At the airport my son yelled at me and said he wasn’t going to pay for my ticket: I had already resigned myself to staying alone in a foreign country, until something unexpected happened 😢😨
I never thought our trip would end like this. Just a week ago we were sitting in the kitchen with Eric and his family, and he assured me, “Mom, it’ll be good for you to change scenery, come with us, you’ll get some rest.” I kept refusing — I didn’t want to be a burden, and I had almost no savings. But my son insisted. He said he would pay for everything: the flight, the hotel, the food. And I believed him.
It was my first time traveling abroad. I was nervous, everything felt unfamiliar — the language, the people, the airports. But Eric’s family seemed to hardly notice me. During the entire trip, I walked around alone so I wouldn’t bother anyone.
On the way back, the real nightmare began. When we got to the check-in counter, it turned out that my reservation… wasn’t paid. Just reserved, without a ticket. I was confused, thinking it must be a mistake. But Eric exploded immediately, as if he’d been waiting for an excuse:
— Mom, I’m not paying for you again! You knew you were supposed to send the money beforehand!
I stood there, not understanding what he was talking about. We had agreed on everything… he was the one who insisted…
— Eric… but you said…
— Enough! — he almost shouted, looking around so no one could hear. — I have my own family, my own expenses! I am not obligated to support you forever!
The woman at the counter said coldly that if the ticket wasn’t paid within the next few minutes, check-in would close and I would be left alone in a foreign country.
Eric stood next to me, irritated, fists clenched. My little grandson looked at me and asked quietly:
— Grandma, aren’t you coming home?
My son shouted louder and louder, blaming me for everything:
— This is your fault for not checking anything! I’m not your babysitter! I don’t care, stay here if you want!
People turned their heads. I wanted to disappear.
I sat down on a chair, feeling my eyes burn. I had already accepted that I would stay alone in a strange country. That my son would leave without me.
But then something happened that no one expected. 😢😲 I shared the continuation of my story in the first comment 👇👇
Eric’s shouting wasn’t heard only by the passengers. Two airport staff members and a police officer approached the counter. A woman in uniform said calmly:
— Sir, please calm down, you’re disturbing the other passengers.
But my son became even more agitated, started defending himself, waving his arms, and yelling at me again while pointing his finger at me:
— It’s her fault! She ruins everything! I… I shouldn’t have brought her at all!
After several warnings, the staff announced that they were forced to detain him for aggressive behavior and disturbing the peace.
His wife turned pale. My grandson started crying. And Eric was taken away while they explained that he could face either a fine or even a deportation notice — the decision would be made after the incident was officially recorded.
Then the staff member turned to me and said:
— Ma’am, your ticket has already been paid for. All on us. You can go home.
She added quietly but firmly:
— We couldn’t stand by and watch the way he treated you.