Kayla, grieving the loss of her grandmother, is about to return home after the funeral. But when she boards her flight, she has no idea about the nightmare that awaits her. In a case of mistaken identity, Kayla has no choice but to rely on her wits and quick thinking to get her out of the hot water she has landed in.
After a few long days of grieving, I was ready to collapse into my own bed. I was six months pregnant and emotionally drained from my grandmother’s funeral.
People at a funeral | Source: Pexels
The funeral had been tough, but it was a poignant farewell to a woman who had been my rock throughout my life.
“Are you sure you want to leave today?” my mother asked as I packed my suitcase. “You can wait a few days if you need to just sit with this loss.”
I smiled at her sadly.
A person packing a suitcase | Source: Pexels
“I know,” I said. “But I need to get back to work and back to Colin. You know my husband barely manages without me.”
“I suppose it’s a good idea for you to be in your comfort zone,” she said. “But Dad and I have decided that we’ll stay until the end of the week just to sort Gran’s house out and finalize anything that needs to be done. I know that Dad cannot wait to get home.”
“I just wish that Gran would have been around to see the baby,” I said, rubbing my hand along my belly. “That’s what I’ve wanted all along.”
A woman holding her stomach | Source: Unsplash
“I know, honey,” my mother said. “I wish that you and Gran could have had that moment, but it’s okay, darling. At least you were here in the end when Gran needed you the most.”
Now, I was navigating the long lines at the airport. I had hated flying, but it was much easier to fly home than drive. I couldn’t manage spending twelve hours in a car with my bladder fighting me.
People at an airport | Source: Unsplash
But finally, I made it onto the plane, ready for the journey back home to my husband.
“I’ll take that, ma’am,” a flight attendant told me, reaching out for my bag.
“Thank you,” I said, settling into my seat, my body aching for rest.
A pregnant woman sitting in an airplane | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, I hate flying,” the woman next to me said. “It’s the worst. But I hate driving too. I should have just stayed home.”
I almost laughed because I agreed completely. I hated the turbulence that came with flying. It made me feel uneasy and anxious, as though I was absolutely losing control with each jolt.
But still, as I sat back, ready for the flight to take off and take me home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was staring at me.
A man sitting in an airplane | Source: Midjourney
Turning around, I noticed a man sitting a few rows behind, intently watching me. His gaze was unsettling, but I dismissed him as one of those people who judged a pregnant woman for traveling.
Soon after, the hum of the engines became a soothing background noise as the plane began its ascent.
“Finally,” the woman beside me said. “Let’s just get home.”
Little did I know that a nightmare was about to unfold.
Ten minutes after we were airborne, a flight attendant approached me, her gaze hard.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Could you please come with me?” she asked, her perfume taking over my nose.
I had no intention of waking up and walking anywhere, but her authoritative tone left no room for argument, and with a deep sigh, I unbuckled my seat and followed her to the clearing just off the bathroom.
Immediately, her demeanor changed.
“You need to get on your knees immediately!” she commanded, nodding to someone that I couldn’t see.
“What? Why? What happened?” I exclaimed, completely shocked.
“Now,” she said simply.
I was shocked and confused, but something in her voice made me comply. As I knelt, I couldn’t understand what was going on. Nothing felt right. I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Just then, the man who had been staring at me earlier entered.
“Where is the golden necklace you stole?” he demanded, his voice threatening.
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “I didn’t steal anything! I am just returning from my grandmother’s funeral!”
He made a clucking sound with his tongue and produced a set of photographs and documents.
“This is you at the museum two days before the exhibit was moved to the hotel. This is you at the hotel foyer where the necklace went missing. We tracked you up to this plane after you ran away from the hotel.”
I looked at the pictures, and they were hazy. But they did bear a striking resemblance to me, though there were clear differences.
“Look,” I said suddenly. “The woman in these photos has a tattoo or scar or something on her wrist. Look! I don’t have anything like that!”
The man examined my wrists, his icy hands pulling roughly.
“See? No tattoos. No scars. Nothing. You have the wrong person!” I insisted. “And I’m pregnant! The woman in the photos is not!”
I felt a sudden wave of fear for my baby. In the heat of the moment, my baby lay there silently.
“But that could be a disguise,” he replied, not entirely convinced.
I thought about whether the police would be waiting for me at the airport. And whether I could get away from this. I just wanted to get home to Colin.
It was as if thinking about my husband had summoned the baby to wake up.
A sudden kick in my stomach made me act impulsively. Without thinking, I took the man’s hand and placed it on my belly.
“No, you can’t fake this,” I said.
He sighed, looking visibly relieved but also very embarrassed.
“I’m so sorry. You look very much like her. I was convinced that we were on the right track. I have to wait until we get back on the ground to actually deal with this.”
“Look, I get it,” I said. “But I’m not her. I’m just trying to get home,” I said, feeling a bit calmer, while I tried to get back onto my feet.
Little did we know that it was time for part two of the nightmare.
Suddenly, the flight attendant pulled out a gun.
“Enough! Both of you, hands behind your backs!”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out zip ties, tying the man’s hands first with her back to me.
“You’re not as foolish as you look,” she said to him. “You were right about tracking me to the plane. But you had the wrong person in mind.”
Another surge of fear for my baby made me act. With her standing with her back to me, I saw an opportunity and kicked her as hard as I could.
She stumbled and fell, dropping the gun. She had been distracted talking to him that she didn’t finish zip tying the man’s hands yet, so he tackled her.
As he did, we caught a glimpse of the gold necklace hanging around her neck.
“She’s the real thief,” he said, securing her. “She’s been posing as different people to avoid capture. I have no idea how she managed to board this flight as an attendant.”
“You are so brave for doing what you did. Thank you for getting to her before she tied me,” he said.
“I was just afraid for my baby,” I said, sighing. “I acted on instinct.”
The rest of the flight was a blur of apologies from the man and explanations to the crew and authorities.
“I’m Detective Connor,” he said, shaking my hand after.
The woman was arrested upon landing, with about fifteen police officers standing at the gate, just waiting.
“I am truly sorry for what you’ve been through,” Connor said.
“Just explain to me what happened,” I replied, needing closure before heading out to find my husband.
“We’ve been tracking this woman for months. She’s been stealing valuable items and using various disguises to evade capture. I received a tip that she would be on this flight. When I saw you, and your hair, I just thought…” he trailed off, clearly remorseful.
“You thought I was her,” I finished for him. “Well, I’m not. And now you know.”
“Yes, and I’m very sorry for the mistake, Kayla. I hope you can forgive me.”
Despite the ordeal, I felt a strange sense of relief.
As I walked through the doors and saw my husband standing there with yellow tulips and a wide smile on his face, I instantly felt at peace.
“Welcome home,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
We drove home in silence, just enjoying being in each other’s presence again. But when we got home, I sat down with Colin and told him everything that had happened on the flight.
“Are you okay?” he asked me, his eyes wide. “Are you shaken? Should we take you to a doctor to make sure everything is okay?”
“No,” I replied. “I’m absolutely fine, I just wanted to come back home to you.”
My husband put his hands on my stomach and smiled at me.
“I’m glad you’re home,” he said again, kissing my stomach.
He is a legendary musician, and we have all sung his songs, but he is currently ill and in suffering.
The renowned Genesis lead singer and drummer Phil Collins has enjoyed enormous success in the music business over his illustrious career.
Joining Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney as the only performers with over 100 million records sold through both solo and collaborative projects, he is one of three. Collins was exposed to music at a young age. He was born on January 30, 1951, in London, England, to parents who were artists.
The move that would define his sound came when he was five years old and received a homemade drum kit from his uncle. It included tambourines, triangles, cymbals, and miniature drums.
Key bands like The Shadows led the way as the English beat genre started to take shape. In addition to leading this movement, Collins would frequently perform at get-togethers thrown by his parents’ sailing club.
Collins was first exposed to rock and roll at the age of fourteen, when The Beatles motivated him to buy a record player and Please Please Me. He would put his drums in front of a mirror and turn up the record player’s volume so he wouldn’t have to look at what he was doing.
To learn how to read drum music, which was necessary if one wished to work in an orchestra pit or dance band, he decided to take drum lessons from a teacher. But Collins soon discovered that reading sheet music was not nearly as good as playing spontaneously.
In the 1970s, Collin’s life took an unexpected turn after he came upon an advertisement for Genesis’ drummer. Collins got in touch with them, and they were happy to have him on board, which launched his incredible musical career.
Many of the songs from The Beatles’ five albums went on to become timeless classics that we still love to this day. Due to a dearth of worthy contenders, Collins assumed the role of lead vocalist for the band quite quickly.
He took a while to get used to being a drummer as well as a voice, but he persisted and became one of the greatest musicians of our time.
As a solo artist and a member of the legendary band Genesis, Collins enjoyed enormous success in the music industry. Hits like “I Don’t Care Anymore,” “In The Air Tonight,” and “You Can’t Hurry Love” propelled him to the top of the music business.
After 25 years with Genesis, Collins made the decision to change directions in his career, concentrating on jazz ventures, movie soundtracks, and his solo endeavors. He said he hoped his old comrades would have a successful career, but when 2017 came around, he decided to go back on the road with them for their Last Domino tour.
Sadly, the pandemic forced a postponement of this tour, and shortly before it started, Phil spoke with BBC Breakfast, raising some concerns regarding his health. With Phil on vocals and Nicholas Collins on drums, the band plans to play live again despite this setback.
Nic is a fantastic drummer, but according to Tony Banks, he could add even more intensity to the already strong early Phil Collins tunes.
Speaking on his retirement from drumming, Phil remarked, “I’d like to, but I can scarcely grip a stick with this hand.” Despite the challenges that come with being physically limited, Phil has not allowed them to deter him from pursuing his love of music.
The storyteller, a man our age, spoke with a palpable sense of loss as he outlined his physical struggles. He bemoaned not being able to travel with his kid and hear about his travels.
He wasn’t sure if he wanted to carry on traveling because of his health. His remarks gave off a dejected vibe, as though he had accepted that he could no longer engage in some activities and that they were off-limits to him.
He felt pressured and faced with a difficult decision: stick on his current course or stop his travels. It dawned on him that either way, a physical constraint or a deliberate choice would force him to give up something he valued. He was troubled by this and felt as though he might miss out on a lot of opportunities in life as a result of this sudden change in his circumstances.
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