A Friend's Accident Saved My Father from a Plane Crash

All Sheldon knows is that his father was scheduled to leave for a business trip. But when the day comes, and his father postpones the trip — only to realize that fate prevented his father from being on the crashed airline- he thanks his lucky stars.

I never thought a simple change of plans could be a matter of life and death until my father's cross-country trip took an unexpected turn.

So, my Dad has been getting ready for a business trip — he is about to sign a big deal, and we've all been pretty excited about it.

Then, the night before Dad was scheduled to leave, we went out to dinner, and my pops enthusiastically talked about the places he would visit between work.

The next day, I was playing video games at home when Dad came in with his suitcases. He was supposed to be in the air by then, embarking on his adventure. But then he dropped the bombshell that had he postponed his trip.

I was perplexed.

"Why?" I asked him. "Did something at work come up?"

He just shook his head and wheeled his suitcases to his bedroom.

"I'll explain later, Sheldon," he said. "I've got to make a phone call."

Later, over dinner, he finally told Mom and me that he postponed the trip a few days because an old high school friend would be around. It made sense. We constantly changed plans whenever his friend Brian was in our hometown. Dad always said that Brian was that friend who would be around until the end of time.

And this was mainly because Dad had fallen into a wrong crowd back when they were in high school, and Brian had pulled him out of that showing him that they could still have fun without the underage drinking and recreational drug experiences.

"So, I'm just going to stay behind for a few days longer and spend some time with Brian. But Adam left today as scheduled. He'll check out the company premises that we're interested in and make notes."

Again, it also made sense. Adam is my Dad's business partner, and he trusted him as much as my mom. So, I knew that all was well with the business deal.

Later, we were all sitting and eating brownies in front of the television when the chilling truth came to light.

The plane that my father was scheduled to board earlier that day had tragically crashed. The news hit us hard, and he sat beside me, visibly shattered.

His revelation was heart-wrenching — his business partner and close friend, Adam, was among the unfortunate passengers.

"You're sure Adam was on the flight?" Mom asked.

"Yes, Rita. We planned it together," Dad said through gritted teeth, his eyes slightly vacant.

The emotional toll on my father was immeasurable. Guilt, relief, and grief intermingled as he grappled with the realization that Adam was on the flight that he was also supposed to be on.

The next day, his childhood friend came over, and mom made a lavish spread for dinner. We all knew that my father had no intention to be sociable, but there was nothing else we could do.

He had called the airline and tried to get any information he could on Adam, but because he wasn't family, the airline could not disclose anything.

Anyway, the dinner with Brian unfolded quietly. He understood the state of mind that my father was in, so he didn't push anything. He sat there, making polite conversation with my mother and me, occasionally pulling my father into it.

He sat there asking me about school and what I planned to do with the rest of the summer holidays.

"You're more than welcome to come back with me," he said. "Get some sunshine in. I'll teach you how to surf!"

If we were in a different situation, I would have agreed and gone with Brian — he was as close to a godfather I had. But with everything going on, there was no way I could leave my father.

*

Then, two days later, news emerged that a few passengers had miraculously survived. They were terribly injured, but they were alive and at a hospital in another state.

As fate would have it, Adam was one of the survivors. And he needed surgery on both his legs.

My father drove three hours to the hospital just so he could be there for Adam when he got out of surgery and apologize for postponing the trip and letting Adam go off on his own.

I know that my father is going through survivor's guilt at the moment. Now, he spends all of his time with Adam, helping him recover while they work on their business proposals for the future as a distraction from Adam's painful physical therapy.

I am grateful that my father decided to postpone his trip because we don't know if he would have been as lucky as Adam to survive that horrible crash. But I understand his need to constantly be around Adam while he gets back on his feet.

My Dad even offered Adam our spare bedroom in case he wanted to recuperate here. Adam is a bachelor, and his family lives across the world.

Before Brian left, we invited him over for dinner and told him the story, with all the little details. Brian reminded my father about the unpredictability of fate and the fragile line between life and death.

When Adam was ready to leave the physical rehabilitation, he moved in with us for a while.

My father has taken his survival as a second chance and decided to live for the moment. Not everything is about work anymore.

And as for me? Life's fragility struck a chord with me, a reminder to appreciate every moment as well. But the more I think about it, the more grateful I am that my father did postpone that trip. He was safe and sound and eating brownies with me rather than fighting for his life.

Now, it has become a tradition for us to play a video game together every evening. But more than that, he insists on family time during the weekends — and he said that we'll go on family holidays twice a year. Dad also speaks to Mom and I about his business decisions now, even if we don't know what's going on — it's just to keep us connected.

Next week, we're road tripping to Brian's house for two weeks — he promised to teach Dad and I how to surf, and promised that his wife and Mom have some new recipes to tackle.

And for that, I have to thank fate. Because one minor change of plans can set about a completely different chain of events.

Do you have any second-chance stories?

Here's another story for you: Adam and his family sit down to dinner with the radio on - only to be interrupted by a severe weather warning. As the night progresses, the storm increasingly gets worse, only to have the family take refuge in the dilapidated trailer in their yard.

Read the full story here.