Mrs. Wilson was 89-years-old when she boarded a plane for the first time in her long life. She saved up the money she had earned for a long time to be able to afford a business class ticket for the trip, but that didn't mean that everyone thought that she deserved one. Mrs. Wilson knew that she was in the right when she arrived at the airport, but she wasn't prepared for the stress caused by everyone around her.
Plenty of Commotion
There was a lot of action on the nearly full plane and it was a lot for Mrs. Wilson to handle. She obviously seemed as out of place as she felt because everyone kept their eyes on her, including the flight attendants. But she had no idea what she was doing wrong in the situation and she knew no way to stop it.
Please Be Seated
Mrs. Wilson got to her business class seat but her nerves were getting worse with every passing minute. She felt awful and her body was trembling uncontrollably. She reached up to put her bag away, but when she did her belongings came tumbling out onto the floor, including an old photograph that was picked up by the man seated next to her.
Who Was In the Picture?
He wanted to give the photo back to Mrs. Wilson, but it held his attention for longer than he'd like to admit. He could hardly believe what he was seeing with his own two eyes.
But who was really in the photograph? And what was Mrs. Wilson's past that made her alienated from the rest of the people in business class?
A New and Strange Place
For a woman who grew up in one of the provincial towns in the state, checking at the airport seemed incredible and even a bit mythical. She had never been in such a crowded place in her life, so she couldn't believe her eyes. There was so much to see that she had no idea where to look or where to go first.
The Alarm Went Off
The old woman hid the keys to her home in her shoes to make sure she doesn’t lose it. But she didn’t know that the doorframe metal detectors would react to it. "Mrs., could you come with me for a moment? Mrs. Wilson felt her heart skip a beat...
Double Checked
The guards explain to her; "You are to remove all objects from your pockets. The metal detector gives a signal and we are obliged to search you if you do not empty your pockets". Mrs. Wilson took the key out of her shoe and continued on her way to the gates.
She Stood Out
Even though Mrs. Wilson put on her best clothes for the trip, the way she looked made other passengers made try to avoid crossing pads with her. Mistaking her for a beggar or a woman from a low-income family. And not only did the other passengers think she looked out of place...
Her Business Class Ticket
Mrs. Wilson had not been able to download and print the ticket online so she had to go pick up a physical copy at the help desk. But the working the counter could barely believe was very surprised to see that the old lady had a business class ticket and at first doubted if she should give it to her...
Late For Her Flight
Meanwhile, Mrs. Wilson almost missed her flight. she had no idea where she had to go and was just blindly following other passengers. But unfortunately, she was following passengers who had a completely different destination. Mrs. Wilson now started to panic a little bit...
A Kind Woman
It was only thanks to the help of a kind airport employee the old woman even got to the department zone. "Mrs. You look lost, can I help you with something?" said the airport employee. Mrs. Wilson nodded her head. It was the first person that day who treated her with respect...
A Condescending Smile
At the department zone, some passengers were already waiting to board the plane, the man checking the tickets gave Mrs. Wilson a condescending smile and let her to the gate indicated on her boarding pass. He advised her to wait there so as to not get lost to the airport again.
Anxiety
All this time the old woman fiddled nervously with her purse in her hands glancing at her watch every now and then. “Is this your first time on a plane?” Asked a nice-looking young man who apparently also had a business class ticket.
Boarding Time
“Yes, it’s my first time and I’m really worried” Mrs. Wilson's voice was trembling with excitement. That’s when the boarding started and the flight attendant smiled politely asked the passengers to go on the boarding bridge, which connected the airport to the plane. Mrs. Wilson was literally shaking at this point...
An Escort Onto the Plane
The young sitting next to Mrs. Wilson noticed this and offered to escort her onto the plane. He first took her to the entrance where the tickets were checked and after Mrs. Wilson fumbled a bit getting her ticket out of her purse, she pulled out her business class tickets, and the young man was stumped.
He Wanted Her Ticket
Just like everybody else this way, he was very surprised that this raggedy-looking woman had a business class ticket. He had considered getting one himself, but it was way too expensive. But maybe if he played this correctly, he could get his hand on Mrs. Wilson tickets...
Economy Class
After checking in, the young offered to bring Mrs. Wilson to her seat. She agreed but had no idea the young man was actually planning on taking her to his seat in economy. He figured this old bird would not know the difference. But he was proven very wrong...
She Got Seated Quickly
To get to Economy class, the pair first had to get through the actual business class. The young man tried to do this as quickly as possible, but to his surprise, Mrs. Wilson knew exactly where she needed to be and stopped right at her seat the moment they passed it.
It Wasn't Over Yet
She thanked the "kind" young man who knew there was no way now that he was going to get this seat and he started making his way to economy class very disappointed. Mrs. Wilson felt like she could finally breathe. This whole ordeal was finally behind her. Or was it?
Ungrateful
Mrs. Wilson's seat was next to a smart-looking man. Who had a displeased look on his face when he saw her sit down. He put down his magazine on her seat and asked one of the flight attendent: “This is business class, isn’t it? Why should I pay extra to end up sitting next to this old beggar?!”.
Calming Him Down
The flight attendant responded to the man as nicely as possible. “Mr. Thompson please calm down, Mrs. Wilson had the exact same kind of ticked you do. You can see it here on her boarding pass. Here, take a look.” said the flight attendant desperately trying to keep her cool.
He Spoke Up
But Mr. Thompson clearly does not want to be proven wrong today and reacts even more irritated, “I don’t want to look at anything. I get it, I should’ve bought an economy class ticket.”. The rude man raised his voice more and more and people were starting to take notice...
Taking Sides
All this time the unfortunate old lady anxiously watched the argument unfold, not saying a single word. All the other passengers end up unwittingly taking sides. Some sympathized with Mrs. Wilson, while others on their contrary were openly against her presents in business class.
A Show of Support
Among the defenders of the confused old woman was a man who probably even surprised himself by his actions. It was the young man who at first tried to get her business class ticket. He felt guilty and when he heard the argument erupt behind him, he immediately came to the aid of Mrs. Wilson.
Show Some Respect
Unwilling to put up with the man’s behavior and feeling for Mrs. Wilson, the young man decided to stand up for the old lady. “Oh, for the love of God, Mrs. Wilson is much older than you are, and you’re behaving like a true low life. Keeping her standing while being lounged comfortably in your seat.
Embarrassment
After hearing the young man's words, Mr. Thompson got noticeably embarrassed and calmed down a bit. But the storm of human indignation among the business class was already unstoppable. Not knowing what to do in this situation and how to get things under control, the flight attendant looked pleadingly at the old woman.
Switching Seats
Mrs. Wilson realized that she unwittingly became the culprit in this scandal. She sighs sadly and said: “Oh well… Nevermind. Let’s not argue. I’ll switch to the economy class if I have to”. Her eyes filled with tears as she said it. She just looked so distraught by the whole ordeal...
Something Fell Out
Feeling the weathering looks of several pairs of eyes at once, Mr. Thompson decided to back down and removed the magazine off Mrs. Wilson's seat. “Take a seat, Mrs. Wilson, it’s your rightful seat and you paid for it in full. In more ways than I ever could..."
The Old Photos
Unable to say anything the old lady sat down rarely. However, the woman didn’t notice her handbag opened as she was sitting down. An old photograph with curved edges fell out of it. Mr. Thompson bend down and picked up the photo and attempted to start a conversation about it...
Who is He?
Mr. Thompson bend down and picked up the photo. Noticing that a small boy was pictured in it. “This picture probably means a lot to you?” the man asked giving the photo to his elderly neighbor. Mrs. Wilson carefully took the photo. As if it was the most precious thing in the world. She smiled at it, her face brightening up, making it seem like all of her wrinkles just magically smooth out.
That's My Son
“Yes, this picture means a lot to me. This is my son Kevin. I've lost him since he was a little child.” The old woman answered sadly. During the words of this poor-looking woman the business class passengers immediately settle down, ready to listen to her story.
An Old Farm
Dorothy Wilson said that she grew up in a poor family with four siblings. Her parents Kate & John Wilson ran a small farm that helped them avoid starving during difficult times. Dorothy was the oldest of all the children. And therefore all the hardships of raising them fell partially on her shoulders. Peter, the youngest of the brothers was mentally challenged and required special care and attention.
Keep It Safe
When World War II broke out Dorothy’s father volunteered for the army, where he fought against the Japanese military in the Pacific Islands. Before leaving, John Wilson gave his daughter a golden hair loom which was inherited from his grandfather. He asked Dorothy to keep the family heirloom safe until his return.
The Ultimate Grief
Unfortunately, John Wilson came home in a coffin covered with the national flag. The Wilson family was devastated with grief over the loss of the breadwinner and the head of the family. After the death of her father, Dorothy’s mother became withdrawn and never met another man to spend her life with.
With Her Mom
Time went by, Dorothy was getting older and it was time for her to think about starting her own family. But instead, she had to stay with her mother helping take care of her mentally challenged brother Peter. Kate’s two other children have long moved into a larger city leaving their brother, sister, and elderly mother to the mercy of fate.
Love of Her Life
It was only later in life that Dorothy Wilson met her true love. She was 28 years old and she had already lost all hope of getting married. Jack was handsome and he was shepherd driving flocks of sheep in search of places for pasture. Their relationship developed so rapidly that Dorothy felt that she was in a fairytale.
Bad Luck
The couple was planning the wedding but the bad fortune that followed the Wilson family wouldn’t allow the poor girl to enjoy her happiness. One evening Dorothy’s mentally challenged brother Peter set their house on fire. Jack rushed in to try and save him but unfortunately, they both died in the fire left without a home.
A Sad Home
Dorothy and her mother were forced to live in an old shack. They bought it with the money they had from selling Jack’s sheep. It was then that Dorothy found out that she was pregnant. Unfortunately by that time her mother had already been showing signs of dementia, which manifested in aggressive behavior.
A New Baby
It was more than once that Kate tried attacking her pregnant daughter with a knife blaming all of her troubles on Dorothy. The unfortunate Dorothy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Kevin. But every second she was afraid that her mother could unintentionally harm the baby. Dorothy spent three years living in a state of eternal fear for her child’s life. Then, tired of the grief and misfortune that had befallen her in such a short time, Dorothy decided to send little Kevin to an orphanage.
Better Off
With tears in her eyes, Dorothy sincerely believed that the boy would be better off in an orphanage than living under the same roof with his grandmother, who could harm him after leaving her son at the orphanage. Dorothy lived with her mother for several more years until her death. Then Dorothy went back to the orphanage, intending to take her son back home.
Finally Adopted
But Dorothy was informed that Kevin had been adopted. Ever since then Dorothy had been trying to find her son for many years. But it was only recently that she finally succeeded. It happened thanks tot the volunteer organization that specialized in searching for missing relatives.
On Her Birthday
She bought a business class ticket to be closer to her son who was flying the plane at the moment. It just so happened that Mrs. Wilson managed to finally see Kevin exactly on the day of her 89th birthday. “Now I can die in peace. I’m not sure if I’m going to heaven but I’m very happy that my son Kevin is doing well.” Said the old woman sobbed softly.
An Important Announcement
Mrs. Wilson’s story didn’t leave a single passenger indifferent. Some of them even completely changed their outlook on life. The old woman didn’t notice how, after hearing her story, the flight attendant went into the cockpit and said something to the pilot. A few minutes later an announcement came over the intercom.
Attention Passengers
“Dear Passengers, this is your captain speaking. Our flight is coming to an end, but our lives don’t have to end with it. Each of our lives is full of ups and downs, but that’s no reason to believe that some of us are more fortunate than others. We all get opportunities form our birth and our lives depend on how we use them without making mistakes.
Love in Her Heart
We will not learn the joy of forgiveness therefore we shouldn’t look for the guilty when there aren’t any. As we shouldn’t hold a grudge against someone whom we might not be able to understand. And also I’d like to tell my mother, who is flying with us today, that I love her very much and I have forgiven her a long time ago. She’s a good person and she deserves to be respected.”
Standing Ovation
After the pilot’s words the passengers gave him a standing ovation, happy to see that everything ended so well. When the plane touched down, Mrs. Wilson hugged her son for the first time in many years. Crying with joy the old woman handed Kevin the golden hair loom which she kept all this time. The man carefully held the family hairless and cried like a child unable to contain his emotions. He’s been waiting all his life for this.