I thought my big work trip to Los Angeles would have been just another day until a baffling request from the pilot left me examining everything I knew about my past. The reality he shared would alter my future in ways I never imagined. My trip to Los Angeles was supposed to be a smooth one, however, what happened during that two-hour adventure changed my life until the end of time. Before I explain, though, let me share with you why I needed to get to Los Angeles that day. I work as a planner at a prominent development company and this is the most amazing job I have ever imagined. Brace yourself for what I am about to tell you: it was not good luck that brought me here. It was my diligent effort and the many restless nights I spent in school revising my skills and acquiring new ideas.

Lately, my manager offered me the opportunity to pitch a major project to some of our top financial backers in Los Angeles. It was a huge deal because it could lead to a long-awaited breakthrough, so I happily accepted the open door. In truth, I felt very grateful for it as it was also a chance to make my mother, Melissa, happy. She is my dearest friend, and that is mainly because she raised me as a single mother. She let me know that my dad died before I was conceived, yet she never stopped me from following my fantasies. My mother has always been there for me and I love her for that. So when I told her about the meeting in Los Angeles, she hugged me and said, “Go get them, honey!

I’m going to appeal to God for you.” Time flew by at the air terminal, and soon I ended up comfortably settled on the plane, ready for takeoff. The airline hostesses were very welcoming and I was lucky to have an empty seat near me. As the plane began to ascend, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to feel energized.

I was ready to attend my show, confident that the financial backers would like it. A few moments into the flight, a well-disposed-looking airline hostess named Bethany approached me with a plate of drinks. “Can I sometime make you something to try?” she asked cheerfully. “Single-squeezed orange, please,” I replied, raising my hand to acknowledge the glass. As I did so, Bethany glanced at the skin pigmentation on my wrist. “Please accept my apologies, could I sometime get your visa, please?” she asked suddenly. Well, that’s peculiar, I thought.

Puzzled but with no desire to contend, I let it go. Bethany looked at it warily before handing it back with a nod. “Just a standard convention check. Thank you very much!” Sounds great. A short time later, Bethany returned to my seat. “Excuse me, will you be in a hurry after we land?” she asked. “You better believe it, I have to find the appropriate flight and I’m already late,” I made sense of as I subliminally clasped my hands together. “Well, the pilot needs to talk to you after we land.” “The pilot?” I asked. “Why? Could you at some point talk to me today?” “I’m not scared,” Bethany replied in a serious tone. “He needs to talk to you face to face. I know you’re in a hurry, but trust me, you’ll need to hear this. You’ll think twice if you don’t.”

“What the hell could the pilot possibly have to say to me at some point? Besides, why did he have to hold off until after we landed? My big meeting was still to be determined and I’d rather not have risked missing out on my partnership. However, Bethany’s demand made me feel like this was the kind of thing that was important. As the plane landed and the various travelers began recording, I braced myself and waited without complaint for the pilot to approach. When the cabin was finally empty, a tall man with graying hair walked in and his eyes quickly locked onto mine. By then, I actually dropped my backpack and coat. My jaw practically raised an uproar in the town as I had strong suspicions of having seen this man before. In an instant I remembered him from the old photographs my mother had shown me. This was Steve, her beloved lifelong companion. The man didn’t seem happy to see me, though. In truth, tears were streaming down his face as he held me tightly.

embrace. I stood there, totally confused, as he cried on my shoulder. “What’s going on?” I asked in a weak voice. “What happened?” He pulled away and looked at me with reddened eyes. Then, he delicately grabbed my hand and discovered a skin color on his wrist. It was a careful match to mine. “Courtney,” he said ahogar. “I’m your father.” “Wait, what?” I stared at him, my eyes wide. “My dad? My mom said, though…” “Why did my mom lie to me?” I thought. Why didn’t she let me know at any point that Steve was my father? I have no idea what all Melissa told you, Courtney, however, this is the reality,” Steve continued. “She just out of the blue disappeared from my life when I was going to go to flight school. “She didn’t actually let me know she was pregnant… I… I found out through a coworker, however, it was a long time after you were conceived.”