A woman abandons her newborn baby on a business jet because she fears she won’t be able to care for him. But when things improve for her several years later, she decides to find him and take him in.
“PREGNANT?! You must be crazy, Rhonda!” her father, David Harris, yelled at her when he discovered she was pregnant with her boyfriend Peter’s child.
Rhonda, unlike Peter, came from a wealthy family and her father owned a large textile company. Unfortunately, her mother died when she was only two years old, so her father raised her alone.
Mr. Harris gave his daughter the best – clothes, food, and education – but he was also a very controlling man who didn’t want his daughter to go against his wishes.
When Rhonda found out she was pregnant, she tried to hide it from her father by wearing baggy clothes, but as her belly became more visible, she couldn’t hide it anymore. She decided to tell Mr. Harris about her pregnancy, but he wasn’t impressed. “You’re going to get rid of this child, Rhonda. Do you understand?”
“No, Dad,” Rhonda, 16, said flatly. “I’m not going to terminate the pregnancy. It’s too late now, and I can’t have an abortion.”
“Then you’ll have to figure out how to raise this child yourself,” Mr. Harris warned. “No one in our family has ever dared to marry someone from a lower class. So if you want to spill this man’s blood, get the hell out of my house!”
“All right, Dad,” Rhonda said after a brief pause, her eyes filling with tears. “Maybe if Mom were still alive, she would have supported me.” But that’s okay. I’ll raise the child alone and prove you wrong.”
Rhonda packed her bags and left that night, cutting all ties with her father. Mr. Harris didn’t move at all and slammed the door behind her, ordering her not to return until he either aborted the child or placed him in an orphanage.
Rhonda didn’t say a word and booked an Uber to Peter’s house. When she arrived, she explained that she had left her father’s house because he refused to accept their child and she wanted to start a new life with him. But to her surprise, Peter refused to take responsibility for the child.
“Listen, baby,” he said. “I’m not ready to be a father. And why did you leave your father’s house? He could have helped us financially when we got married and decided to start a new life.” Get rid of this child or forget me, Rhonda.”
Rhonda didn’t say a word and booked an Uber to Peter’s house. When she arrived, she explained that she had left her father’s house because he refused to accept their child and that she wanted to start a new life with him. But to her surprise, Peter refused to take responsibility for the child.
“Listen, baby,” he said. “I’m not ready to be a father. And why did you leave your father’s house? He could have helped us financially when we got married and decided to start a new life. Get rid of this child or forget about me, Rhonda.”
Rhonda went into shock at this. “But Peter, he’s our baby. How could you…”
“Listen, Rhonda, you and this baby are causing me nothing but trouble right now. You know what, forget about us! It’s over!”
“Peter!” ” Rhonda cried. “You were so happy when you found out about the pregnancy! What happened?”
“Because you’re a nobody right now, baby. Your dad kicked you out and I can’t raise this kid, so goodbye,” he said, slamming the door in her face.
Rhonda’s life had changed overnight! She couldn’t believe she was heavily pregnant and neither her dad nor her boyfriend cared about her! She left Peter’s house that night, crying inconsolably, and wandered the streets, unsure of what life would hold for her.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen and went into labor. The pain was excruciating and she kept begging passersby to help her. Luckily, a woman noticed her and, with the help of her driver, helped Rhonda to her car and rushed her to the hospital.
Rhonda gave birth to a baby boy that night, and when she woke up, the woman who had helped her, Angela Bamford, was sitting by her bedside.
“Thank you, thank you for helping me,” Rhonda whispered. “My child… he’s safe, isn’t he?”
“He’s perfectly fine,” Mrs. Bamford assured her. “Are you new to town? I noticed you carrying your luggage.”
Rhonda couldn’t hold back her tears. She burst into tears and told Mrs. Bamford how she had ended up here. “I don’t want to live here anymore,” Rhonda sobbed. “I just want to get out of Texas. But I’m not sure I can give my child a good life.”
Mrs. Bamford felt bad for Rhonda, not only because she was a homeless mother who had to decide whether or not to raise her child, but also because she reminded her of her own daughter.
“Don’t say that, dear,” Mrs. Bamford consoled her. “I had a daughter your age. When we found out she was pregnant, we were furious and threw her out of the house.”
“My husband owns an airline and we were wealthy enough to support our daughter. But we were against her pregnancy so early. I wish I could have helped her. She killed herself because she couldn’t handle it. I don’t want anyone else to go through this! It’s a terrible situation.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Rhonda said, wiping away tears.
“I feel sorry for her too,” Mrs. Bamford added. “But it’s too late now.” Don’t worry, I’ll help you. I can book the ticket for you. Make sure your child has a good life in a new place.”
“Oh no,” Rhonda exclaimed. “You’ve done so much for me already. I’m afraid I can’t repay you.”
“Please,” Mrs. Bamford asked. “If I help you, it will be like helping my daughter. And it will help me overcome my guilt.”
Rhonda couldn’t say no to Mrs. Bamford at that moment. She accepted the ticket and a few days later, she was flying business class from AUS to JFK, ready to start her life over.
However, as she sat comfortably on the plane with her baby in her arms, she was constantly worried about her ability to provide him with a good life.
“What if I can’t take care of my child? What if he ends up living with me on the streets?” » These thoughts had invaded Rhonda’s mind to the point that she hadn’t noticed that the flight had ended and the pilot had announced their arrival at JFK.
Rhonda was terrified when she realized she would be alone in an unfamiliar city with a newborn and no way to support herself. Her mind began to race, her heart pounding, worried about what awaited her and her son.
It was at that moment that she made a painful decision. She decided to leave her baby on the plane, hoping that someone would take him and give him a good life.
She waited for the people sitting next to her to leave, and when she saw that no one was looking, she left her son on the seat, with a note she had scribbled earlier, and quickly got off the plane. It took all her strength not to turn around and pick up her baby, but she decided it was for the best.
When one of the flight attendants, Lincy, approached the seat after the passengers had left, she was surprised to find the baby. She couldn’t help but feel bad for the child as she read the note Rhonda had left her.
I am a poor mother who couldn’t take care of her child. Don’t waste your time looking for me if you find this note. I could never have given him a good life. I hope you will accept and cherish him as your own. I would be delighted if you named him Matthew. Matthew Harris. That was the name I had chosen for him.
13 years later…
After struggling for almost a decade, Rhonda finally found a stable job and was doing well financially. However, there was not a single day that she didn’t regret leaving her son on the plane.
She struggled as a homeless person for almost 7 years after arriving in New York, and the remaining 7 years were spent trying to earn a steady income and rent a house. Things eventually worked out for her, and she thought she could provide her son with everything he wanted.
She was of course ashamed of what she had done in the past, and she feared that her son would never accept her. But she decided to take a chance and meet her son for the first, and possibly last, time. Unfortunately, she was right in that things were going to go badly.
“My mother? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Matthew raged when she met him. “Where have you been all these years? I don’t need you! I’m happy with my adoptive parents.”
Rhonda’s eyes filled with tears as Matthew said this. She had contacted the local police for help, telling them her whole story, and thankfully one of the helpful officers had helped her find her son.
At first, she had feared she would never find Matthew because he could have been adopted by anyone in the world and given a different name. She was lucky enough to start her search in New York and find him there under the name she had given him.
She contacted Matthew’s adoptive mother, explaining why she had given him up and chosen the name Matthew Harris for him. It turned out that the boy had been adopted by Lincy, the flight attendant, and her husband. She was hesitant to introduce Rhonda to Matthew after the way she had left him, but she finally agreed to give him a chance to explain after learning his story.
“I’m sorry, Matthew,” Rhonda said. “I know you’re upset and don’t want to accept me, but can’t you give me a chance?”
“No way!” the boy shouted. “You’re a mean woman who left me all alone. If my parents hadn’t adopted me, I’d be in an orphanage today!”
“But Matthew,” Rhonda said, “I didn’t want to do that. Won’t you let me explain why I left you?”
Matthew was reluctant to do it, but he agreed after his parents persuaded him. Rhonda didn’t tell him about her early pregnancy or how she was kicked out because he was only 13. But she told him she was poor and that her father had left her.
Lincy went on to explain that it was difficult for Rhonda to give him a good life, so she abandoned him. However, Matthew still wouldn’t accept her as his mother. “Maybe I can forgive you,” he said. “But I can’t call you Mom. I only have one mother.”
“That’s okay, Matthew,” Rhonda said. “Can I come see you at least on the weekends?”
“Okay, I don’t mind,” the boy said.
Ten years have passed since that fateful day. Matthew is now 23 and works as a data scientist in New York City. Over time, he has forgiven Rhonda for what she did and accepted her as his mother, realizing that everything she did was a compulsion.
Rhonda recently met a man named Andrew at work, and the two have been dating for a month. Rhonda wants to marry him, but she plans to tell Matthew first. She also met Ms Bamford when she went to Texas two years ago, and the older woman was pleased that things had worked out for her.