Our Family Was Flying on a Make-a-Wish Trip for My Ill Son – Halfway Through the Flight, the Pilot Said, ‘Mike, There’s One Thing About This Trip That You and Your Parents Know Nothing About’
A flight attendant named Dana brought him apple juice in a plastic cup.
“Do pilots really say ‘roger’?” Mike asked.
“Sometimes.”
“Do they have keys?”
“I’ll ask,” she said.
“Can airplanes get tired?”
Dana glanced at me before answering. “Not when they know where they’re going.”
Mike smiled.
“Do pilots really say ‘roger’?”
Then the captain’s voice came over the speakers.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Harris. We are cruising at thirty-five thousand feet and expect a smooth flight into Los Angeles.”
Mike looked disappointed.
“He didn’t say ‘roger.'”
The captain continued: “We also have a special guest with us today. Mike, in seat 12A, I hope you’re enjoying your trip so far.”
“We also have a special guest with us today.”
My son froze with a straw between his lips.
Passengers turned toward us.
Mike lowered the cup.
“He knows my seat.”
Dana stood near the front galley, smiling.
Captain Harris spoke again.
“Mike, before we land, there is one thing about this trip that you and your parents know nothing about.”
Passengers turned toward us.
Stella’s fingers locked around mine.
I looked toward Dana. She gave nothing away.
The seat belt sign remained off, but the cabin went still.
“Passengers, please reach beneath your seat. You will find a small folded paper tucked into the life vest pocket.”
People bent forward.
Paper rustled across the plane.
“Passengers, please reach beneath your seat.”
I reached beneath my seat and found a square of white cardstock.
On the front, someone had drawn an airplane in blue crayon. One wing was larger than the other. Three round windows floated above the body.
Across the top were the words: BOARDING PASS TO SOMEWHERE BETTER.
No name.
No destination.
No explanation.
On the front, someone had drawn an airplane in blue crayon.
