Six-year-old Kyle heard a strange conversation between his parents the night before their flight to Europe, but he didn’t understand exactly what it meant. At the airport, he helped an older lady with her luggage while waiting for his parents and fell asleep on a bench. When he woke up, he discovered something stunning.
“I’m so excited to get on a plane tomorrow, Mom!” Kyle chirped at his mother, Janet, as they finished up dinner. Their house was almost empty except for their beds because the entire family was moving to Europe. Janet’s aunt had offered them better jobs over there.
In the U.S., the family was not doing so well, barely surviving paycheck to paycheck, so this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. But six-year-old Kyle was excited to travel and get on a plane for the first time.
“Of course, you are. But we have to leave early, so time for bed,” his mother said, lightly pushing him to his room.
His mother had said they had an early flight. Why was he there still? Where were his parents?
Unfortunately, Kyle couldn’t fall asleep. He was too excited and went out into the hall to see if his parents were still awake. Their door was closed, but he could hear their voices. Pushing his ear against the door, he decided to eavesdrop.
“Okay, Aunt Candice, thank you so much,” he could hear his mother saying. It seemed like she was speaking to her aunt on the phone. “No, we don’t have any children. It’s just the two of us.”
Kyle pulled his face away from the door and frowned in confusion. Why would his mother say they didn’t have children? That doesn’t make sense.
“Okay, I’ll see. Goodbye,” Janet said, finishing her call.
Kyle was about to knock on the door when his father, Adam, spoke up. “Do you think it’s going to be alright, Janet?”
“It’s going to be fine,” she responded. “The airport is filled with security, and they’ll find him right away.”
“Okay. So, tomorrow, our lives will begin once again, and we’ll have a bit of freedom in a new country,” his father continued.
Kyle had no idea what they were talking about. It seemed odd, and he knew there was something he couldn’t quite understand, maybe due to his age. However, there was a feeling in his gut telling him that something was wrong, and honestly, he didn’t want to understand. So instead of knocking and asking, he decided to go to bed and forget about it.
When they arrived at Orlando International Airport the following day, Kyle saw his parents holding tickets, and he wanted to look at his own, so he asked Janet, “Where is my ticket, Mommy?”
“Oh, we’re going to buy it right now because there’s a discount for little kids,” Janet replied and pointed towards a bench. “Wait for us right here with your bag, alright? Don’t go anywhere else. We don’t want you to get lost with all these people here.”
Kyle nodded and smiled at his mother. The feeling in his gut eased, knowing that what he heard last night must not be so bad. She wanted him to remain safe. Therefore, she would come back soon. Right?
The six-year-old looked around the airport at all the people running from side to side, pulling their bags with them. There was a sense of urgency in them. He also saw some people crying, hugging, and saying goodbye. He couldn’t understand why, but they all looked sad to him.
Finally, he spotted an older lady trying to figure out her luggage. The woman was dressed in impeccable clothing, had a set of pearls around her neck, and her face was perfectly made up with red lips to complete the elegant look.
Kyle looked at her carefully and noticed that her scarf had caught on the wheel, which was the issue. He turned around toward where his parents had gone and saw they had not come back yet, so he stood up and went to help the lady. He removed the scarf from the wheel of the luggage and looked up at the woman with a bright smile.
“There,” he said, and the older lady looked down at him grinning.
“Thank you, young man. I couldn’t figure out what was happening. You’re such a good boy. Where are your parents? I want to thank them too,” the older woman said.
“Oh, they’re getting my ticket,” he responded. “I’m supposed to wait over there at the bench.”
“Well, then. You better go back and stay safely where they told you to because an airport has too many people running around. Thank you again,” she stated, smiled, and walked toward the check-in points.
Kyle returned to the bench and waited around. He didn’t realize how tired he was, especially after not being able to sleep much the previous night, and decided to lay his body down to rest for a while.
Hours later, he woke up and realized he was in the same spot. Why was he there still? Where were his parents?
He stood up, looked around for them, and pulled his luggage with him. He started crying out for his mother, and finally, people turned around to look at him strangely.
“Mom! Dad! Mom! Dad! Mommy!” Kyle finally broke down in tears because he couldn’t find his parents. Someone alerted a security guard who approached him and asked him questions and he explained to the guard what happened.
A few minutes later, he was still with the guard, and they were calling his parents through the airport intercom. Suddenly, Kyle saw the older lady from earlier approaching. She talked to the guard and approached Kyle.
“Hey, young man. You remember me? My name is Marissa Campbell,” she said, and he nodded. “I’m going to stay with you until your parents can find you, okay? My flight was delayed.”
Unfortunately, Kyle’s parents did not respond to the announcements nor return at all, and the airport attendants eventually called CPS. Even as a little kid, he knew he was going to an orphanage, and he started crying at the prospect.
Marissa frowned at his tears and decided to approach the CPS people. She said something to them that Kyle couldn’t hear, but whatever it was, it changed his life. The older lady returned, extended her hand with a kind smile, and said, “You’re coming with me, young man.”
Kyle didn’t even hesitate. He grabbed her hand and followed her. Marissa took him home, which seemed like a giant mansion compared to his parents’ house, and immediately became his legal guardian. She had a big family too, and they welcomed Kyle rapidly into their fold.
Kyle never saw his birth parents again, and he didn’t care because a stranger had saved him, no questions asked, and his new family embraced him quickly.