Last week, I had to fly to Arizona for an important work meeting.
Business trips often seem more exciting than they really are, but this one was particularly tiring.
As soon as I landed, my days were packed with nonstop presentations, networking lunches, and late-night meetings. My schedule was so full that by the end of it all, I hadn’t even stepped outside the hotel to see the actual city. By the time I got on my flight to another conference, I felt completely drained.
As I walked down the narrow plane aisle, found my seat and put my bag in the overhead bin before taking a deep breath. The soft noise of passengers settling in along with the plane’s hum was almost calming. With a bit of luck, maybe I’d catch some sleep before we landed.
But little did I know that something strange was about to happen.
A couple sat next to me. The guy looked like he just came from a corporate office; he wore a pressed shirt and stared at his phone with a serious expression.
His girlfriend looked like she barely made it through last night. Her hair was messy and her makeup smudged as she slumped into her seat with a dazed look.
“Ugh… I’m feeling terrible,” she groaned while rubbing her temples.
The guy didn’t even glance up from his phone. “Maybe that’s because you thought having ‘just one more shot’ was smart,” he replied coldly.
She shot him an annoyed look. “Well you didn’t have to drag me out so early this morning! I’m d.y.ing here.”
His girlfriend looked like she had barely survived it through the night. Her hair was tangled, her makeup streaked, and she fell into her seat with a hazy, post-party expression.
“Ugh… I still feel awful,” she groaned, squeezing her temples.
The guy didn’t look up from his phone. “Maybe that’s because you thought taking ‘just one more shot’ was a good idea,” he muttered back, his voice as icy as it was annoyed.
She shot him a half-hearted glare. “Well, you didn’t have to drag me out so early this morning, you know. I’m d.y.ing here.”
He didn’t even look at her and kept scrolling through his phone as if he were alone.
I tried to concentrate on my own world, but with them sitting right next to me, their arguing was difficult to ignore.
“I told you last night to slow down, didn’t I?” He’d scream. “But no. You had to prove you could keep up with everyone else. And now look at you.”
The flight attendants were approaching with beverages, and she flagged one down with a faint wave. “Could I get a ginger ale?” she requested, hardly raising her head. The attendant gave her one with a sympathetic grin, and she mumbled, “Thanks,” before taking a short sip.
“You need it,” the guy said in a low, exasperated voice, almost under his breath. “At this rate, you’ll need a miracle by the time we land.”
But little did I realize that their unusual dynamic would only be the beginning of the surprises on this voyage.
After landing, I stretched and gathered my belongings, eager to leave the tiny cabin. Most passengers had already left, so I waited for the aisle to clear before reaching up to get my bag. That’s when I heard it—a faint but distinct sound.
A baby crying.
I hesitated and frowned as the sound became clearer. It appeared to be coming from above, but I couldn’t see anyone around with a child. Most of the families had already left, and there was no baby in sight.
I looked around to check whether anyone had noticed. With my heart hammering, I rushed for the overhead bin a few seats behind me, where the sound appeared to be emanating. I hesitated, wondering if I was imagining things.
But there it was again: a small, pitiful cry.
I took a deep breath and swung open the bin. Inside was a huge black duffel bag. I stared at it, almost daring to breathe. I could hear the baby’s sobs coming from inside the bag, louder and more insistent.
“Oh my God… there’s a child in here!” I yelled, my voice echoing throughout the nearly empty plane.
A flight attendant and a few remaining passengers turned to watch with startled eyes. My hands shook as I cautiously lifted the duffel bag out of the cubby, my heart racing. I gently unzipped the bag and prepared myself for what I could discover.
Inside was… a doll.
I blinked, completely confused. A genuine baby doll, the type used in parenting classes, was inside the suitcase, replete with small baby clothes. It proceeded to “cry,” emitting an unsettlingly realistic wail that filled the cabin.
“Oh, thank heavens!” A panicked voice cut through my sh0ck. It was the neat guy on my row, running over with his unkempt lady trailing behind.
“What… what is this?” I stammered, looking at him in disbelief.
“That’s, uh… ours,” he said, glancing at the doll, then at his girlfriend with a tight, irritated expression. “It’s a training doll. I bought it because”—he lowered his voice—”she’s been talking about wanting a baby, and, well…” He trailed off, irritated and gesturing toward his girlfriend, who looked both sheepish and annoyed.
She crossed her arms defensively. “I told you, I’m ready for a baby!” she snapped.
“Ready? You left it at the airport after that ‘just one drink’ party last night!” he hissed back. “I had to go find it myself while you were passed out in the waiting area! You can’t even keep track of a doll, let alone a real baby.”
She huffed and rolled her eyes before turning away from him.
“Well, maybe I wouldn’t have left it if you weren’t constantly criticizing me!”
“Criticizing you?” he shot back, his frustration finally boiling over. “I bought this doll because I needed proof you could handle responsibility for more than a few hours. And, clearly, I was right. You can’t!”
The realization struck me all at once. He was angry not because of her hangover, but because he had been testing her, and she had failed spectacularly. He sighs as he runs his fingers through his hair, weary.
I stood there completely speechless, clutching the wailing training doll. Who puts their girlfriend’s “parenting readiness” to the test with a doll on a cross-country flight? And who loses track of it after a night out, leaving it screaming in an overhead bin?
The man sighed and rubbed his temples as he looked back down the aisle, where his lover had vanished. “I thought this would be a wake-up call,” he said quietly to himself. “Guess I was the one who needed waking up.”
I couldn’t hold back any longer. “You really thought a doll would solve things?” I inquired, lifting an eyebrow.
He looked at me with a weak, uncomfortable smile. “Guess it sounds pretty ridiculous, huh?”
“Ridiculous?” I repeated, struggling not to laugh. “It’s honestly… unbelievable. I mean, people could’ve thought there was an actual child in danger up there!”
He scratched his head, clearly at a loss. “Yeah, well… maybe I deserve that. But, you know, better to find out now than later, right?”
I shook my head, still stunned by everything that had just happened. “You know what? Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
He gave a defeated nod and muttered, “You have no idea.”
