Rhea, an elderly woman, boarded a business class flight to be closer to her son, the pilot. Her old, worn clothes made her stand out, and passengers reacted with disdain. “I bought a seat in business class to get away from people like her,” one man complained, while others demanded her removal.
As Rhea gathered her belongings to leave, an expensively dressed older woman helped her. “This is my son,” Rhea revealed, showing a photo. “He is the pilot of this plane.” She explained she had given him up for adoption and was now searching for him. “The only way I could get close to him was by boarding this flight.”
Hearing her story, the passengers felt ashamed. The pilot, Joseph, then announced over the intercom, “This is the captain speaking… my mom is on this flight, and it’s her birthday.” Everyone applauded, and those who had ridiculed her apologized. When the plane landed, Rhea finally reunited with her son.
