Arlene sent her seven-year-old, Justin, to visit his father, Pierce, in Orlando. Pierce waited for his son in anticipation of all the fun they would have, but his flight had allegedly arrived, and his son was nowhere to be found. That\u2019s when both parents started worrying and realized their shocking mistake.<\/p>\n
Arlene and her son, Justin, were at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia. The seven-year-old was about to board a flight to Orland, Florida, where his father, Pierce, awaited him. It was the first time he had traveled as an unaccompanied minor, but luckily, the airline attendant made her feel safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be alright. Many minors travel alone around the country, and we should reach your husband in time,\u201d she stated. \u201cHe\u2019ll have an escort, and this flight is best because there are no connections. Everything will be perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arlene nodded, her face filled with emotion. Justin might be growing, but he was still a child. It was hard to let him go, mainly because he hadn\u2019t seen his father in years. After their bitter divorce, Pierce moved from Virginia to Orlando, Florida, and he was busy most of the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow is that possible?\u201d Arlene wailed, almost starting to cry from the worry and exasperation. But something occurred to her at that moment. \u201cGive me a second.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, his company had just given him a two-week vacation, and he invited Justin to come to spend time with him. They were going to the theme parks, so that Arlene couldn\u2019t say no. Her son was too excited because he loved everything relating to superheroes and dinosaurs. It was his dream.<\/p>\n
But now, she was almost regretting it. \u201cOk, Justin. You\u2019re going to with this lady and get on the plane. Listen to the adults around. Don\u2019t run off from your escort, and you\u2019ll reach your dad soon. When you land in Orlando, you call me immediately. And then, call me again when you meet your father. Understand?\u201d she requested, kneeling in front of the kid and holding his arms tenderly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Mom!\u201d he replied, smiling and doing a makeshift military salute. This kid had a great sense of humor. He was going to love that trip.<\/p>\n
\u201cOk. Love you. Go on!\u201d she continued and watched as Justin grabbed the attendant\u2019s hand and entered the gate.<\/p>\n
She thought about leaving but sat down at an airport caf\u00e9. She was going to wait for the plane to take off. But once she saw that the flight had taken off, she decided to stay and wait for Justin\u2019s call if anything happened. After all, the flight was less than two hours long. The time would pass quickly.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Pierce was waiting for Justin at Orlando International Airport, and he couldn\u2019t wait. He was just as excited as the kid to see all the attractions at the park. It was crazy that he had lived in the city for years but had yet to attend. His work kept him way too busy. This trip was going to be amazing.<\/p>\n
He arrived an hour before Justin\u2019s flight and went to the arrival area to wait for him. Finally, the flight landed, and Pierce got closer to the gate so his son could see him immediately. \u201cI should have made a sign,\u201d he muttered to himself as he saw other people waiting for their loved ones. It was too late now. He stayed in the front at all times.<\/p>\n
However, many passengers came out, and there was no Justin. According to the unaccompanied minor service, Arlene said that he would have top priority. So, someone should have brought him out already. He didn\u2019t want to call her yet to avoid worrying her. Maybe, Justin had to go to the bathroom, which could explain the delay. He would wait for a while.<\/p>\n
But at one point, no other passengers were coming out of the arrival area. It had been an hour since the plane landed. It shouldn\u2019t take that long. He approached someone from the airline and started asking questions. An attendant came to assist him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, sir. There was no one by the name of Justin on that flight. We have no record of an unaccompanied minor serviced hired for it either,\u201d the attendant, shocking Pierce.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible. Please, check again,\u201d he demanded, trying to stay calm, but the sweat on his forehead gave away his fears.<\/p>\n
The assistant typed away on her computer, and Pierce\u2019s phone rang. It was Arlene. Hopefully, she knew what was going on. \u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, Pierce. Why didn\u2019t you guys call me when Justin arrived? I told him to call me when the plane landed and when you met with him,\u201d Arlene wondered, and he could tell that she was agitated for some reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cArlene, listen. I\u2019m sorry to say this, but Justin has not arrived. An attendant here said that he was not on the flight. I don\u2019t understand what\u2019s going on,\u201d he was forced to reveal, and Arlene yelled in his ear.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo! That\u2019s crazy! NO! Tell the attendant to check again!\u201d she started yelling. \u201cI\u2019m going to talk to someone on my end too. I\u2019m still at the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOk. Listen, calm down. Everything will be alright. There must be a mix-up or something,\u201d he said, trying to calm his ex-wife because he knew she was prone to hysterics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not calming down! This is our child, Pierce! Talk to you later!\u201d she screamed and hung up.<\/p>\n
\u201cSir, like I said. There was no Justin on the flight. There\u2019s nothing I can do. Are you sure this is the airline?\u201d the attendant asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes! It\u2019s the only flight that arrived at this time from Virginia! My son was on that flight. My ex-wife just confirmed. Please, help me, miss. He\u2019s only seven. Can you call anyone? Should I call the police?\u201d Pierce started asking questions rapidly. The attendant sighed and grabbed her phone.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cJustin, where are you? Why didn\u2019t you call me sooner? What\u2019s happening?\u201d Arlene asked desperately on her phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, we have been trying to find Dad for hours, and he\u2019s nowhere. Did you talk to him?\u201d the little boy said through the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father is right at the arrival area. He\u2019s just as worried as I am. Please, give the phone to your escort,\u201d Arlene requested and demanded an explanation from the woman, who only reiterated what Justin said earlier. There was no Pierce anywhere in the airport.<\/p>\n
She told them to wait until she called again and dialed her ex\u2019s number. \u201cPierce, Justin called me and said they\u2019ve been looking for you for a long time. What\u2019s going on?\u201d she said, one hand running through her hair in frustration. She knew Justin was safe, but there was no reason why they couldn\u2019t find each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no way, Arlene. That\u2019s impossible. People here are saying he was not on the flight!\u201d Pierce stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow is that possible?\u201d Arlene wailed, almost starting to cry from the worry and exasperation. But something occurred to her at that moment. \u201cGive me a second.\u201d<\/p>\n
She went to her emails where she had sent Pierce the flight details. However, she had written them instead of sending a screenshot, and she suddenly realized her big mistake. \u201cPierce,\u201d she started, again putting the phone in her ear. \u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean? I\u2019m at Orlando International Airport. Why?\u201d Pierce questioned, confused by her words. But something clicked in his brain at that moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cJustin arrived at Orlando Sanford International Airport!\u201d Arlene yelled, and Pierce took off in a run.<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus! Arlene, why didn\u2019t you say that in your email! Most flights got to MCO!\u201d he scolded her breathlessly as he ran to his car. \u201cI\u2019ll be there in 30 minutes!\u201d<\/p>\n
While Pierce was on his way, Arlene called Justin and explained to his escort what had happened. She was relieved too, and they waited for Pierce to arrive.<\/p>\n
Less than an hour later, Justin called her. \u201cI\u2019m with Dad, Mom! Thank you for helping me! I\u2019ll send you pics of Disney soon!\u201d<\/p>\n
Arlene hung up the phone with her son and breathed deeply as if she couldn\u2019t get enough air in her lungs. Finally, she walked to her car.<\/p>\n
What can we learn from this story?<\/p>\n
You must send all the details of a flight and check several times.\u00a0These poor parents worried so much because they had not communicated well enough. Luckily, nothing happened, and they resolved the issue.It\u2019s always best to fly with your kids.\u00a0While an unaccompanied minor service is perfect for busy parents and other situations, Arlene should have traveled with her son if she was going to worry so much. She would have avoided worrying so much.<\/p>\n
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.<\/p>\n
This account is inspired by our reader\u2019s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Arlene sent her seven-year-old, Justin, to visit his father, Pierce, in Orlando. Pierce waited for his son in anticipation of all the fun they would have, but his flight had allegedly arrived, and his son was nowhere to be found. That\u2019s when both parents started worrying and realized their shocking mistake. Arlene and her son, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tales"],"yoast_head":"\n