On my way to Washington DC last week I met a man. At first glance I thought ‘is Leo sitting next to me on the plane’? From the side, with the hat pull down, he vaguely resembled the star, with the only exception being that we were in coach.
He didn’t speak to me much as plane rides tend to be in an uncomfortable approximately to each other and combined with my clear preoccupation with keeping Charlotte from annoying any other plane passengers, we kept our conversations to merely smiles and nods.
I could tell he was kind. Charlotte, while being amazing on the plane, had a few dramatic moments yelling out “We are going down” during some turbulence and bouncing off the walls from that bad decision to let her drink a frappuccino at the stop over in Atlanta.
Once we landed in DC, he, like all passengers, opened his cell and while I wasn’t eavesdropping, I heard the whole thing. He called someone at the hospital and spoke to a nurse. He asked the question about how someone was doing, were they stable, and explained he would be there shortly.
He closed the phone and stared at the window.
I asked him if everything was alright. He said yes at first. Then he paused and said ‘my wife is in the hospital on life support here. She had a reaction to medication and is on a breathing machine.’
I didn’t know what to say. I got chills. I was on my way to a great weekend, he was on his wife to his wives side. I did as most people did and made some mumbling of how sorry I was. The thing was…I really did feel some sort of anguish for this stranger. He pulled out his phone and shared a picture of her with me.
She was beautiful; definitely model material. Gorgeous read hair. A body I had a decade ago. The difference was she was 39 in the photo. He looked at Charlotte and smiled again. I asked if he had children. He said no, and kinda looked away. I think I hit a sad note. I offered up he could have mine but he would return her shortly. He laughed and said he had nephews and him and his wife loved to take them.
Then he told me she had cancer. She took an experimental treatment and it basically destroyed her. She was in a hospital in DC. I asked him as delicately as I could if she was dying or whether it was the treatment that killed her. He said she was fine till the treatment.
I teared up.
I said: “What’s your name.”
He said: “David.”
This entire conversation happened standing in the aisles of the plane waiting to deboard.
We got off the plane and he was gone in moments; Charlotte and I stumbling to open the stroller and manage our carry ons. We walked through the airport and swooped around, grabbed our bags, and headed up an escalator. 15 minutes had passed. After all the time, on the way up, coincidentally David was going down on the opposite side. If you believe in coincidences.
I yelled to him.
“David, do you have a website?”
I had to know the end to the story. I had to know if she was OK.
He yelled back “No”.
I said: “Im an internet guru, I am going to track you down to find out how she is doing.”
Soon he was one way and I was the other, our escalators moving the whole time, our conversations between people. Minutes passed and Charlotte and I trudged along. I heard running behind me and I turned.
David was running behind me.
He said: “You seem sincerely interested. Here is my business card.”
I told him I would email him and would find out the good news that his wife was in recovery.
I am getting ready to email him now. As I look down at his card I notice he is a landscape and cemetery supervisor. The irony of dealing with death every day strikes me.
This stranger on the plane.
~trisha
Wow. I will be praying for him and his wife….funny, how only moments talking with someone can affect us so deeply. Please let us know what you find out.
Christine
The IE Mommy
http://www.iemommy.wordpress.com
theiemommy(at)gmail(dot)com
Wow… what a touching story. I am so glad that you will know how things turn out..I will be praying for his wife, and no,I don’t believe in coincidence..you were seated next to him for a reason! He needed you that day!
how awful. My thoughts are with him. Thanks for sharing
That is so sad! I hope you’ll keep us updated on how she’s doing. Maybe you could start a ‘Praying For…’ for him and get prayers all over the country for her. You have such a big heart trisha!
((hugs))) and kudos to you for being so sweet!
What a great story- thanks for sharing. Please keep us posted on his wife.
Found you through Mommy Cracked. I love the connection you can make by just being sensitive to another’s needs. These days we can be so self-absorbed it is easy to miss what is going on in other peoples lives.
Now that is a great story. Thank you for sharing such a touching moment. I hope she’s okay…Please let him know there are many out here who care.
All I can say is Wow. I hope his wife is doing o.k.
damn now i’m crying. How awful but what a wonderful man!
Oh em gee. So sad. This breaks me heart. I talk to strangers too, but so many don’t. You were so kind to take an interest in his life and lend him an ear. I am sure he is thinking about his conversation with you too. I am praying for him and his wife. I can’t wait to read an update once you hear back from him. I pray that his wife is ok.
This post truly left me speechless.
Sarah wrote:
I agree. The power of prayer is unfathomable. You were given a mission Trisha…God Bless you for recognizing and reaching out to help. Praying in thanksgiving for your kind heart and in hope for David and his wife. Thanks for sharing.
This brought tears to my eyes.. I need to know more!!!
This reminds me of the quote and a motto I try to live by “Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle”
What a touching post. I am praying for David and his wife.
How terribly sad. I hope she gets better. I truly do. How big is your heart that you reached out to this man? I am sure he could use someone to talk to right about now, anyway. It was meant to be, your meeting with this man. Everything happens for a reason.
What a touching story! Good for you for recognizing his grief and reaching out to him! Please keep us posted!
Why do I feel like the impact of this story has not yet begun? Between you, this community and his story, there is a tremendous work that will be done.
That was so very kind of you! He must have really needed some support to reach out to a stranger during this time and lucky for him, you were there. Please let us know how he is doing.
Isn’t it amazing how someone in our life for such a brief period of time can really have an impact on us? Your post really touched me! Please post if you hear back from him.