\u201cAmy!\u201d Leslie called when she saw her fellow flight attendant. \u201cPlease tell me you have some headache pills?\u201d<\/p>\n
Amy looked at Leslie and rolled her eyes. \u201cOf course I do, but you should know better than to party the night before a cross-country flight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else am I supposed to do, visit museums?\u201d Leslie sighed.<\/p>\n
Amy gave Leslie a friendly nudge, and the women boarded the plane together.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day, everything will work out for you, Leslie,\u201d Amy said. \u201cJust have faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leslie and Amy immediately got to work preparing for the passengers to board, then doing the safety demonstration and ensuring all the passengers settled in. Finally, Leslie crept to the galley and drank her headache pills.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wonder if Amy will mind if I lie down in the rest quarters for a bit,\u201d Leslie said. She was heading off to speak to her colleague when an odd sound stopped her in her tracks.<\/p>\n
Leslie paused, listening hard. A moment later, she decided she must\u2019ve imagined it. Maybe Amy was right about her partying too much.<\/p>\n
When Leslie passed the bathroom door, she heard a high-pitched mewling sound again. There was no way there was a cat on the plane, so it had to be a child crying.<\/p>\n
Amy knocked on the bathroom door. When nobody replied, she opened the door and peeped inside. A second later, she screamed.<\/p>\n
A moment later, Leslie realized the shuddering bundle that frightened her was a young boy. He\u2019d been crying and looked up at her with tearful eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t do that!\u201d Leslie said to the young boy who\u2019d surprised her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing in here?\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy hugged his knees and started crying again. Now that she was over her shock, Leslie felt sorry for the boy. She crouched down in front of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry I shouted,\u201d Leslie said. \u201cYou gave me a fright. I\u2019m Leslie, what\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy sniffed. \u201cMy name\u2019s Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leslie helped the boy up. She let him sit in one of the crew jump seats while she searched the passenger list for his name. It was probably the boy\u2019s first time on a plane, and he didn\u2019t seem to enjoy it.<\/p>\n
Leslie frowned. She checked the passenger list again but still didn\u2019t find the boy\u2019s name!<\/p>\n
It had been far too long since Leslie last had to comfort a child. The thought filled her with longing for her home, but now was not the time to think of that. She sat beside Ben and put her hand on his arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cBen, sweetie, are you lost? I can help you if you tell me where to find your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben let out a sob. He was hugging a paper bag to his chest, Leslie noticed. It set her nerves on edge because of all the horror stories she\u2019d heard about substances brought onto flights.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s in the bag, Ben?\u201d Leslie asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Granny\u2019s medicine,\u201d the boy replied. \u201cShe\u2019s going to die without this medicine, and it will be all my fault!\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next few hours, Leslie managed to coax the whole story out of Ben. He was the youngest boy in a large family. While his older brothers spent most of their time playing sports and getting into scrapes, Ben dreamed of becoming a scientist.<\/p>\n
His mom hadn\u2019t appreciated the explosive side effects of Ben\u2019s quest to discover a cure for all diseases. He\u2019d dearly hoped to make his mother proud and earn a hug from her, but instead, she\u2019d made him sit in the corner.<\/p>\n
Ben sobbed. \u201cThat\u2019s why I stole the bag of Granny\u2019s medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Ben\u2019s grandmother fell ill, the family decided to visit her in Seattle and bring her medicine. Ben had gotten separated from his family at the airport. He\u2019d eventually spotted his mother again and followed her onto the plane.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she wasn\u2019t my mom,\u201d Ben wailed. \u201cAnd now I\u2019m on the wrong plane. I wanted to be the hero who gave Granny her medicine, but now I\u2019m the baddie. She\u2019s going to die because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leslie had alerted all the relevant authorities when the plane touched down in Los Angeles. She felt terrible for Ben but was ready to put the whole situation behind her. So, when she found out about the arrangements the airline made for Ben, Leslie was shocked.<\/p>\n
She stared at the boy she was now forced to look after and share her hotel room with. This wasn\u2019t fair. She\u2019d made a list of clubs to check out in L. A, but now she had to babysit instead.<\/p>\n
Several times, she\u2019d texted Amy and her other colleague, Brandon, but neither of them was willing to mind Ben for her. She\u2019d even considered searching for a local babysitter but realized she couldn\u2019t afford it. She had to save as much as possible to send home.<\/p>\n
The pair were silently eating a pizza Leslie ordered for dinner when her phone rang. She answered it, and her stomach dropped when she heard what the caller said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy baby is sick?\u201d Leslie asked. \u201cWhat happened, mom? Joe was doing well the last time we spoke. Have you taken him to a doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever it takes, so long as my boy gets better,\u201d Leslie replied.<\/p>\n
When she ended the call, Leslie curled into a ball and wept. She wished with all her heart she could wrap her son in her arms, smell his soft, curly hair, and tell him everything would be okay.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Joe was far beyond her reach. Her flight schedule hadn\u2019t taken her home in over a month. As much as she tried to forget her longing for her son by partying, nothing could stop her heart from aching.<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Leslie?\u201d Ben approached and put his hand on her arm. \u201cI think you should have these for your Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leslie felt another wave of tears coming on as she looked at the bag of medicine Ben offered to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can\u2019t save my granny, at least I can help you,\u201d Ben said. \u201cTake them for Joe so he can be healthy again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a better idea.\u201d Leslie started typing on her phone. \u201cI\u2019m going to get you to your granny in Seattle, Ben. Afterward, I\u2019m going home to see my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leslie booked a plane ticket for Ben at her own expense. She then organized leave and arranged to accompany Ben on his flight while on her way home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m scared,\u201d Ben said as he and Leslie boarded their flight. \u201cWhat if Granny is already dead because of my mistake? Mom will never love me then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben didn\u2019t seem to believe Leslie, even when his entire family rushed forward to hug him when they arrived in Seattle. Leslie looked on as Ben\u2019s mom smothered him with kisses and swore never to ignore him again.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, Leslie\u2019s reunion with her family was less cheerful. She was shocked to see how pale and thin Joe had become since she last saw him. He felt so fragile in her arms.<\/p>\n
Leslie stayed up late that night talking to her mom and going over the various tests the doctors had run on Joe. She felt overwhelmed, helpless, and incredibly guilty.<\/p>\n
When she finally retired for the evening, Leslie crept into Joe\u2019s room and curled up next to him. She buried her face in his soft, coconut-scented hair and promised him, herself, and God to do whatever it took to see her son healthy.<\/p>\n
As the days drew on, Joe\u2019s condition didn\u2019t improve. The specialist couldn\u2019t figure out what was wrong. In the meanwhile, he seemed to grow weaker every day.<\/p>\n
Leslie put in for extra days on her leave, but the airline wasn\u2019t very understanding. They refused to pay her for the time off. After another week of caring for Joe and paying for doctor\u2019s visits, money was getting tight. Leslie\u2019s mom was retired and had always relied on Leslie to pay for Joe\u2019s needs while she cared for the child. Now, the women needed to figure out how to proceed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I can get a job here,\u201d Leslie said. \u201cMaybe something that pays better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s worth looking at any rate,\u201d Leslie\u2019s mom shrugged. \u201cIf it comes to it, I can sell the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just then, there was a knock at the door.<\/p>\n
Leslie opened the door and found a familiar face staring up at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBen?\u201d She noted then that the family she recognized from the airport was with him. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have something for you and Joe.\u201d Ben presented Leslie with an envelope.<\/p>\n
Leslie opened the envelope. Inside was a check. When Leslie saw the amount on it, her jaw dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this? I can\u2019t accept it,\u201d she stammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want you to have it.\u201d Ben\u2019s mother stepped forward. \u201cWe started a crowdfunding campaign for my mother, but she\u2026\u201d the woman put a hand to her mouth. \u201cShe passed away a few days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben\u2019s father stepped forward and embraced his wife as she burst into tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe decided together that we should give you the money, for Joe,\u201d Ben continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe announced what we planned to do on the crowdfunding campaign too,\u201d Ben\u2019s dad added, \u201cso everything is above board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leslie pressed the check to her chest as tears welled up in her eyes. \u201cThank you all so much,\u201d she sobbed. \u201cThis is the greatest gift I\u2019ve ever received. I only hope it\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben lunged forward and hugged Leslie\u2019s legs. \u201cIt will be enough, I\u2019m sure of it! And when Joe is better one day, I\u2019m going to come back here to play with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leslie smiled and ruffled the boy\u2019s hair. \u201cYou\u2019ll always be welcome to visit here, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n
The check was almost the exact amount Leslie needed. After countless doctors and treatments, Joe returned to his old self a month later.<\/p>\n
As Leslie watched him playing with the neighbor\u2019s dog on the front lawn, it was hard to imagine a time when he hadn\u2019t been strong and full of laughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it\u2019s all thanks to Ben,\u201d she muttered.<\/p>\n
What can we learn from this story?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cAmy!\u201d Leslie called when she saw her fellow flight attendant. \u201cPlease tell me you have some headache pills?\u201d Amy looked at Leslie and rolled her eyes. \u201cOf course I do, but you should know better than to party the night before a cross-country flight.\u201d \u201cWhat else am I supposed to do, visit museums?\u201d Leslie sighed. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tales"],"yoast_head":"\n