Rhea felt self-conscious as she took her seat in business class. Dressed in her best but shabby clothes, she stood out among the well-dressed passengers. The man beside her, disgusted by her appearance, called the flight attendant and complained, “I bought a seat in business class to get away from people like her.”
Other passengers joined in, expressing similar disdain. One woman remarked, “If I wanted to fly with such riff-raff, I would buy an economy class ticket.” Rhea, hurt by their cruelty, decided to leave but stumbled, spilling her purse.
An elegantly dressed older woman helped Rhea pick up her belongings. The woman found a passport photo of a little boy, which Rhea explained, “This is my son. He is the pilot of this plane.”
Rhea shared her story of giving up her son for adoption due to financial struggles and her long search to find him. She saved up to fly business class, hoping to be closer to him. Her story moved the passengers, who felt ashamed of their behavior.
Finally, Rhea was introduced to her son. The pilot announced over the intercom, “There is a special person flying on this plane — my mom, and it’s her birthday today.” The passengers applauded, and those who ridiculed her apologized. When the plane landed, Rhea and her son were joyfully reunited.
