After recognizing the pilot’s voice during takeoff, I cried the entire flight and refused to get off the plane until I met him. Nobody understood why until the pilot greeted me.
I’ve flown many times before, but this particular flight broke my heart. I sat by the window, pretending everything was fine. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably as I thought about my parents’ graves, which I would visit five hours later.
Suddenly, the pilot’s announcement interrupted my thoughts, and his voice seemed familiar.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! It is my pleasure to welcome you aboard flight….”
I was startled and began to cry even more after hearing his voice.
“Ma’am, is there something you need help with?” a flight attendant asked, noticing my tears.
“No, I’m fine….”
But I wasn’t fine. The pilot’s voice echoed in my mind, making me cry like a child.
“I’ve been waiting to hear this from you for 20 years,” said the pilot.
“Ma’am, do you want some water?” the attendant asked again as I cried harder, drawing attention from those around me. While some passengers smirked, others grew concerned.
“No, I’m alright.”
“Alright, ma’am. Is there anything else I can help you with? Why are you crying?”
I refused to answer. I turned to the window and stared outside. “I can’t wait to meet him,” I mumbled.
“What, ma’am?” the curious attendant asked again.
“Can you please not bother me?” I snapped. “Please leave me alone….”
I cried for the rest of the journey. Nobody wanted to know why after seeing my temper.
Five hours later, the flight landed, and everyone but me started to disembark. The stewardess noticed I was still seated and walked over.
“Ma’am, the flight has landed. Do you need any help with your bag?”
“No, I’m not getting down! I MUST SEE THE PILOT! I’m not moving from here until I see him!”
The stewardess was unsure how to handle the situation.
“Ma’am, what is it? You can’t stay on the plane for long after it has landed. Please, you’ll need to disembark now…”
“I said I want to meet the pilot. It’s urgent. Please try to understand,” I pleaded.
“Okay, I’ll tell him. Please wait here.”
Moments later, I started to cry even more when the pilot emerged from the cockpit. He approached me with a smile that quickly faded when he saw my face.
“YOU?! I have nothing to say to you,” he fumed, turning his back and preparing to leave.
“They would be proud of you, just like I was when I heard your voice at takeoff,” I said. “Alex, wait, please don’t go…I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
Alex stopped and, without turning back, asked how I still recognized his voice.
“I would recognize your voice even in a crowd of millions. I love you so much, Alex.”
“I’ve been waiting to hear this from you for years,” said Alex. “All you had to do was say these words to set things straight. Why did it take you so long to say SORRY?”
Alex was my younger brother who had always dreamed of becoming a pilot. But our father never approved of his ambition and constantly taunted him instead.
“I am not spending a dime on you to waste it in an air academy,” were the last words 10-year-old Alex heard from our father.
Our parents died in a car crash shortly after, and once the dust settled, I received an inheritance from them. The will stated I would also be in charge of Alex’s share until he turned 18.
While Alex thought he could use his inheritance to go to school and then the air academy, I refused.
“We could use this money to buy a nice big house and a car. Why do you want to waste it when you know you’re not going to be a successful pilot?!” I told Alex when he asked about his share.
Furious, Alex told me to keep all the money and went to live with our grandparents. “I don’t even want to see you. Take all the money. I will achieve my dream by myself. Goodbye!”
Our relationship remained strained for several years. I regretted burning bridges with him and even called to apologize a year ago. But Alex hung up on me as soon as he heard my voice. All I heard from him was just a plain, “Hello, who is this?”
It was that same voice that made me shed tears when I heard his announcement during the flight.
“I’m not ready to talk to you anymore. I’m going,” said Alex, snapping me back to reality.
“Alex, please, give me one chance. Please, I’m here to visit dad and mom’s graves. Please come with me. They would be watching us from heaven, and they will be proud of you….”
I begged and pleaded, but Alex wouldn’t listen. He turned his back on me and left the plane without looking back.
Hurt and disappointed, I got off the plane and waited for Alex, but he never showed up. Feeling heavy and crushed, I boarded a taxi and rode to our parents’ graves to commemorate their 20th death anniversary.
“Oh my God, I don’t believe this!” I said, slowing down as tears welled up. “Alex?” I cried and ran to him. He was standing by our parents’ graves.
“I forgive you, Linda. Let’s not talk about what happened years ago. I’m over it, and I want you to forget about it too, alright?!”
Tears of joy filled my eyes as I hugged Alex. We laid wreaths on our parents’ graves and stood in silence for some time.
“Let’s go home!” said Alex, inviting me to his house.
This story teaches us a lot:
Do not decide your children’s future. Respect their dreams and let them pursue their ambitions. Alex had always wanted to become a pilot, but our dad thought he would be unsuccessful. However, Alex proved our father wrong by achieving his dream years later.
It is never too late to apologize to someone you have hurt. I took years to apologize to my brother. Thankfully, he accepted my apology and forgave me, giving us a fresh start to our sibling relationship.
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