Linda was an experienced traveler, but this particular flight weighed heavily on her heart. She took her seat by the window, feigning composure.
Tears welled up in her eyes, their steady flow betraying her efforts to hold them back. She wept silently, consumed by thoughts of the graves of her parents that awaited her visit in a mere five hours.
Suddenly, the pilot’s announcement pierced through her melancholy, and his voice struck a familiar chord.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! I am delighted to welcome you aboard this flight….”
Linda jolted in her seat, her tears now cascading even more profusely as she recognized the voice.
Concerned by Linda’s prolonged weeping, a flight attendant approached her and kindly inquired, “Excuse me, ma’am, is there anything I can assist you with?”
“No, I’m alright,” she replied with a trembling voice, trying to mask her anguish.
However, Linda’s façade of being fine was far from the truth. The pilot’s voice reverberated in her mind, repeatedly triggering her tears, reducing her to a vulnerable state akin to a sobbing child.
“Ma’am, would you like some water?” the concerned flight attendant offered, as Linda’s uncontrollable weeping began to draw attention. While some onlookers displayed smirks, others grew genuinely worried, prompting the stewardess to intervene.
“No, I’m fine,” Linda replied, her voice quivering, attempting to dismiss any further assistance.
“Very well, ma’am. Is there anything else I can do for you? May I ask why you’re crying?” the attendant inquired gently, genuinely concerned.
Linda refused to answer, turning her gaze towards the window, fixating on the view outside. In a low murmur, she uttered, “I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Pardon me, ma’am?” the inquisitive attendant asked once more, trying to catch her words.
“Could you please refrain from bothering me?” Linda snapped, her frustration mounting. “Just leave me alone, please….”
She continued to weep for the remainder of the journey, her outburst discouraging anyone from prying into the reasons behind her distress.
After five hours, the flight touched down, and passengers began to disembark, except for Linda, who remained seated. The attentive flight attendant noticed her lingering and approached her with concern.
“Ma’am, the flight has landed… Do you need any assistance with your luggage?” the stewardess asked, trying to offer help.
“No, I’m not getting off! I MUST SEE THE PILOT! I won’t move until I’ve spoken to him!” Linda declared, her determination unwavering.
Uncertain of how to handle the situation, the stewardess pondered for a moment before responding, “Ma’am, what seems to be the matter? You can’t stay on the plane for an extended period after landing. Please understand that you’ll need to disembark now…”
“I insist on meeting the pilot. It’s urgent. Please, try to understand,” Linda pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation.
Understanding the gravity of Linda’s request, the flight attendant made a decision. “Alright, I’ll inform him. Please wait here.”
With that, the stewardess left Linda behind, making her way towards the cockpit to relay the urgent message to the pilot.
Moments later, as Linda caught sight of the pilot emerging from the cockpit, her tears intensified. He approached her with a warm smile, but it quickly faded upon seeing her distraught state.
“YOU?! I have nothing to say to you,” he exclaimed, his anger and hurt palpable as he turned away, ready to exit the aircraft.
“They would be proud of you, just as I was the moment I heard your voice at the beginning of this flight,” she choked out, her voice filled with remorse. “Alex, please wait, don’t go… I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”
Alex halted in his tracks, still not facing her, and asked how she could still recognize his voice after all these years.
“In a sea of millions, your voice would stand out to me. I love you so much, Alex,” Linda confessed, her voice trembling with sincerity.
“I’ve been waiting to hear those words from you for years,” Alex replied. “All it took was for you to say ‘sorry’ to make things right. Why did it take you so long?”
As fate would have it, Alex was not just any pilot – he was Linda’s younger brother who had nurtured a lifelong dream of taking to the skies. However, their father had always been unsupportive, dismissing Alex’s ambitions with disdainful words.
“I won’t spend a single penny on you to squander it at an aviation academy,” were the haunting final words 10-year-old Alex had heard from their father.
Tragically, their parents perished in a car accident shortly thereafter, leaving behind a shattered family. When the dust settled and the will was read, Linda received the inheritance, which also included Alex’s share until he reached the age of 18.
With hope in his heart, Alex believed that his inheritance would provide the means to pursue his education and eventually enroll in an aviation academy. However, Linda, driven by her own doubts and fears, adamantly refused.
“Why waste this money on your futile dream? We can use it to buy a beautiful house and a car instead. You know deep down you won’t achieve success as a pilot,” Linda coldly rebuked Alex when he approached her about his rightful share.
Furious, Alex told Linda to keep all the money and went to live with his grandparents. “I don’t even want to see you. Take all the money. I will achieve my dream by myself. Goodbye!”
Linda and Alex’s strained relationship persisted for several years, with a growing sense of regret gnawing at Linda’s conscience. A year prior, she had mustered the courage to call Alex and offer her heartfelt apology. However, her hopes were dashed as he promptly hung up upon hearing her voice, curtly asking, “Hello, who is this?”
It was that very voice, the one she longed to hear, that had evoked her tears upon hearing the pilot’s announcement during the flight.
“I’m not ready to talk to you anymore. I’m leaving,” Alex declared, abruptly snapping Linda back to reality.
“Alex, please, just give me one chance. I’m here to visit Mom and Dad’s graves. Please come with me. They would be watching us from heaven, and they would be proud of you…” Linda pleaded and begged, desperation lacing her voice.
However, Alex remained resolute, refusing to listen. He turned his back on her and exited the aircraft without a backward glance.
Hurt and profoundly disappointed, Linda disembarked the plane, hoping to meet Alex as they had planned. But he never appeared. Overwhelmed by a crushing weight of emotions, she hailed a taxi and made her way to her parents’ graves, prepared to commemorate the solemn occasion of their 20th death anniversary.
As the taxi carried her to the cemetery, Linda’s heart was heavy with sorrow, feeling the profound absence of both her parents and the brother she so desperately longed to reconcile with.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe it!” Linda gasped, her pace slowing as tears welled up in her eyes. “Alex?” she cried out and rushed towards him. He stood by the graves of their parents.
“I forgive you, Linda. Let’s not dwell on the past. I’ve moved on, and I want you to do the same, okay?!” Alex reassured her, his voice filled with forgiveness.
Tears of overwhelming joy blurred Linda’s vision as she embraced Alex tightly. Together, they placed wreaths on their parents’ graves, standing in silent reverence for a while.
“Let’s go home!” Alex suggested, extending an invitation to Linda to join him at his house.
With a heart brimming with gratitude and a renewed sense of hope, Linda nodded, accepting his gesture. They walked away from the graveside, leaving behind the burdens of the past, ready to rebuild their relationship and create new memories together.
