Arlene sent her seven-year-old son, Justin, to visit his father, Pierce, in Orlando. Pierce waited for his son, thinking about all the fun they were going to have. When the flight arrived, his son was nowhere to be found. That’s when both parents began to worry and realized their mistake.
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 Orlando, Florida, where his father, Pierce, was waiting. It was his first time traveling as an unaccompanied minor, but thanks to the flight attendant, he felt safe.
“Everything will be fine, Mrs. Cardigan. Many minors travel alone across the country, and we should arrive in Florida on time,” she said. “He will be escorted, and this flight is the best because there are no connections. Everything will be perfect.”
Arlene watched her son walk to the door with the attendant | Source: Pexels
Arlene nodded, her face filled with emotion. Despite his age, Justin was still her little boy. It was hard to let him go, especially since he hadn’t seen his father in years. After their bitter divorce, Pierce had moved from Virginia to Orlando, Florida, and he was busy most of the time.
“How is this possible?” Arlene screamed, almost starting to cry with worry and exasperation. But something occurred to her at that moment. “Give me a second.”
However, his company had just granted him two weeks of vacation, and he’d invited Justin to come spend some time with him. He planned to take him to some theme parks, so Arlene couldn’t say no.
Her son was so excited because he loved everything about superheroes and dinosaurs. It was his dream. But now she almost regretted it.
“Okay, Justin. You’re going to go with this lady and get on the plane. Listen to the adults around you. Don’t leave your escort, and you’ll be near your dad soon. When you land in Orlando, call me immediately. And then call me back when you’ve met your dad. Understand?” she asked, kneeling in front of the boy and tenderly holding his arms.
“Yes, Mom,” Justin replied, smiling and giving an impromptu military salute. This kid had a great sense of humor. Arlene was sure he was going to love this trip.
She sat at the airport cafe and waited for Justin to call | Source: Pexels
She kissed him one last time and wished him a safe journey. She continued to watch him as he walked away with the flight attendant. At one point, she had thought about leaving, but she had finally sat down in an airport cafe. She had decided to wait for the plane to take off before leaving.
Eventually, she changed her mind. She wanted to wait for Justin’s call at the airport in case something happened. After all, the flight was less than two hours. Time would fly by.
***
Meanwhile, Pierce was waiting for Justin at Orlando International Airport. He was just as excited as his son to see all the park’s attractions. It seemed crazy to him that he’d lived in the city for years but had never been there. His job kept him way too busy. This trip was going to be incredible.
He had arrived an hour before Justin’s flight and went to the arrivals area to wait for him. Finally, the plane arrived, and Pierce moved closer to the gate so his son could see him immediately.
“I should have signaled,” he muttered to himself as he saw other people waiting for their loved ones. It was too late now. He saw the passengers file past him, but none of them looked like his son.
Yet Arlene had told him he would have top priority, so it was strange that he hadn’t seen her get off the plane yet. He didn’t want to call her yet so as not to worry her. Maybe Justin had to go to the bathroom, which could explain the delay. He resolved to wait a while.
Pierce waited in the arrivals area, but Justin didn’t come out | Source: Pexels
But at one point, no other passengers were leaving the arrivals area. It had been an hour since the plane had landed. It shouldn’t take that long. He approached an airline representative and started asking questions. An agent came to help him.
“I’m sorry, sir. There was no one named Justin Cardigan on this flight. We also have no record of an unaccompanied minor being hired on this flight,” the flight attendant had said. Pierce was shocked. “That’s impossible. Please check again,” he asked, trying to remain calm, but the sweat on his forehead betrayed his fears.
As the assistant typed on her computer, Pierce’s phone rang. It was Arlene. Hopefully, she knew what was going on. “Hello?”
“Hey, Pierce. Why didn’t you call me when Justin arrived? I told him to call me when the plane landed and when you two meet,” Arlene had asked. Pierce could tell she was agitated about something.
“Arlene, listen. I’m sorry to tell you this, but Justin hasn’t arrived. A flight attendant I spoke to said he wasn’t on the flight. I don’t understand what’s going on,” he had been forced to explain. Upon hearing these words, Arlene had shouted, “No! This is crazy! No! Tell the attendant to check again. I’m going to talk to someone too. I’m still at the airport.”
He told Arlene to calm down on the phone | Source: Pexels
“Okay. Listen, calm down. Everything’s going to be okay. There must be a misunderstanding or something,” he said, trying to calm his ex-wife. She had a distinct tendency toward hysteria. “I’m not going to calm down! That’s our child, Pierce! Let’s talk later,” she said before abruptly hanging up.
“Sir, as I said. There was no Justin Cardigan on the flight. There’s nothing I can do. Are you sure it’s this airline?” the agent asked.
“Yes! That’s the only flight that arrived at that time from Virginia! My son was on that flight. My ex-wife just confirmed it. Please help me, miss. He’s only seven years old. Can you call someone? Should I call the police?”
Pierce asked questions quickly. The attendant sighed before grabbing her phone.
***
The moment her phone rang again, Arlene rushed to answer. Recognizing Justin’s voice, she asked, “Justin, where are you? Why didn’t you call me sooner? What’s going on?”
“Mom, we’ve been trying to find Dad for hours, and he’s nowhere. Have you spoken to him?” the little boy said through the phone.
Something occurred to her and she checked her email again | Source: Pexels
“Your father is in the arrivals area. He’s just as worried as I am. Please give the phone to your escort,” Arlene had said. She then demanded an explanation from the flight attendant. The flight attendant simply repeated what Justin had said earlier. There was no Pierce Cardigan in the airport.
She’d asked them to wait for her to call back and immediately dialed her ex-husband’s number. “Pierce, Justin called me and said they’d been looking for you for a long time. What’s going on?” she said, a hand running through her hair in frustration. She knew Justin was safe, but there was no reason they couldn’t find each other again.
“There’s no way, Arlene. It’s impossible. People here are saying he wasn’t on the flight!” Pierce had said. “How is that possible?” Arlene was screaming, almost starting to cry with worry and exasperation. But then something occurred to her. “Give me a second.”
She then looked at the email in which she’d sent Pierce the flight details. However, she’d written them down instead of sending a screenshot, and she suddenly realized her big mistake. “Pierce,” she began, lifting the phone to her ear again. “Where are you?”
“What do you mean? I’m at Orlando International Airport. Why?” he asked. It must be said that at that moment, Pierce was completely confused by his ex-wife’s question. But, at that precise moment, something clicked in his head.
“Justin has arrived at Orlando Sanford International Airport!” Arlene had said. Pierce had immediately taken off running.
Justin promised to send him pictures of the park | Source: Pexels
“Arlene, why didn’t you tell me that in your email? Most of the flights have arrived at MCO,” he had scolded her breathlessly as he ran to his car. “I’ll be there in 30 minutes!”
While Pierce was on the way, Arlene called Justin and explained to his escort what had happened. The hostess was relieved. She and Justin patiently waited for Pierce to arrive.
Less than an hour later, Justin called Arlene. ” I’m with Dad, Mom! Thanks for helping me! I’ll send you some Disney pictures soon! “
After hanging up, Arlene took a deep breath. It felt like her lungs weren’t getting enough air. Finally, she got in her car and headed home.
Read also: After the death of her husband, a flight attendant meets a man on the plane who looks exactly like her
What can we learn from this story?
- You have to send all the flight details and check them several times . These poor parents were very worried because they hadn’t communicated well enough. Fortunately, nothing serious happened and they were able to resolve the problem.
- It’s always best to travel with your children . While the unaccompanied minor service is perfect for busy parents and other situations, Arlene should have traveled with her son. That way, she wouldn’t have had to worry so much.
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