The 89-year-old Mrs. Wilson ran into problem after problem at the airport but was finally boarding the plane for the first flight of her life. But when she tried to sit in the business class section, she got some serious pushback from staff and fellow passengers. Mrs. Wilson knew she wasn’t in the wrong, but how was she going to prove it? None of these people had any idea who Mrs. Wilson really was.
The commotion was starting to get to poor Mrs. Wilson, who could hardly take it any longer. How was she going to get through this? Even the flight attendant, who was trying to help her, was starting to get antsy. She was still shaking while putting up her bag after finally being directed to her seat in business class.
While doing so, an old picture fell out of her bag, and the man seated next to her picked it up. He went to give it back to Mrs. Wilson but took a quick peek at the picture first; he couldn’t believe what he saw. “Is this really yours?” he manages to ask. But what was it a picture of? What was Mrs. Wilson’s true identity and why did nobody want her in business class?
Mrs. Wilson had grown up in a small town so the amount of security at the airport was like something she had never seen before. She could hardly believe her eyes; she had never been in a place that was quite as crowded. With everything going on, she didn’t know where to look or where to go.
The old woman had a special trick to not lose her keys… she hid them in her shoes. She didn’t realize that they would set off the metal detector. “Ma’am, can you come with me?” Mrs. Wilson’s heart skipped a beat, but she did what was asked of her.
The security guards put it simply: “You have to empty all objects from your pockets. The metal detector went off and we’re required to pat you down if you refuse to do so.” Mrs. Wilson removed the key from her shoes and made her way to the gates.
Mrs. Wilson had done her very best to dress well for her flight, but despite her efforts, others avoided being around her due to her appearance. Fellow passengers and staff alike saw her as some kind of beggar or someone who really couldn’t afford to be there…
Because she wasn’t able to download the ticket online and print it out, Mrs. Wilson had to get a physical copy at the service desk. The employee working the desk was shocked, how could this woman afford a business class ticket? Could she even be trusted?
All the ruckus had caused Mrs. Wilson to nearly miss her flight. She had no idea where she was going and just decided to follow the other passengers. But she made one big mistake… these people weren’t headed to the same place. She started to panic…
One friendly airport worker was the key to Mrs. Wilson getting to the right gate. “Ma’am, you appear to be lost, can I help you out with anything?” the employee asked. Mrs. Wilson nodded yes. Finally, someone was treating her with a bit of respect…
A few passengers were already in line to board the flight when Mrs. Wilson arrived at the gate. The man checking the tickets smiled at her condescendingly, took a peek at her flight and seat information and let her through to where she needed to be. He suggested staying put so she wouldn’t wind up lost in the airport for a second time.
Nervously, she held her wallet tightly in her hands and checked her watch constantly. One kind young man, also seated in business class, asked “Is this your first time on a plane?”
“Yes, it’s my first time and I’m very nervous,” Mrs. Wilson responded with a shaky voice. Boarding started and the flight attendant smiled pleasantly while she asked the passengers to head towards the entrance ramp that connected the plane to the airport. The poor woman was literally shaking…
Her nervousness didn’t go unnoticed and the boy next to Mrs. Wilson offered to help her onto the plane. After struggling to get her ticket out of her purse, he led her to the entrance where it would be checked. The young man’s jaw dropped when she pulled out a business class ticket.
His reaction paralleled that of everyone else that day. How could such a shabby looking woman have a business class ticket? He had considered buying one himself but couldn’t justify the high cost. But he figured that if he played his cards right, he might be able to trick Mrs. Wilson.
After checking in, the man offered to lead Mrs. Wilson to her seat on the plane. It was a kind gesture, but she had no idea he was taking her to his seat in economy. He thought it would be an easy heist to pull off, but he clearly didn’t know who he was messing with…
To get to the economy section, they had to walk through business class. And while the young man tried to do this as quickly as possible, much to his chagrin, Mrs. Wilson knew exactly where her seat was when they passed by.
The “kind” young man walked to his seat in economy with his head held low after Mrs. Wilson thanked him for helping her. She finally felt a sense of relief. The worst part was finally over. Or so she thought…
Mrs. Wilson found herself next to a good-looking man. He gave her a look of disapproval as she sat down next to him. He got one of the flight attendant’s attention and facetiously asked “this is business class, right?” after putting his newspaper down on her seat. “Why am I paying extra money to sit next to this old beggar?!”
The flight attendant tried to respond in a friendly manner. “Mr. Thompson, please calm down, Mrs. Wilson has the same ticket as you. You can check her boarding pass if you’d like. Take a look,” the flight attendant said in a desperate attempt to keep her cool. The reason why the flight attendant was so attentive, was because she recognized the old woman to be the pilot’s mother.
But Mr. Thompson clearly wasn’t having it and got even more upset: “I’m not taking a look at anything. I get it. I should have just bought an economy class ticket.” This rude man’s ugly tone caught the attention of a few others on board…
The poor confused woman didn’t even get the chance to say a word during all the commotion and simply stayed quiet out of fear. Other passengers, without meaning to necessarily, chose sides. A number of them felt sorry for Mrs. Wilson while others were clearly not fond of the idea of her staying in business class.
One of the passengers who stood up for Mrs. Wilson may come as a surprise. It was the young man who had tried to take her seat from her. He felt bad about his actions so when he heard the argument breaking out behind him, he immediately rushed over to help Mrs. Wilson.
He couldn’t help but come to her help after seeing how the man was acting toward her and how she must be feeling. “Oh for the love of god! Mrs. Wilson is older than you and you’re acting like a real lowlife. Making her stand up while you’re reclining back in your seat.”
Mr. Thompson clearly felt a bit ashamed and started to calm down once the young man had said what he needed to say. But the calamity throughout the business class ensued. The flight attendant was at a loss, she had no idea what to do and looked helplessly at the old woman.
Mrs. Wilson became painfully aware of the fact that she was the root of all the commotion. She sighed and said “Alright, let’s not fight about it. If I must, I’ll go back to economy class.” Tears were swelling up in her eyes as she spoke. The entire situation had left her feeling defeated…
The glares of the surrounding passengers finally had an effect on Mr. Thompson who decided to take his newspaper off the seat. “Take a seat, Mrs. Wilson, this is your seat and you paid for it yourself. In more ways than I ever could…”
Unable to speak, the elderly woman began to sit down. What she didn’t realize was that her purse opened up while doing so. A photo fell out, it was old, and the borders were tattered. Mr. Thompson, in an attempt to make up for his actions, bent over to pick it up and tried to start a conversation…
Mr. Thompson noticed a small boy in the photo. “I’m assuming this means a lot to you?” he asked while handing the photo off to his elderly neighbor. Mrs. Wilson carefully took the photo from his hands as if it were a priceless jewel. Seeing the photo made her smile, her face lit up, making it appear as though all her wrinkles were gone like magic.
“Yes, it means an awful lot to me. This is my son, Peter. I haven’t seen him since he was a little boy.” The elderly woman responded. As she spoke, all eyes were on Mrs. Wilson, the other passengers in business class sat down, ready to hear her story.
Dorothy Wilson told of how she grew up in poverty in a large family with four siblings. To avoid going hungry in difficult times, her parents Kate and John Wilson ran a small farm. Dorothy was the eldest of the children. As many of you know, the oldest child often takes on a lot of responsibility within a family. Peter, the youngest brother, was disabled and needed special care and attention.
At the beginning of World War II, Dorothy’s father willingly joined the military where he fought against the Japanese army in the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Before leaving, John Wilson gave his daughter a family heirloom made of gold that he had received from his grandfather. She was asked to keep it safe until he made it home.
John Wilson sadly came back home in a coffin wrapped in an American flag. The Wilson’s were torn apart by the grief they suffered from the loss of their breadwinner and head of family. Dorothy’s mother never truly recovered and never found another man to spend the rest of her life with.
Time went by and Dorothy thought more and more about starting her own family. This would mean leaving her disabled brother Peter behind which simply wasn’t an option. She had to stay with her mother and help take care of Peter. Kate’s two other children are long gone to a bigger city and left their brother, sister, and elderly mother behind.
Dorothy Wilson didn’t meet the love of her life until much later. She was 28 and had lost all hope about getting married. Jack was a good-looking man who herded sheep, looking for fresh grass for the herd. Their relationship became incredibly intense in no time at all, Dorothy felt as if she was living in a fairytale.
The happy couple were planning their wedding when the Wilson’s never-ending bad luck struck again. Dorothy’s disabled brother Peter had set the family home on fire. Jack sprinted into the home to save him, but they were both killed in the fire that left nothing but a mound of ash behind.
Dorothy and her mother had no other option but to live in an old hut. They were only able to afford it by selling Jack’s sheep. Then Dorothy found out she was pregnant. Her mother had developed dementia which made her act out and become aggressive.
On numerous occasions, Kate went after her pregnant daughter with a knife and blamed her for all their problems. Dorothy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy which she named Kevin. But every beautiful moment was overshadowed by the fear of her mother hurting her baby. Dorothy spent three long years fearing the worst for her child’s life. Eventually, unable to get past the grief of the situation that had led to where she was now, Dorothy decided to send Kevin to an orphanage.
With sorrow in her heart and tears in her eyes, Dorothy knew that her son would be better off in an orphanage than at home with his grandmother. She couldn’t be trusted around him. Dorothy remained living with her mother until her death a few years later. Then she went to the orphanage with the intention of getting her son back.
Dorothy was given the heart-breaking news that Kevin had been adopted. She had been searching for him ever since. But she had only recently had any success. It was all thanks to an organization that specializes in a volunteer organization that helps reunite separated families.
She wanted to be as close as possible to her son who was seated on that airplane, so she purchased a business class ticket. Coincidentally, the day she would finally be able to see Kevin was the day of her 89th birthday. “Now I can die in peace, I don’t know if I’ll make it to heaven, but I’m just happy to know that my son Kevin is doing well,” the elderly woman managed to say between soft cries.
Mrs. Wilson’s story touched everyone on the flight. Some would even get a new outlook on life. The old woman hadn’t noticed the flight attendant rushing off to the cockpit to say something to the pilot. A few minutes later an announcement was made on the intercom.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Our flight is coming to an end, but our lives are not. Life is full of ups and downs but that’s no reason to believe that any one person is luckier than the next. We’re all given opportunities when we’re born and it’s simply a matter of how you choose to use them.”
“The joy of forgiveness can’t be taught, and we shouldn’t blame anyone when there is no blame to be given. Especially not when you can’t understand where someone is coming from. And to my mother, who is aboard this flight today, I would like to say that I love her and that I have forgiven her many years ago. She is a good person and she deserves respect.”
After hearing the pilot’s speech, the passengers give a standing ovation. They’re overjoyed that everything turned out so well. When the flight ended, Mrs. Wilson was able to hold her son in her arms for the first time in many years. With tears of joy, Kevin handed over the golden family heirloom that he had held onto for all this time. The man had always kept his family in his heart and cried like a child, unable to control his emotions. He had waited his whole life for this.