Leslie rubbed her temple as she walked toward the plane, her head pounding from last night’s party. The music had been loud, the drinks had flowed freely, and now she was paying the price.
“Amy!” Leslie called out as she spotted her fellow flight attendant. “Please tell me you have some headache pills.”
Amy raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Of course, I do. But seriously, Leslie? You know better than to party the night before a cross-country flight.”
Leslie sighed, rubbing her forehead. “What else am I supposed to do? Visit museums? At least partying keeps me distracted.”
Amy nudged her playfully as they boarded the plane. “One day, everything will work out for you, Leslie. Just have faith.”
Leslie and Amy got to work, welcoming passengers, doing the safety demonstration, and making sure everyone was settled in. Once everything was under control, Leslie slipped into the galley and took her headache pills.
“Maybe Amy won’t mind if I lie down in the rest quarters for a bit,” she mumbled. But as she turned to leave, a strange sound stopped her in her tracks.
Leslie frowned. She listened closely, but the noise was gone. Maybe she was imagining things. She had been partying a little too much lately. Maybe it was time to skip a few clubs in L.A.
As she passed the bathroom door, she heard the sound again—a high-pitched whimpering, almost like a kitten. But there were no animals on board. It had to be a child crying.
She knocked gently. “Hello? Is everything okay in there?”
No answer.
She hesitated, then slowly opened the door.
A terrified scream escaped her lips before she could stop it.
Huddled in the corner was a small boy, his big eyes red and swollen from crying. He was clutching his knees to his chest, trembling.
“Don’t do that!” Leslie gasped, pressing a hand to her racing heart. “You scared me!”
The boy sniffled but said nothing.
Leslie took a deep breath to steady herself. “What are you doing in here?”
Tears streamed down his face as he hugged himself tighter. Now that the shock had worn off, Leslie felt nothing but sympathy for him. She crouched down to his level and softened her voice.
“Hey, I’m sorry for yelling. You just surprised me. My name’s Leslie. What’s yours?”
“Ben,” he whispered.
Leslie offered him a warm smile. “Okay, Ben. Let’s get you out of here.”
She helped him up and led him to a crew jump seat, keeping a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Something about the situation felt… off.
Leslie checked the passenger list.
No Ben.
She checked again.
Still no Ben.
Her heart started to race. How had a child gotten on board without a ticket?
She sat beside him, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “Ben, sweetie, are you lost? Where is your family? I can help you find them.”
Ben let out a shaky breath, holding a crumpled paper bag to his chest like it was the most precious thing in the world. Something about the way he clutched it sent a ripple of unease through Leslie.
“Ben,” she asked cautiously, “what’s in the bag?”
Tears welled up in his eyes again. “It’s Granny’s medicine,” he choked out. “She’s going to die without it. And it’ll be all my fault.”
Over the next few hours, Leslie coaxed the whole story out of him. Ben was the youngest in a big family, always feeling overlooked. His brothers played sports and got into mischief, while he dreamed of being a scientist. But his mom never seemed impressed by his experiments. He just wanted to make her proud.
When his grandmother fell sick, the family planned a trip to Seattle to bring her medicine. But somewhere in the chaos of the airport, Ben got separated from them. Then, he saw his mother—or at least, he thought he did—and followed her onto the plane.
“But she wasn’t my mom,” Ben whispered, his little face crumpling. “And now I’m on the wrong plane. I wanted to be the hero who saved Granny, but now I’m the bad guy. She’s going to die because of me.”
When they landed in Los Angeles, Leslie alerted the authorities. She felt bad for Ben but was ready to move on. That was, until she got the news:
Ben would be staying with her.
“What?!” Leslie stared at the airline representative. “You want me to take care of him? I have plans!”
But there was no one else, and so, instead of hitting the clubs, she found herself in a hotel room with a sad little boy eating pizza in silence.
Her phone rang, breaking the quiet. She answered it, and her stomach dropped.
“My baby is sick?” she gasped. “Mom, what happened? Joe was fine last time we talked!”
“We took him to a doctor, Leslie. They’re sending us to a specialist. They mentioned something about a genetic disease… and they might need you for testing.”
Leslie’s hands shook. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
When she hung up, the weight of it all crushed her. She curled up on the bed and sobbed.
Ben hesitated, then walked over and placed the bag of medicine in her hands.
“Miss Leslie,” he said softly. “I think you should take these for Joe.”
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him. “Oh, Ben…”
“If I can’t save my Granny, at least I can help you.”
Leslie swallowed hard and made a decision. “I have a better idea. We’re going to get you to your Granny in Seattle. And then, I’m going home to my son.”
She bought Ben’s ticket herself and arranged her leave. When they arrived in Seattle, Ben’s family rushed forward, showering him with love.
Leslie, however, was met with silence. Joe was pale and frail, barely able to lift his head.
For weeks, Leslie stayed by his side. Bills piled up. The airline refused to pay her for time off. Money ran out.
Then, a knock at the door changed everything.
She opened it to find Ben and his family standing there.
“Ben?” she gasped. “What’s going on?”
Ben handed her an envelope.
Inside was a check. A big one.
“Over a hundred thousand dollars?!” she whispered. “I can’t accept this.”
Ben’s mother stepped forward, wiping her tears. “We raised this for my mother’s treatment, but… she passed away. We decided to give it to you.”
Leslie clutched the check to her chest, overcome with emotion. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Ben hugged her tightly. “It’ll be enough, I know it. And when Joe gets better, I’m coming back to play with him!”
It was enough. Joe recovered.
As Leslie watched him play, she whispered, “It’s all thanks to Ben.”
The next day, she called Ben’s mom. “The airline is giving your family a lifetime flight discount,” she said. “It’s my way of saying thank you.”
Because kindness, Leslie realized, always finds its way back.
