The Airport Dash
Mom wears her kidney necklace every day.
It is more than an accessory. It is a piece of Dad she keeps close.
But her arthritic hands are not as reliable as they used to be.
It happened on the way to the airport.
Somewhere between the door and the inlet, the necklace,
the one that carried so much of Dad’s memory, slipped off.
We found the chain, but the pendant was gone.
It could have been anywhere.
In my apartment.
In the snow covered inlet we walked through to get into our rideshare.
In the car.
Likely lost forever.
The Ask
During boarding, I texted my neighbor Scott,
a friend from college I do not see often, and asked if he could look for it.
Please check the inlet, the entry, anywhere it could have landed.
[airplane mode]
The Longest Hour
The hour flight from Denver to Omaha was the longest hour.
We were both anxious and emotionally exhausted.
The plane did not have internet.
In the back of my mind, I was already making plans.
Plans to visit our jeweler friend on this short trip to have him
replicate the necklace as best as possible.
We told our row mate the story of the gold kidney necklace.
Quickly, another row was listening too.
It was one of those moments
where strangers lean in and become part of your story.
The Find
As soon as the wheels touched down,
I turned off airplane mode to see if Scott had responded.
People were peeking over their seats
like I was opening a college acceptance letter.
And there it was.
Multiple pictures of Scott’s hand holding
Mom’s kidney.
Scott saves lives in the ER every shift.
That day, he saved ours too. Only this time, the organ he rescued was a gold pendant.
Mom and I erupted in tears, speechless, while strangers cheered and cried for us too.
Coming Home
I knew the kidney was safe.
When I got back, he had ever so thoughtfully placed the kidney pendant in a jewelry box.
I thanked him over a glass of nice wine at my place and begged him to let me take him to dinner.
He had a way about him, grateful for the offer but saying it was not necessary.
I can only impose so much, but the offer stands today.
Scott, if you are reading this, I know we have not stayed close, but your act of kindness made the deepest impact on me and my family possible. I will forever be beyond grateful for your help.
I made sure to joke that while his profession is to save lives in the ER, I bet he never thought he would help someone by saving their gold kidney.
How I See It
In our family, we do not believe moments like that are accidents.
We believe Dad still keeps an eye on us.
Often it is an idea that pops into my head,
rooted in his engineer-like way of ideating,
and it comes exactly when I need it.
Sometimes it is a flicker of a lightbulb at exactly the right time.
Sometimes it is a song coming on in the car when we need it most.
And sometimes it is a neighbor finding what should have been gone forever.
Why It Matters
The necklace is more than jewelry.
It is love, history, and connection.
Now, Mom gets help securing her gold kidney necklace,
a little extra care for something that means everything.
Even now, pops is still supervising us.
And we would not have it any other way.
