Before disembarking the plane he had just landed, Captain James Walker noticed a lone man on the plane who refused to leave. Upon looking clearly, he realized the man was his carbon copy.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is Captain James Walker speaking. We have just landed at Chicago Midway International Airport. We hope you enjoyed your flight with us, and we wish to see you on one of your future flights,” the captain spoke from the cockpit after successfully landing the aircraft.

After parking the plane, James and his first officer followed protocol by waiting for all passengers to disembark before leaving the cockpit. When it was their turn to leave, he opened the cockpit door and saw the flight purser talking to a man who refused to leave the plane.

“Everything good here?” James asked, approaching them.

The flight purser nodded. “I’ll give you guys some time,” she smiled before walking towards the back of the plane. James was confused about why she wanted to leave him alone with the passenger until he realized what she meant.

There stood a man who looked exactly like him. Before he could say anything, the man spoke.

“Do you want to see mom?” he asked.

“I can’t believe my eyes. Is it you, David? Did mom ever come back? She’s alive and well?” James replied, so many thoughts suddenly rushing to his head. David was James’ twin brother, whom he hadn’t seen in decades. James left the orphanage when he was eight, and they were now 32 years old.

“I asked you a question first. Do you want to see your mom?” David asked again with an impatient tone. James nodded, and David stepped out of the plane.

James followed behind and the two of them got into a taxi heading towards the city. On the way, David was silent the entire time. Meanwhile, James couldn’t help but try and explain himself with tears in his eyes.

“When she left us at the orphanage, I really didn’t think she’d ever come back. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I understood that she couldn’t feed us because dad left, but I thought she left us because a part of her wanted to leave us too. I didn’t think she’d ever come back, David,” he explained.

“So instead, you agreed to be adopted by a wealthy family. You chose them over ME! I begged you for days not to leave me in that place, but you chose to live a life of comfort over your own blood. She came back a year after you left, and she couldn’t forgive herself for losing you,” David answered back. “Up until today, she blames herself for not having enough to keep you.”

After a couple of minutes, the taxi came to a stop. David got out and stormed towards an old house that surprised James. He realized that his brother and mother lived in poverty.

Although David had a long-time girlfriend, he could not ask her to marry him because he spent most of his time working and caring for his sick mother. He’s always wanted to settle down and start a family, but he felt indebted to his mom and wanted to make sure she lived the rest of her life comfortably.

As they entered the house, James immediately saw his mother, Linda, in a wheelchair, sitting in their living room.

When she saw both her sons in the same room, she sobbed and could not calm down. “Oh my god, it’s you, James. David, you and your brother are both here. You’re back,” she sobbed, bringing her wheelchair closer to her sons.

“He’s not back, mom. He just came to see you, but he’ll be back in his mansion when the night ends,” David said passively while pouring a glass of water for his mom to calm down.

James didn’t hesitate to walk toward his mom, hug her, and beg for forgiveness. “I’m so sorry, mom. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you said you’d come back for us. I wish you could forgive me,” he cried.

“I don’t blame you, son. I don’t blame you at all. I am sorry for not being able to give you and David a good life from the beginning. I wish I could, but it was so difficult for me to find work. I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so glad that you’re here,” his mother replied, stroking his hair as they embraced.

“Would you like to stay the night? We have a lot to catch up on. I’d love for you to spend more time with us,” she asked him.

“I’m sorry, mom, but I have to go home tonight. I got a job in France, so my adoptive parents and I will be moving. The flight back home to Chicago was my last one here. I think it was meant to be that David was on the flight, as I got to see you,” he explained.

After hearing that her son was moving to Europe, Linda was heartbroken. “You’re leaving?” she said weakly. “I wish we could have found each other sooner… I’m sad that our time together was so short.”

“I’m sorry, mom. I will visit you as much as I can. I am sure I’ll have flights to the US,” James said, apologizing once more.

“Stop getting her hopes up. She doesn’t deserve to be heartbroken at her age. Get out!” David retorted, realizing that his brother simply just wanted to see their mother but not build a connection with her.

A couple of days after their encounter, David noticed a transportation service arrive at the house across from theirs, and men started loading furniture inside, along with appliances.

“Mom, it seems someone bought the house right in front of ours. We’ll have new neighbors soon,” he told her. Linda was delighted, as she had always wanted neighbors. She enjoyed baking and was looking to share her creations with other people.

However, they were surprised when the man who followed shortly after, driving a luxury vehicle, turned out to be James. David and Linda opened their front door to confront him.

“What are you doing here?” David asked his brother.

“I spoke to my wife about what happened the other day, and we both realized that our home wasn’t in France, but here. I turned down the job offer from the French airline and told my adoptive parents I wanted to relocate somewhere in Chicago instead. They understood and promised they’d keep in touch while they enjoyed their retirement in Europe,” James explained.

“I am sorry that I never got a chance to look for you, mom. I know I’ve made many mistakes in the past, but I hope you give me a chance to prove to you that I am not a bad person and that I genuinely want to spend time with you. I want to reconnect with you too, David. We are brothers. I love you both, and I will prove just how much if you’d let me,” he added.

Linda could not believe it, and she began to cry. James introduced his wife Emma and young daughter Olivia to Linda and David, warming their hearts. While Linda caught up with Olivia and Emma, David and James had a good talk.

“I know you don’t trust me at all, David, but please give me this chance to prove to you that I have good intentions for you and mom,” he begged.

“I’m willing to let go of my past issues for mom’s sake. She looks happy, and that’s all that matters to me,” David admitted.

The brothers caught up with one another, and James found out that David had a long-time girlfriend he wanted to marry. He volunteered to take care of their mother in the house next door while David worked on his own personal relationship. James had David’s house repaired, and the renovations made it look good as new.

David began to work on his personal life while James and his family cared for Linda next door. The family would get together every night for a good meal and conversation.

What can we learn from this story?

• People meant to be in your life will always find their way back to you. David didn’t know that James was on his flight back to Chicago that day. Their chance encounter brought James back to the company of his mother and brother, whom he had not seen for years.
• It’s never too late to start over. David was angry at his brother James for abandoning him, but they were able to set aside their differences for the sake of their mom. They ended up rebuilding their relationships with one another, leading them to become a stronger and happier family.

Share this story with your loved ones. It might inspire them and make their day.