Symbols First-Time Caller B.K. Borison

The Paper Airplane: A Token of Hope and Reconnection

What Is the Paper Airplane?

In B.K. Borison’s First-Time Caller, a small paper airplane left behind by Lucie Stone appears as a understated but powerful symbol. Literally a folded piece of notepaper, likely from the radio booth where Lucie spent long segments on air, the plane is first mentioned when Aiden Valentine finds it after Lucie has walked out of the studio. The object is unadorned—a simple origami shape—but its presence carries immense emotional weight.

Where Does the Paper Airplane Appear?

The paper airplane recurs at a single critical moment in the novel. According to the chapter outline, during Chapter 59 (labeled Chapter 30), Aiden stays alone in the radio booth after Lucie leaves the station. He calls his father in the middle of the night and confesses how he has distanced himself from family due to his mother's cancer. After that raw conversation, Aiden finds one of Lucie's paper planes and decides to try again. This discovery is the pivot that moves him from resignation to action.

Earlier chapters hint at Lucie’s doodling habit—she draws on notepads during breaks (Chapter 55), but the paper airplane is not explicitly described until that pivotal moment. The novel treats it as a quiet artifact of Lucie’s presence, something easily overlooked but imbued with meaning when discovered at the right time.

How Does Its Meaning Change?

At first, the paper airplane is simply a scrap of Lucie’s idle creativity—a doodle she folded while sitting across from Aiden in the booth. It represents her playful, unguarded self. After she leaves, the plane transforms into a token of hope. For Aiden, holding it reminds him of the ordinary yet extraordinary connection they shared: the late-night conversations, the shared cookies, the quiet intimacy of two people learning to trust again. The object shifts from a forgettable bit of paper to a catalyst. It breaks through Aiden’s numbness and prompts him to call his father, confess his fears, and ultimately seek help winning Lucie back.

The paper airplane embodies the novel’s central tension: that small, sincere gestures can carry more weight than grand declarations. Lucie is not a woman who needs roses (she tells Aiden she prefers daisies and fountain soda); she values being seen. The paper airplane—something she created without thought—becomes the very proof that Aiden has been paying attention. Its meaning evolves from a casual doodle to a symbol of the universe leaving breadcrumbs, as Aiden reflects in the epilogue.

Character Connections

Aiden Valentine – Aiden’s emotional arc hinges on this symbol. The cynical radio host who called a listener a "piece of shit" and questioned the point of love slowly softens through his interactions with Lucie. But it is the paper airplane that finally moves him to action. Finding it after she leaves, he realizes he cannot let her go without a fight. He calls his father (a moment of vulnerability), admits he wants to change, and asks Jackson for help. The plane is the physical proof that Lucie was real, that their connection was not just another doomed story he told on air.

Lucie Stone – Lucie is a single mother who has been let down before, by her ex-husband Grayson and by past relationships. The paper airplane reflects her gentle, hopeful nature. She creates small beauties—like the plane—as a way of making ordinary moments special. She tells Aiden on air that she wants to be worth the trouble of a picnic in a fort, of someone remembering her favorite soda. The plane is a manifestation of that philosophy: something ordinary made extraordinary by the person you share it with.

Maya Stone – Maya is the catalyst who first brings Lucie and Aiden together by calling the radio show to find her mom a boyfriend. Though Maya does not directly handle the paper plane, her role as a bridge makes the symbol’s eventual power possible. Without Maya’s call, Lucie would never have entered the booth, and the plane would never have been left.

Theme Connections

The paper airplane weaves together several major themes:

Vulnerability – Aiden’s decision to try again after finding the plane requires him to shed his defensive cynicism. He admits to his father that he has been pushing people away. The plane demands that he be honest about what he wants.

Second Chances – The plane is literally a second chance—Aiden picks it up after Lucie has left, and it gives him the courage to pursue reconciliation. It underscores the idea that love can be rebuilt even after mistakes.

Authenticity – Unlike the performative love stories Aiden criticizes on his show, the paper airplane is unpretentious. It is not a store-bought gift; it is a spontaneous creation. This aligns with Lucie’s belief that love is about paying attention to small details.

Love as Risk – Aiden risks humiliation and rejection when he decides to try to win Lucie back. The paper airplane represents the fragile hope that makes that risk worthwhile.

Found Family – By the epilogue, Aiden, Lucie, and Maya are a family unit, sharing a booth at Skullduggery café. The paper airplane, a symbol of the decision that brought them together, reinforces the idea that family can be chosen.

Study Questions with Answers

1. How does the paper airplane function as a turning point for Aiden’s character arc?
Aiden has spent the novel in a state of emotional numbness, convinced that love is pointless. After Lucie leaves, he finds the paper airplane she left behind. This small object breaks through his defenses. He calls his father and confesses his fear of attachment, then asks Jackson to help him win Lucie back. The airplane is the physical trigger that changes his passivity into action.

2. What does the paper airplane reveal about Lucie’s values?
Lucie values simple, genuine gestures over grand romantic displays. She tells Aiden she wants to be remembered for small things—like preferring daisies to roses—and that she wants to be worth the “trouble” of a homemade fort. The paper airplane, an unplanned doodle she left behind, reflects her belief that love is found in ordinary moments made extraordinary by attention and care.

3. In what way does the paper airplane relate to the theme of vulnerability in the novel?
Vulnerability is the quality Aiden most resists. He hides behind sarcasm and cynicism. Finding the paper airplane forces him to admit that he cares about Lucie and that he is afraid of losing her. He must call his father and later ask for help—both acts of vulnerability. The airplane is the catalyst that makes these honest conversations possible.

4. How does the epilogue’s use of the “breadcrumbs” metaphor echo the paper airplane’s symbolism?
In the epilogue, Aiden reflects that the universe left breadcrumbs leading him to Lucie and Maya. The paper airplane is one of those breadcrumbs: a small sign that, when followed, leads to connection. Both symbols—breadcrumbs and the paper plane—suggest that love is not random but guided by small, serendipitous markers that reward those who pay attention.

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