should be seated in economy class. The flight attendant refused the request, and Stella managed to sit down. Then, Stella shared the most bittersweet story of her life.

“I don’t want to sit next to that… woman!” Franklin Delaney nearly shouted at the flight attendant, who had escorted an older woman and informed him that she would sit beside him.

“Sir, this is her seat. We can’t do anything about it,” the flight attendant said kindly, trying to calm the businessman, who had a scowl on his face.

“This can’t be true. These seats are very expensive, and she couldn’t have paid for one! Look at the way she’s dressed!” Franklin nearly shouted, pointing at the older woman’s clothes. Stella felt embarrassed. She was wearing her best clothes and hated that others could tell her outfit was cheap.

Other passengers in first class turned to look at them, and Stella looked down at her feet, trying to avoid their gazes. The altercation continued, delaying the plane’s boarding. Several other flight attendants appeared, trying to calm Franklin down.

Surprisingly, other passengers sided with the businessman. They agreed that the woman could not have paid for the seat and insisted she leave. It was the most humiliating experience of Stella’s life, and she eventually gave in.

“Miss, it’s okay. If you have another seat in economy, I’ll sit there. I spent all my savings on this seat, but it’s better not to disturb others,” she said gently, placing her hand on the flight attendant’s arm.

The woman had already been so kind to her because Stella had gotten lost at the airport. She was 85 years old and had never traveled before. The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had been quite confusing for her, but the airline had finally assigned an attendant to her, who guided her through the process, and they finally made it to her flight, which was heading to New York.

The flight attendant didn’t want to argue with the businessman who didn’t believe that Stella was sitting next to him, even though they had shown her boarding pass. The woman turned to Stella with a stern look, though the anger wasn’t directed at her.

“No, ma’am. You paid for this seat, and you deserve to sit here, no matter what they say,” the flight attendant insisted.

She turned back to the man and threatened to call airport security to escort him out. That’s when the man sighed in defeat and allowed Stella to sit beside him. The plane took off, and Stella was so scared that she dropped her handbag.

Fortunately, the man wasn’t completely irrational and helped her retrieve her belongings. But her ruby pendant fell, and the man whistled at the item. “Wow, this is something else,” he commented.

“What do you mean?” Stella asked.

“I’m an antique jeweler, and this pendant is insanely valuable. These are definitely real rubies, am I wrong?” said the man, handing her back the pendant. Stella grabbed it back and looked at him.

“Honestly, I have no idea. My father gave it to my mother many years ago, and she gave it to me when my father didn’t come back home,” said Stella.

“What happened?” asked the man. “I’m sorry. My name is Franklin Delaney. I want to apologize for my previous behavior. Some complicated things are happening in my life, and I shouldn’t have acted like that. May I ask what happened with your father?”

“My father was a fighter pilot during World War II. When America entered the war, he left home but gave this pendant to my mother as a promise that he would return. They loved each other very much. I was only four years old at the time, but I remember that day clearly. He never came back,” explained Stella.

“That’s terrible.”

“Yes. War doesn’t make sense. Nothing good comes from it. My mother never recovered from the loss. She was a shell of herself, and we barely survived. But even when things were terrible at home, she never thought of selling it. She gave it to me when I was ten and told me to keep it. But I never thought of selling it, even though I’ve gone through financial difficulties myself. Honestly, its real value is inside,” Stella revealed, smiling at Franklin as she opened it.

Inside the pendant were two photos. One in sepia showed a couple, and the other showed a baby. “These are my parents. Look how in love they were,” Stella said nostalgically.

Franklin nodded, saying nothing, but looked at the other photo. “Is that your grandson?” he suddenly asked.

“No, that’s my son. Actually, he’s the reason I’m on this flight,” replied the older woman.

“Are you going to see him?”

“No, this is it. Remember how I told you I had financial problems? 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 I wouldn’t be able to give him a good life. I didn’t have any support. My mother had passed away years before after suffering from dementia, so I gave him up for adoption,” Stella revealed.

“Did you reconnect later?”

“I tried. I found him thanks to DNA testing. I asked a neighborhood boy to help me send him an email, and he responded that he was fine and didn’t need me. I tried several times to contact him and apologized, but he never replied to my emails.”

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 of this flight. I’m here because today is his birthday. He was born on January 22, 1973, and I may not have much time left on this earth, so I wanted to spend at least one of his birthdays with him. This is the only way,” Stella explained, smiling at Franklin before looking back at the pendant.

She didn’t notice Franklin wiping away a stray tear from his face or that some flight attendants and several passengers had overheard the story. After a few minutes, a flight attendant entered the cabin.

“Anyway, this is one of his longest routes, so I can spend five hours near my son,” said Stella, finally closing the pendant and putting it back in her purse.

To her, those five hours passed quickly, and when the pilot’s intercom came on, he announced they would soon be arriving at JFK. But instead of turning off the communication, he continued.

“Also, I want everyone to welcome my biological mother, who is flying on my route for the first time. Hey, mom. Wait for me when the plane lands,” said John over the intercom. Stella’s eyes welled up with tears, and Franklin smiled, embarrassed by his rude behavior earlier. But at least, he had apologized.

When John landed the plane, he came out of the cockpit, breaking protocol, and went straight to Stella with open arms, hugging her tightly. All the passengers and flight attendants applauded.

No one heard, but John whispered in Stella’s ear, thanking her for doing what was best for him all those years ago. After replying to her first email, John realized he wasn’t really angry with his mother for giving him up for adoption, but didn’t know what to say to her. He apologized for not responding to her other emails and not listening to her before. She told him there was nothing to apologize for, as she understood why.

What can we learn from this story?

  • Never be rude to strangers, no matter what happens. Franklin was rude to Stella without any valid reason and was embarrassed by his actions later.
  • Forgiveness is divine. Stella was quick to forgive Franklin for his actions and didn’t hold a grudge against the man sitting next to her.
  • Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you may like this one about a man who adopted a girl, and the biological mother appeared years later.