The airplane’s engines came alive, sending surge after surge of powerful waves throughout the plane. She held the little boy close to her chest, hoping his eyes would remain closed.
The plane started moving, barreling down the runway as it caught speed. Everything was going according to plan, but then his eyes fluttered open. He stared up at her, and she knew they were in trouble.
Lindsey and Kevin had their son while living in London before the world went into quarantine. As such, Lindsey’s mom, who lived in the United States, never got to see her grandson Milo in real life.
As soon as countries across the globe eased travel restrictions, Lindsey requested some time off from work to visit her mom. Everything went smoothly, and before Lindsey knew it, she was preparing for a flight to Denver.
Lindsey’s son, Marty, was only two months old and had never been on a plane. Although he always behaved himself and rarely cried in new environments, Lindsey feared jet engines and turbulence would be a change of pace for him.
Could she successfully ferry her son from London to Denver without causing a stir and ruining everyone’s flight?
The flight from London to Denver was a little over eight hours. Marty only slept for intervals of three. With airplane engines blaring around them, Lindsey knew those three hours would be cut in half.
She sat for hours trying to figure out how to solve this issue. It was even harder since her husband was staying in London for work. The more Lindsey thought about it, the more she realized canceling her trip would be the best way forward.
Lindsey had been on several planes in her life. She remembered some of them having the occasional baby in there, singing their lungs out as they went airborne.
She recalled the grumbling of passengers regarding the crying. She’d been among that insensitive number, blaming the mom for not keeping her baby quiet. Now that she was a mom, she wondered if the world would show her mercy.
Kevin came from work that evening and found Lindsey still trying to plan a way around Marty causing a scene in the plane. Lindsey told him about her day and having difficulties figuring out the travel arrangements.
She was about to cancel everything when Kevin suggested a clever idea.
“You know,” Kevin said. “If I were traveling and a kid gave me a piece of candy in return for a ‘crying pass,’ I wouldn’t object.”
Lindsey knew her husband was only joking. But as she chuckled, the joke made more and more sense. What if she prepared tiny goodie bags for everyone on the plane? She could pack in some earplugs and candy to buy the passengers’ favor. Her eyes gleamed at the idea, and she grinned. Couldn’t it work?
“I think we’ll do just that,” Lindsey said, startling Kevin. “Do what?” he asked. “Hand out candy to the other passengers,” Lindsey answered. “We’ll throw in some earplugs as well.”
Kevin’s brows drew close, “You’re serious, aren’t you?” When Lindsey nodded, he said, “Well, it’s not the worst idea. But how will more than sixty random people know that a bag of sweets and earplugs are compensation for Marty’s powerful lungs and lead singer vocal cords?”
“A note,” Lindsey mumbled, talking to herself as much as she was Kevin. “A message from me to them.” She fished out her laptop and began typing.
A week later, Lindsey and Marty kissed Kevin goodbye and boarded the plane bound for America. As expected, the passenger number fit nicely with the number of bags Lindsey had. With the help of the air hostesses, she gave everyone a goodie bag. Then the plane started moving.
Marty woke up as soon as the plane lifted off. A blend of engine hums and the air’s turbulence wrenched him from sleep. Startled, he broke into a cry, his gaze bouncing all over the unfamiliar environment.
His voice reverberated across the plane, and Lindsey clutched him tightly, praying he’d quiet down. She tried feeding him a bottle with no success. Then it happened.
One of the passengers next to Lindsey offered to hold Marty for Lindsey. She was an older woman, happily eating some of the candy Lindsey had offered earlier.
Handing Marty over, Lindsey cast her sight across the aisle. Most of the passengers around her had their ears plugged tightly with the buds from her goody bag. Some of them were asleep. Others waved at her with smiles. Did the goodie bags truly work?
“He’ll be a great singer, this one,” the woman said as she rocked Marty. He’d quieted down, happily cooing at the woman.
“He will,” Lindsey said, still stunned that her bags had worked. She thought about the words she put in the note accompanying each bag. She wondered whether they were the main reason the entire plane wasn’t giving her and Marty dirty looks.
“I can’t believe the bags worked,” she said. “The woman next to her chuckled, nuzzling Marty with her nose.
“Of course, they worked,” she mumbled. “Especially the letter from Marty here. We all know how first flights can be, don’t we, Marty?” “What?” Lindsey asked. She’d addressed the note as herself, not as Marty. What was going on?
Lindsey fished out a leftover bag from her side and opened the note. “Hello,” the message began innocently enough the way she remembered. “I’m Marty, and I am four months old.”
Lindsey shook her head, the ends of her lips curving. “Kevin,” she whispered. He’d changed the sentence from I am Lindsey, and my baby, Marty, is four months old. But there was more.
“Today, I’m going to the U.S. with my mom to see my grandma,” the note continued. “I’m a little nervous and scared as it’s my first flying. I will try my best to be quiet, but I might cry or make a little noise. Please excuse me.”
The letter detailed the gifts in the goody bag, all presented from Marty’s perspective. Lindsey’s smile broadened, and she knew her journey home would be heavenly.
