Man Helps Little Girl Lost and Crying in Airport, Parents Call the Police – Story of the Day

A little girl gets lost in a major airport, and a kind man finds her crying. He sets out to help her, but her parents call the police to arrest him.

Mark Jordan spent a lot of his time in airports. His job forced him to criss-cross the country dozens of times each year, going from one factory to the other, making sure the company specs were followed to the letter.

Mark was waiting to catch a connecting flight to Detroit when he noticed a little girl. She was curled up under a chair in a waiting area, and she was crying. "Hey there," Mark said. "What's the matter?"

"I'm lost!" the child said, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. Mark immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his handkerchief.

It was one of those old-fashioned ones that no one used anymore. Mark's wife insisted he always carry one. She'd say: "A gentleman always carries a handkerchief. You never know when you might need it!"

If you see something, do something.

She was right, Mark thought. Here was this tiny mite in distress, and he had a nice hanky to lend her. Mark felt like a knight in shining armor!

"Here, honey," Mark said, handing the girl the hanky. "Blow your nose."

The child took the hanky and used it enthusiastically, then gave it back to Mark. "You keep it!" he said. "You might need it again. What's your name?"

"I'm Kelly," the little girl said. "I'm four."

"Well," Mark said. "You're a big girl! So where are your mom and dad?"

"I don't know..." Kelly's lips started trembling, and she looked as if she was going to burst into tears again.

"Do you know where you're going?" he asked.

Kelly nodded vigorously and said, "We're going to New York City for granny's birthday."

"That's nice," Mark said. He glanced at the announcement board. There were twelve different flights to New York scheduled for departure...

"So, what's your mom's name?" asked Mark gently.

Kelly looked at him scornfully. "Her name is 'mommy,' silly!" she replied.

Mark sighed. "And I suppose dad's name is 'daddy'?"

Kelly gave him a big sunny grin. "Exactly!"

"I tell you what," Mark said. "You come on out from under that chair, and we will look for your mommy and daddy, OK?"

Kelly thought about it. "You're a stranger," she said doubtfully. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"You're quite right, Kelly," Mark said. "I tell you what, we will stay where everyone can see us, and if you feel scared, you yell: 'POLICE!' as loud as you can, OK?"

"OK!" Kelly said and scrambled out from under the chair. Mark took her little hand and started walking towards the information desk.

A long line of people was waiting, and Mark and Kelly joined them. "You keep looking for your mom and dad, OK?" he said. "They must be looking for you."

Kelly nodded and started scrutinizing the crowds of people walking past. The line towards the information desk moved very slowly. "Excuse me," Mark said to the people ahead of him. "I have this lost child here? Would you mind if I went first? I'm sure her parents are very worried..."

"Listen, buddy," said a big man with a red face. "Wait your turn! We all have problems!"

"I've been here an hour," said a sour-faced woman with frizzy hair. "There's no way you are jumping the line with that hard-luck story!"

Mark sighed. Airports somehow bring out the very worse in people, he'd noticed. People who were probably kind and caring in their normal lives became selfish monsters in airports.

He waited with Kelly patiently, and just as they reached the counter, a voice screamed: "There she is! KELLY!"

Kelly turned around, let go of Mark's hand, and ran towards a slim, pretty woman who looked very upset. "Mommy!" she cried and hugged the woman.

"Kelly," the woman sobbed. "Where have you been?" A man arrived and hugged Kelly too.

"I was with my friend," Kelly said and pointed at Mark.

"YOU!" the man said angrily. "What were you doing with my daughter?"

Mark held up his hands and said, "Listen...you're making a mistake!"

"Pervert!" screamed the woman, holding Kelly protectively. "POLICE! Someone call the police!"

Within minutes, Mark was surrounded by airport security. "You're making a mistake!" he cried.

"This man took my daughter!" Kelly's mother said. "We were lucky to find her!"

"No, mommy!" Kelly said. She broke away from her mother and ran to Mark. She took his hand and said, "This is my friend. He was helping me find you!"

"She's right," the man with the big red face said. "He asked us to let him by..."

The woman with the frizzy hair looked embarrassed. "I thought it was just a story!"

Kelly's mom and dad looked embarrassed too. "We're sorry," the father said. "It's just that these days, we always think the worse."

"My friend said that if anyone made me uncomfortable, I should scream 'POLICE!' very loud!" Kelly said.

Kelly's mom said. "Your friend is right! That's very good advice!"

"I have children too," Mark said. "I understand your fears."

"I just looked away for a second," Kelly's mom said. "And she was gone! Thank you for finding her!"

A few hours later, Kelly was safe and on her way to New York City with her mom and dad, all thanks to Mark.

What can we learn from this story?

• If you see something, do something. Often people will turn away from a lost child or an elderly person in need of help to avoid problems. Step up, and help. Someone else may not have good intentions.
• Children are our greatest treasure. Any parent's greatest fear is losing their child. Thanks to Mark, Kelly's parents got their daughter back safe and sound.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who is arrested for kidnapping after rescuing a little girl from neglect.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.