Mile-High Mystery: Flight Attendant Has A Startling Discovery When She Sees Late Husband On A Flight

In the wake of her husband’s passing, Lena Garcia found solace in the supportive embrace of friends and family. However, her return to work as a flight attendant thrust her into a whirlwind of emotions. Encountering a passenger who bore an uncanny resemblance to her late husband churned a storm of emotions amidst her ongoing grief.

While grappling with this new life path, Lena dealt with hidden family connections that unearthed unresolved emotions. Navigating the skies became a metaphor for her journey through loss as she learned to embrace the pain and uncover new layers of hope. She discovered unexpected solace in the skies, finding a fragile yet resilient path toward healing and a newfound sense of purpose.

But on this one day, a random passenger would put a grinding halt on all the progress she thought she had made.

Daybreak

Two hours earlier than she had anticipated, Lena Garcia woke up startled, her eyes wide open, heart racing. Knowing she couldn’t get any more sleep, she got out of bed, made coffee, and sat by the window, watching the sunrise.

Since her husband passed, she found it daunting to get up every morning. She had no desire to leave her bed and prepare for work. It all felt like a burden. If she simply had a magic wand, she would make the bills she had to pay disappear.

Getting Ready

When the alarm clock rang, she headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Lena was due back to work that dreadful morning and had dry-cleaned her flight attendant uniform a day before. She dressed, grabbed a cup of coffee, and went out the door.

The sun smiled above as she drove to the airport, making the black ocean glow beneath the bridge and the cobblestone road. The mornings were a beautiful sight to behold. But the nights often felt like a glide across space and time.

Indecision

She began to feel hesitant about going back to work. She considered asking for a two or three-week break but knew she might never return to work if she returned home that morning. And worse, she wouldn’t leave the house!

The moment she walked into her airline’s employees’ lounge, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked at her. As if possessed by something, they got up all at once. Her supervisor, Cassandra, was the first one to approach her. “Lena, how are you?”

Her Supervisor’s Attitude

It seemed as though everything Cassandra said to her was rehearsed. Although they had worked together for a while, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her supervisor didn’t like her. This suspicion was unarguable since Cassandra had a harsh aura around her.

She began to feel restless but calmed herself immediately. “So happy to have you back,” Cassandra added, a sympathetic look graced her face. “I’m fine, thank you. I’m glad to be back.” Lena turned to her co-workers and greeted them one after the other.

Worn Out

Many of her colleagues were compassionate towards her. However, it felt awkward because she didn’t like the attention. After all, it had been just a month since her husband passed. Suddenly, she felt tired. So she found a chair and settled down.

Lena began to feel as if she had made a mistake. She didn’t want to talk to anyone and was glad they left her alone. She could hear them talking, careful not to include her, as if grief was infectious and she was patient zero!

Was it A Mistake?

Lena started thinking that maybe she shouldn’t have returned to work that day. She should have taken her time and come back when she was ready. She began considering quitting her job, searching for a work-from-home gig, and living the rest of her life in solitude.

But would she be able to work from home? The house reminded her of her late husband, and coming to work made her feel like the world had moved on. While she remained undecided on what to do, the call came; it was time to board.

Going through the motions

She got on the plane with the others, and her flight attendant ‘auto-pilot mode’ took over. Her headache and fatigue were soon forgotten, and she went about her duties. She checked the aisles and helped two people with their wheelchairs and a child with special needs.

The work at hand pushed away her depressing thoughts and turbulent memories. She was relieved when she wasn’t tasked with greeting the passengers and was grateful that Cassandra tried to cut her a lot of slack on her first day back at work.

A Not-So-Long Flight

It was a three-hour flight, but the attitude of some of the passengers would make one think that they were about to embark on a forty-day journey. “Yes, they were always this annoying,” the familiar voice made her turn around.

She beamed when she turned around to find one of her closest friends and co-worker, Amelia. Amelia had been like a rock, staying with her and consoling her when no one else was available. “I decided to switch shifts so I could fly with you,” she said.

Laughing Again

The two women shared an embrace. “I am so glad that you’re here.” When Amelia let go, she responded to their supervisor, who asked her a question. And when she glanced back at her friend, she made a funny face. Lena couldn’t help but laugh!

It was the first time she had laughed in a long time, and it felt good. With Amelia around, her confidence came alive. “Good morning passengers,” Pilot Ralph Stanwick’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker. It was take-off time, and for some reason, fear gripped her heart.

Past Flights

They were all strapped in, safe and secure. So where did the fear come from? In the past, she’d witnessed dozens of turbulence and troublesome passengers, and not once had she flinched. Was her present state of mind responsible for the uncertainty she felt within?

Lena thought of why she became a flight attendant in the first place. She’d always loved traveling to new places. Even though she missed home sometimes, it never dampened her passion for flying. She also enjoyed interacting with the passengers, most of whom she almost never met again.

Bad Thoughts

She couldn’t shake the thought that the aircraft was taking her away from the only home she knew. She pictured her late husband’s stuff, her last memories of him, still in the house. “Are you okay?” She met Amelia’s concerned gaze and Cassandra’s frowning one.

Lena feigned a smile and nodded, “I’m fine. I’m good to fly.” Amelia relaxed, but Cassandra still looked doubtful. She was aware that her supervisor wouldn’t be able to do or say anything since they were already in the air. Nevertheless, she was upset at her.

Mounting Courage

She summed up courage from deep within herself. She was bent on proving Cassandra wrong. During the flight, she served the passengers drinks. “What can I get you to drink, sir?” she asked, staring down at her notepad as she attended to another passenger.

The man answered, “Coffee, please.” Lena let loose a smile for him before moving to the next person. But she didn’t expect to see a face that looked exactly like her late husband’s! She froze in shock and felt her mind leaving her physical body.

Was she dreaming?

It felt as though she was floating above her body, watching herself stare at the stranger. He had Matt’s exact face! She’d dreamed about her late husband countless times, but at that moment, she was wide awake. She blinked and looked at the man closely.

The passenger had Matt’s brown eyes and the same wrinkles on the forehead. As she was reeling from this unexpected experience, she noticed that the man’s smile had begun to wear off. He was probably wondering why she didn’t move along.

Good Matt, Bad Matt

Since her late husband passed, two distinct images of him on his last day alive were stamped in her mind. She named the first one Good Matt. He was in his pajama pants, blurred glasses, and had messy hair. She called the second image Bad Matt. This one haunted her days and nights.

She remembered they were in the fun house and were trying to find the exit. Her inability to read the map wasn’t helping, and Matt’s cough and hard breathing had gotten her worried, making her emotions get heightened. “Are you okay?” his sick look unnerved her.

An Awful Feeling

Her brain told her that something was wrong with her husband. He started to cough again, complaining that there was something in his throat and looking at her as if he barely recognized her. Then he said something that really alarmed her. “I didn’t go shopping today.”

She stared back at him, wondering if he was losing his mind. Before she could say or do anything, Matt staggered towards her, holding the left side of his chest. His eyes were now very red, and they seemed to say, ‘I’m sorry.’

It happened So Fast

She took a step forward in an attempt to reach him, still trying to understand why he was healthy one minute and looking sick the next minute. Suddenly, his arm fell from his chest, and he came crashing down. Lena let out a shriek in fright.

She kept screaming, hoping that someone would hear her. Lena knelt beside her husband, reached for her phone, and then remembered that it had died earlier, and they were completely off the grid! What if no one found them? The horrifying thought consumed her.

A stroke of Luck

In that moment of despair, someone luckily found them. “What’s going on?” Lena looked up and saw a young woman about her age. She almost started crying in relief, quickly explaining that her husband had collapsed. The lady pulled out her phone and dialed ‘911’.

By the time the paramedics arrived, Matt’s face had turned sickly pale, and his breath sounded like a wheeze. When they arrived at the hospital, he was treated immediately, and the doctors concluded that he had a massive heart attack! He didn’t come home that night.

Where were his glasses?

Red, sweating, panicking, dying… that was Bad Matt. That was the image she willed herself to forget. “Where are your glasses?” she noticed that the passenger wasn’t wearing any. Matt never went anywhere without his. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Cassandra glared at her before attending to the man, promising to bring back his coffee. Lena hurried down the aisle and locked herself in the bathroom. She broke down crying after seeing her distorted face in the mirror, unable to comprehend what she had seen.

Two Distinct Images

She was burdened by the two images of Matt that refused to leave her mind, and the familiar stranger she met on the plane had become an unwanted addition. She imagined what Matt would have done in such a situation. His coping mechanism was cracking jokes.

She wanted to scream her lungs out, but the panic it might cause could lead to an emergency landing. She pictured the passenger again in her mind’s eye and concluded that he wasn’t really her Matt but a perfect lookalike, an unwanted doppelganger.

Am I crazy?

Lena came out of the bathroom and almost ran into Amelia. Seeing her friend, she started to sob. If anyone could confirm that she wasn’t losing her mind, it was Amelia. She told her friend that Matt’s lookalike was on the plane.

Amelia found it hard to believe her friend’s assumptions, but she agreed to check the passenger out. She hoped that her friend’s sanity was still intact and she wasn’t going crazy. Lena watched her friend leave, and when she returned, her face had turned white!

A Necessary Investigation

Amelia confirmed that the passenger was Matt’s doppelganger. Her friend wasn’t crazy after all. Lena was relieved and troubled by the news at the same time. She needed to find out what was truly happening, which would require speaking with the familiar stranger.

Lena approached the man and apologized for her earlier behavior. As she took him in once again, tears gathered in her eyes. Bad Matt’s image crowded her mind, and she half-expected the passenger to clutch his chest and fall over.

An Introduction

A child dropped something on his tray table, and the sound jotted her back to reality. She took a deep breath to steady her jumpy nerves and asked him his name. She thought he would decline, but he offered her his business card.

She held her breath and glanced at the card. ‘Kelvin Jones’ was his name. Well, it wasn’t him. Her husband’s name was Matteo Garcia. Her countenance fell. Why did she feel so sad? Lena thanked him and returned the card, but Kelvin insisted that she kept it.

Facing Reality

Something else got her attention as she made her way down the aisle. Kelvin’s mannerisms were very similar to Matt’s. She steeled her emotions, reminding herself that he wasn’t her late husband. And it didn’t matter how much she wished he was.

Lena allowed her thoughts to go wild for a little bit. If the passenger had turned out to be her late husband, there were so many things she would have said to him. “You left me alone, and every day has been miserable without you.”

Missing Him

They had been together for ten years, traveling and spending time with their families. She longed for those times, including the bad ones, like their fights and squabbles. Whenever she missed him badly, she often pretended that he was there with her in the house.

But her pretense seldom lasted, especially when no one talked back to her. Lena began to use every excuse she could find to walk past Kelvin. It didn’t bother her if he thought she was weird. Just seeing him made her feel like Matt was around.

Losing Him Again

When Kelvin alighted from the plane, she almost ran after him. It made her feel like she was losing Matt all over again. After he’d left, Lena and Amelia commented on how much they looked alike. Lena nodded, comforted by the fact that she had his card.

When she got back home from work that day, she got a call from Matt’s mother. The woman was a dictator and meddler while she was married to Matt. But his death had changed their cat-and-mouse relationship. Now, they dined at least once a week.

Making New Plans

Miranda, Matt’s mom, asked how her first day at work went. Lena told her everything but left out the part about meeting Matt’s lookalike. She didn’t want to talk about it over the phone. She intended to share the incident during their next dinner outing.

Miranda decided to celebrate Lena’s return to work. Although it was just a dinner for two, she made meals enough to feed a dozen guests. While they both ate, Lena told her about meeting Kelvin Jones. Unexpectedly, Matt’s mother turned white at the news.

Give It Time

Lena noticed her mother-in-law’s pale face. When she asked about the guy’s name, Lena passed the business card, hoping she might get answers. It was obvious that Miranda knew something. “Interesting,” she handed the card back. Lena hid her disappointment and decided to bring the subject up later.

While they had dessert, Lena asked Matt’s mother what she thought about Kelvin Jones. She continued saying she had noticed the change in her mother-in-law’s face. She was not going to allow the woman to keep any secrets from her.

The Outburst

The sound of Miranda’s fists against the table caught Lena unawares. Lena didn’t expect her to react in such a manner. She backed down, leaving her be. But she was determined to find some answers with or without Matt’s mother.

Every time she thought about Kelvin, she had a feeling that he might be the key to unraveling the puzzle surrounding their situation. When she finally summed up the courage to call him, he told her that he had been thinking about their meeting.

Deep Secrets

Lena was excited because she wasn’t the only one looking for answers. Kevin said he had a hunch about what was going on, but it sounded insane even to him. She thought she was ready for answers, but nothing prepared her mind for what Kelvin had to say.

Kelvin was an adopted child, and the only thing he knew about his mother was that she was Latino. He’d had a happy childhood but often wondered about his birth mother. He also used to wear glasses as a child but got Lasik surgery later on.

Too much information

Everything Kelvin told her sounded like a sad fairy story, especially when he assumed he must be Matt’s brother. She remembered the way Miranda reacted when she told her about Kelvin. Was it possible that the woman was reminded of the child she gave up?

Lena thought of a remedy for their unique situation. She knew she had to tread carefully because Miranda wasn’t ready to talk about the past. She came up with a crazy idea, and Kelvin agreed to it, probably because he was keen on meeting his remaining long-lost family.

The beginning of doubts

When Kelvin agreed to fly in the following week, Lena thought of canceling their plans. She didn’t want to trouble Miranda, who had lost a son and was still grieving. She was concerned that meeting Kelvin may leave her traumatized and make her mourning worse.

The day she picked Kelvin up at the airport, she couldn’t help but notice the way he was standing at the ‘arrival gate.’ He looked exactly like Matt! This hurt, and she began to wonder how Miranda would feel when she met him.

Walking On Thin Ice

Their scheduled dinner was slated for the next day, and unknown to Miranda, Kelvin was going to be there. The thought that he would be staying in her guestroom made her mind dance between reality and fantasy, which was a slippery slope for her.

The following evening, while she prepared dinner, Kelvin offered to help, but she declined. She didn’t want him in her kitchen because it was Matt’s favorite place. Having Matt’s lookalike in the house was torture. She had to keep reminding herself that Kelvin wasn’t Matt.

Slipping into Pretense Mode

Lena fought against pretending that Kelvin was Matt. Her mind wanted to play house and bask in the euphoria of the moment. Even if it was for a little while. But the temporary joy would only cause her more pain once he left.

Dinner was ready by the time Miranda arrived. Lena helped her hang her coat and followed her into the dining room. She made sure that Matt’s seat was empty. She didn’t know how the night would go, so she was careful about triggering anything that could be avoided.

Growing Assumptions

Lena walked behind her mother-in-law, trying to figure out how she would react when she finally met Kelvin. She had witnessed Miranda’s different moods, but not once had she seen her explode in anger. She wasn’t looking forward to that.

Miranda halted and held her breath the moment she laid her eyes on Matt’s lookalike. “Hi, my name…” Before Kelvin could utter another word, Miranda turned on her heels, marched out, and slammed the door behind her. Shocked and confused, Lena ran after her.

A Chilly Night

Miranda stood in the cold by her car, searching for her car keys. She cursed under her breath when she realized that the keys were in her coat, hung inside the house. The woman looked at her daughter-in-law and burst into tears.

When her mother-in-law’s cries grew louder, Lena began to fear that one of her neighbors might call the police. Her cries sounded heartbreaking, and she didn’t know how to console her. It was Lena’s first time seeing her in such a vulnerable state.

“You Sacrificed My Happiness”

Lena watched Miranda, noticing how weak she looked, unlike during her son’s burial. She attempted to reach out, patting her on her shoulder, but the woman’s voice cut her short. She accused Lena of sacrificing her happiness just so she could have her ‘husband’ back.

Miranda’s harsh words cut her deep. So she reacted the only way she knew how. She reminded Miranda of the day she told her about Matt’s lookalike and how she had decided to keep quiet even though it was clear that she knew something. Both women glared at each other.

The Unexpected Confession

Frustration was written all over Miranda’s face. She looked beaten and dejected, beyond what Lena had ever seen before. “I couldn’t keep him,” she whispered. The younger woman became very still. She’d earlier berated herself for acting cruelly, but now, her actions were paying off.

Lena headed back inside, and without further reluctance, Miranda followed. They found Kelvin still seated in the dining room. Miranda poured herself a drink, and like an opened dam, she provided answers to all the questions Kelvin and Lena asked.

The Year 1984

At seventeen years old, Miranda was crowned the Prom Queen of her high school. But little did anyone know that she was pregnant with twins! When her parents found out, they convinced her to give the babies to an adoption agency in order to save their reputation.

The twins arrived weeks after prom. The babies’ father wasn’t even aware of her pregnancy. With one look at her children, Miranda knew she would never be able to give them up. When no one was watching, she sneaked out with her babies and fled!

Starting Over

A friend who lived in another town accommodated her for a while as she was able to pay her percentage of the rent. Miranda knew her parents would search for her for many days, but she hoped no one from her past would ever find her.

Soon enough, taking care of the twins became a burden she didn’t anticipate. She had little to no money, and her roommates were almost never around to lend a hand. In order to survive, it dawned on her that she would need to give up a child.

Unkept Promises

On the worst day of Miranda’s life, she left one of her children at a fire station. She promised the poor baby that she would be back. Not fulfilling that promise or knowing how he fared would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Miranda and Kelvin’s gazes met. When he didn’t say a word, she cleared her throat and apologized for leaving him all alone. In response, Kelvin said he didn’t know what to think because everything he’d heard was just too much.

What Ifs?

Lena watched them, thinking of how Matt would have felt if he’d found out about Kelvin. Would it have made any difference? She wanted to tell Kelvin that he was now part of the family, but she didn’t know how he or Miranda would feel.

So, she held her tongue. She was still shaken by Miranda’s sad story. To their surprise, Kelvin asked if he could stay for a while. Lena noticed the half-smile on Miranda’s face. Her mother-in-law extended an offer for Kelvin to stay with her if he wanted.

Good Changes For Everyone

Kelvin ended up staying at a nearby Airbnb. He visited Miranda as often as he could and occasionally called her ‘Mom.’ On the other hand, Lena was on a mission to know everything about Kelvin. She believed it was something Matt would have wanted.

Fully aware of their unresolved feelings, Lena, Miranda, and Kelvin gave their new relationships the best they could offer. They had a long way to go, but the trio was determined to take it for Matt’s sake, a day at a time.