Let's BLOG "No Room at the Inn"

It was just a few days ago, I was standing hand in hand with my two daughters right there in front of the Magic Kingdom.   The song “When You Wish Upon a Star” enveloped us.  I held those two little ones so tightly, believing in every word.  

In that moment  I was so overwhelmed with love for them I made a promise.  I would stop at nothing to make their fairytale dreams come true.

Now we stand three days later.  Our flight home.  What happened on that ride was a disgrace to all mankind. 

With the lyrics “when your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme” and “fate is kind, she brings to those who love” still ringing my ears, I sat on the flight torn.  The magic of Disney still strong in our hearts and memory, I watched in horror as the scene unfolded.  And what replaced the grace of Cinderella and the innocence of children everywhere was nothing but villians of the worst kind.

Our flight was to leave at 8:10pm.  We scheduled our taxi ride for 6:30pm.  He arrived at 7:20.  As we ran to bag check-in, carry-on inspection and gate 104, we were sweating it out, but since we had four children with us, I sang the tune of ‘Run Run Rudolph’ to the them, reminding them of the scene in Home Alone when they were running to catch a flight.  The kids joined in as we made a mad dash to the plane.

Moments before we reached security, an announcement came on: Flight to Manchester last boarding.  Attention to Fay Family of Four and Other Family of Three! Last call!" That’s how close we were to takeoff! We got our own sendoff.

Upon entering the plane, to no surprise, the plane was full.  Not just full,not just too capacity, but actually splitting at the seams. 

And there we were, one dad and two moms with two eight year olds, one ten year old, and a fourteen year old.  This would be one of their first flights ever.  

We walked the plank to Captain Hook’s island at that moment, finding seven seats left on the plane.  Just enough for our group.  But they were all in separate rows and aisles, some as far as 10 rows apart.

The flight attendants were of no help.  They saw us struggling to find seats and ignored our plea.  I informed the first attendant that there were no seats together and we had small children.  She said we would have to take our seats anyhow and make do.  I told her that it would be alright to separate the adults but that the children would need to ride near an adult.   

She refused to help and sent us to the back of the plane to another attendant.  One with a microphone.  Nevertheless, speaker in hand, she didn’t make her move.  That’s when I stepped in.   Right as they were instructing us to use their safety devices and our little girls began to cry.

I made a mother’s plea to the passengers, holding back my tears. “Could anyone please spare a seat so that we can sit near our children? They are young and new riders.  Can anyone help?”

Silence.

I know, you’re probably trembling right about now.  That’d be the DISGUST you have in mankind right now. I’m talking young teenagers, couples, even grandparents.  There were 100 passengers aboard and NOT one got up and volunteered.

NOT one even made eye contact with me.

An awkward silent moment passed and my eight year old squeezed under my arm, my ten year old started biting her nails to hide her tears.

I asked the attendant to help once again and she said, in a rather rude tone, “I can’t help you, SHE is supposed to up there.”

I explained that SHE had sent us to her and we needed support NOW.

Out of not kindness, but out of frustration because the plane was trying to leave, she announced over the loudspeaker, “excuse me ladies and gentlemen,we have two mothers with small children and we are looking for someone to trade  seat so they can sit together.”

Now here’s where you think SOMEONE will volunteer to be tribute.  There just HAS to be a Katniss on board.  

For the second time, not one passenger offered.  They played on their tablets, started reading their nooks, and some even stuck their headphones into their ears.

Having just left Disney, I tried to keep calm.  I was two seconds too close to going VILLIAN on them, but I knew if I stayed calm, someone just might cave.

No dice.

I announced for the third time, “so there is NO ONE that is willing to offer us a seat so I can sit with my two young children?  One had motion sickness on the last flight all the way to Florida and the other has allergies.  In fact, this backpack is filled with her epi-pen and medical supplies. We really can’t sit apart.”

SILENCE.  The kind that pierces your skin.  The kind that has you thinking there is no hope for our race.

We walked the plank back to the front, the seven of us.   Our dad found a seat in the first four rows and my sister put her eighth grader near two grandparents that weren’t willing to make the sacrifice to split up.   They watched as my sister started to cry and still had the audacity to get up and put her inside, near the window, further from her mother because they didn’t like that seat.

The next part had me choked up. I watched my sister place her little eight year old, the smallest one with us in a seat by herself with strangers while she took a seat four rows back.  I squeezed her arm and told her she was so brave and she is TEN times better than anyone on board and we’d be home in no time.  Just like riding a bus.  I made sure to make that loud enough for everyone in the last ten rows to hear. 

My turn.  There was no way in HELL I was going to sit my girls and me apart.  I didn’t care if I took the next flight.  I was not going to seat my two tearful girls in separate seats ten people apart from one another and me.  

I refused to sit.  Not kidding. I held the flight up.  They could not leave because I would not sit.  I would not allow this inhumanity to win.   Love was in my heart and no request would be too extreme.

The attendant told me to put them wherever and I told her if she didn’t find us a seat together I would not move from my location.

She then asked a young single man, in his twenties if he would move a seat.  I must say here that he was on an aisle.  He had one seat between him and an old man last in that row pretended he did not see what was happening. 

Young man gets up,  goes up two rows and my daughters take the two seats there and I take the seat across the aisle. In fact, I get to sit with a couple, who resembled grandparents, who offered me a snack, my children snacks and some bubblegum.  But they couldn’t offer a seat to me two minutes ago.

Six rows back, seatbelts on, my niece starts panicking.  Her sobs are now hyperventilation and is crying for her mother.  Finally, a woman with two teenage sons offers my sister a seat and they joined one another in the safety of their arms.

I watch the rest of the flight as the man next to my daughters helps my girls with their buckles, putting on their lights and pointing things out the window.  And yet he had not offered his seat.

I watch young couples without children laugh and talk as if nothing happened and as if sacrificing two hours away from one another was too much of a price to pay.

I watched everyone everywhere play animated bird games and make their ways through mazes assisting one another .  Some checking their messages, texts,and iphone picture galleries. 

Some ordered alcoholic beverages while others give a tall order of how they want their drink served and exactly what snack is to be delivered.  The attendants smiling now, as friendly as ever, go by me and have the nerve to ask, “is there anything we can get you?”

My sister left her seat whenever possible to check on her other daughter and console the one with her.  Who knows what might have been going through her mind, her fourteen year old daughter sitting in the back seat next to a strange man. 

Within minutes, my youngest had hives up and down her legs and I was applying her medicated cream and prescribed allergy medicine.  The hives worsened for a bit, but luckily passed before I had to apply an epi-pen.  I was positive it was the peanut dust from the seat she was sitting in. My oldest held her tummy most of the way and reached for my hand while biting the fingernails on another.

Our only solace was a mother behind me that apologized for not offering her seat.  She had two young boys with her and could not leave them.   We became instant friends.  I told her her parents should be proud of the person she became. She even talked my daughters through their fears at takeoff while I calmed myself down.

Worse yet was the landing.  I waited for my sister and finally her oldest from the back row.  I made sure to give eye contact to each and every passenger that went by, hoping someone would find it in their heart to apologize or make amends or what had happened. Nothing.  Other than glares and people looking straight forward.  Their conscience, if they ever had one, left behind.

Here’s where it gets even worse.   We waited in a row for the eighth grader.   “Great job!”we said and my sister yelled, “she did awesome!” Next we saw the woman who had gotten up last minute for my niece and my sister told her ‘thank you.’ Still, why she had to wait for my niece to start gasping for air to move her seat, I'll never know.  I asked my sister if that was the woman who helped and she nodded.  That’s when a high school boy walked by and said to both of us mothers, “YEAH, to get what YOU wanted.”  

Followed by, get this, his high school age sister mimicking in a sing-songy sarcastic voice, “ooooh, you pooooorr souls.”  And they both laughed.   I told them may God forgive you for what you just said especially if you are going to have children someday.  My sister, a bit braver yelled, “you better not be outside this terminal when I get off.”  I wanted to give her a hug.  Course it embarrassed our children from Infinity to Beyond!”

As I left the plane, I made sure to make a pit stop to the cockpit. I got one more, “can I help you?” from the attendants and I replied, “ yes, you can. I will need both your names.”   They asked what for. 

I told them that they would be reported  for this incident.  I told them it was neglectful and I would be speaking to their authorities and they should know that if my youngest had an asthma attack on board without me and her medical pack, they would have been held responsible.  That attendant did nothing but flash her sales smile until I turned away.  Then she looked at my eight year old daughter, the one with the peanut allergy and said, "you're just lucky you were on the same plane with your mother." 

Friends, we ought to worry about  our future.  This was just an example of how we as a generation, have come to a crossroads.  We are failing ourselves.  My own father,  a purple heart veteran, sacrificed his life for the people of this country and no one on board that ship would sacrifice a single seat for two hours.  I hope for their sake if they sit on their next flight and they need assistance or a helping hand, that someone like me would be sitting next to them.

One inspiration though,came from my own daughters.  The oldest was cold on the flight and I watched with pride as my youngest TOOK OFF her sweatshirt and offered it to her.   Even helped her put it on.

For what faith I have in people I don’t know of, but what strikes me the most is the WOMEN, especially those who have been blessed with children of their own or grandchildren,could not open their hearts and just move over a row.  God forbid it happened to one of their loved ones.

Southwest Airlines failed us tonight.  But most  of all, humankind.  There I was, a mother who had worked an entire school year to provide her children with a special gift of magic and wishes and believing anything can happen.  A mother who was just looking for a place for her child.

And her response was “there is no room at the inn.”

 I will be speaking to this airline.  And furthermore, I will continue to instill in my own children for the next generation that one must care about others.  One must put others first.  And  that fate is kind. She brings to those who love.  I hope you carry on as well.