Part 3: The Surprise He Never Saw Coming
Tyler stepped toward me.
“Can we please talk privately?” he asked through clenched teeth.
I glanced at Mason.
He was staring at his father, waiting for him to say something that might make sense of what he had just witnessed.
“Dad,” he said softly.
Tyler turned toward him.
For a moment, I thought he might finally remember who mattered most.
Instead, he said, “Buddy, you weren’t supposed to be here today.”
Mason’s face crumpled.
I felt his small hand slide into mine.
“We bought tickets,” I explained. “We wanted to surprise you.”
Tyler rubbed his forehead.
“This is a terrible time for this.”
A terrible time.
Our son had spent weeks dreaming about sitting on his father’s plane. He had packed his headphones and his favorite candy. He had drawn a picture with the words BEST PILOT EVER written across the top.
