A Story of One Swiss Army Knife, One Airplane, Two Fathers and Two Sons
My son and I (and my red swiss army midnight manager knife) were returning from a Washington D.C. trip when our life took a series of unexpected twists and turns. By way of background, this story ends with my 9 year old son in tears, a genuinely sympathetic United Airlines employee and the gifting of my favorite red midnight manager swiss army knife to a father and son that we will never know.
The day starts at 3:00 a.m. with my son and I waiting for the blue Shuttle Express van to take us to Duells Airport, D.C. Naturally, it shows up nearly an hour late and the stress level is high enough to make the flight to Southern California. Next, we are dropped off at the wrong terminal which requires us to walk a country mile to the correct terminal. We check the baggage with only minutes remaining to board the aircraft. We can "relax" after we go through the scanner with the carry-on bag. We were not so lucky.
The nice fella at the scanner stated that the swiss army knife key chain would need to go with the checked baggage. We mistakenly believed it was in the checked bag. Off we go to check the carry-on item. We were told too late and it was not going to make it on the airplane. Further, we must board the plane immediately or we were assured to miss our flight.
It is at this point that I notice my son is in tears about the fate of our favorite knife. He reminded me of its importance and that he knows it is my "favorite" knife. He has heard me tell everyone how much I enjoy the white light, bottle opener, writing pen, knife and more. I told him I can get another identical one. He remained upset and stated it would not be the same (from a sentimental perspective). I had to admit that I really enjoyed the little pocket knife and felt badly to leave it behind.
With only seconds to decide the fate of my loyal buddy (the Victorinox knife), I looked around the airport and noticed a father saying goodbye to his son. I asked them if they would like my knife since I could not take it on the flight. They smiled and said they would love to have the knife. I said it's yours for free and I asked them to enjoy this great little tool. The father, luckily, said he was not flying and he would take care of it.
We boarded the flight with the door slammed behind us immediately. I explained to my son that it was my fault for not double checking to make sure it was in the correct bag. I further suggested that the knife may help the boy's father in an emergency situation. He seemed to feel a little better after he imagined it helping another person someday.
The lesson learned is to be extra careful when traveling with these terrific knives. They are fine quality products that are painful to lose or surrender to anyone!