Mrs. Wilson had never flown before so she was perplexed when she arrived at the airport unsure of where to go as a result the elderly lady took a glance around and decided to join a group of passengers rushing to board the plane she figured they understood what to do in a scenario like this checking in at the airport felt extraordinary and almost mythological to a woman who grew
Up in one of the state’s small villages the elderly woman hid the key to her house and her shoe as she normally does to avoid losing it but she had no idea how the metal detectors in the door frames would react despite the fact that mrs wilson dressed up for the journey the way she looked caused other passengers to shun her mistaking her for a beggar or a woman from a low-income household that’s why the woman at the check-in
Counter was taken aback when she saw the old lady had purchased a business class ticket mrs wilson on the other hand nearly missed her flight because she was following individuals who were traveling to the opposite end of the country only with the assistance of a helpful airport employee was the elderly woman able to reach the departure zone where several passengers were already waiting to board the plane mrs wilson was taken to the gate marked
On her boarding pass with a condescending smirk he suggested she stay there and wait so she wouldn’t get lost at the airport again the old woman fiddling anxiously with her handbag in her hands the entire time occasionally checked her watch are you flying for the first time i inquired of a pleasant looking young man who appeared to be traveling in business class yes this is my first time i’m very
Concerned mrs wilson’s voice trembled with anticipation that’s when boarding began and the flight attendant smiling graciously directed passengers to the boarding bridge which connected the airport to the plane mrs wilson was taken to her seat by the flight attendant who took the old woman’s boarding card the old lady seat it turned out was next to a smart looking man who had a disgruntled
Expression on his face when he spotted mrs wilson he laid down his magazine and inquired isn’t this business class why should i pay more to be seated next to an elderly beggar mr thompson please take a deep breath and relax mrs wilson also has the same type of ticket as you it’s on her boarding card as you can see take a look the flight attendant murmured anxiously attempting to maintain her composure
I’m not interested in looking at anything i understand i should have purchased a ticket in economy class the obnoxious man yelled again refusing to move his magazine from mrs wilson’s lap the unhappy elderly lady had been watching the argument unfold with bated breath not saying a single word all the other passengers ended up choosing sides unintentionally some people sympathize with mrs wilson while others openly opposed her presence in
Business class a young man with whom she spoke while waiting to board the airplane was one of the confused women’s supporters he refused to put up with the man’s horrible behavior and vowed to defend the elderly later over the love of god mrs wilson is much older than you are and you’re acting like a true low-life by keeping her standing while lounging in your seat mr thompson seemed visibly ashamed and
Calmed down after hearing the man’s statement the torrent of human outrage among the business elite however was already unstoppable the flight attendant gazed pleadingly at the old woman not understanding what to do in this scenario or how to get things under control mrs wilson realized she had accidentally become the scandal’s perpetrator sadly she sighed and said oh well let’s not
Dispute about it i’m going to switch to economy class and that’s the end of it as she said it her eyes welled up with tears and it appeared as if her existence had lost all purpose mr thompson decided to back down after receiving withering glances from multiple pairs of eyes at the same time and withdrew the magazine for mrs wilson’s seat mrs wilson please have a seat it’s your seat and you’ve paid in full for it
The old lady sank down exhausted unable to say anything the woman on the other hand was oblivious to the fact that her handbag had opened as she sat down it ejected an ancient photograph with curled edges mr thompson knelt down and took up the photograph recognizing a young kid in it doesn’t this picture mean a lot to you the man inquired as he handed his elderly neighbor the photograph
Mrs wilson took the photo with care as if it were the most valuable thing in the world when she smiled at it her face brightened and all of her wrinkles magically vanished this is of course my son he’s a pilot by the way he’s the pilot of the plane we’re on now the proud old lady replied drying her eyes with a handkerchief when the business class passengers overheard this poor looking woman’s statements they instantly sat down ready
To hear her narrative dorothy wilson grew up in a poor family with four siblings according to her kate and john wilson her parents operated a small farm that kept them from going hungry during hard times because dorothy was the oldest of the children she bore a portion of the responsibility for their upbringing peter the youngest of the brothers had a mental disability that necessitated extra care and attention
When world war ii broke out dorothy’s father volunteered for the army and served in the pacific islands fighting the japanese forces john wilson handed his daughter a golden heirloom that he acquired from his grandfather before departing until he returned he begged dorothy to keep the family relic safe unfortunately john wilson was laid to rest in a coffin draped in the american flag
The wilson family was heartbroken by the death of their breadwinner and family patriarch dorothy’s mother remained aloof when her father died and she never met another guy to spend the rest of her life with time passed dorothy grew older and it was time for her to consider raising a family of her own instead she was forced to stay with her mother and assist in the care of her mentally ill brother peter
Kate’s other two children have long since left to bigger city leaving their brother sister and old mother to chance dorothy wilson did not meet her real love till later in life she was 28 years old and had given up hope of ever getting married jack was attractive and he worked as a shepherd leading flocks of sheep and quests of grass dorothy felt like she was in a fantasy as their love grew so quickly the pair was arranging their wedding but the
Wilson family’s terrible luck prevented the poor girl from celebrating her bliss peter dorothy’s mentally challenged brother set their house on fire one evening jack dashed in to try and save him but they both perished in the flames dorothy and her mother were forced to live in an old shanty after losing their home they acquired it using the proceeds from the sale of jack’s sheep dorothy discovered she was expecting a
Child at that time unfortunately her mother had already begun to show signs of dementia which presented itself in hostile conduct by that time kate tried assaulting her pregnant daughter with a knife on several occasions blaming all of her problems on dorothy dorothy gave birth to a lovely baby boy but she was terrified that her mother would inadvertently injure him dorothy lived in constant terror for the
Safety of her child for three years dorothy then chose to put kevin to an orphanage exhausted by the pain and misfortune that had befallen her in such a short time dorothy honestly believed with tears in her eyes that the boy would be better off in an orphanage than living with his grandmother who could hurt him dorothy lived with her mother for several years after leaving her son at the orphanage until her death
Dorothy then returned to the orphanage planning to return home with her son however the mother learned that kevin had been adopted dorothy had been looking for her son for many years but it was only recently that she was able to locate him it was made possible by a volunteer organization dedicated to finding missing relatives as a result she purchased a business class ticket to be closer to her son who is currently
Flying the plane mrs wilson was able to see kevin on her 87th birthday which was a happy coincidence now i’ll be able to die in peace i’m not sure whether i’ll make it to paradise but i’m glad my son kevin is doing well said the elderly lady sobbing softly mrs wilson’s narrative did not disappoint any of the passengers some of them even changed their entire outlook on life the old lady didn’t observe how the
Flight attendant went into the cockpit after hearing her story and said something to the captain an announcement came over the intercom a few minutes later this year captain speaking to you passengers our flight is coming to an end but it does not have to be the end of our lives our lives are full of ups and downs but that’s no reason to believe that some of us have it easier than others from the moment we’re born
We’re given opportunities and how we use them determines our lives we will not discover the joy of forgiveness unless we make mistakes as a result we shouldn’t hunt for the guilty where none exist just as we shouldn’t keep a grudge against someone we don’t comprehend also i’d like to express my love for my mother who’s traveling with us today and tell her that i’ve forgiven her a long time ago she’s a decent individual who deserves
To be recognized the passengers gave him a standing ovation after the pilot statements i’m relieved to see that everything went smoothly mrs wilson held her son for the first time in years when the plane touched down the old woman handed kevin the golden treasure which she had cherished all this time with tears in her eyes she’d been waiting for this moment her entire life.
