A Louisiana toddler who had just started to speak captured the hearts of social media as he reunited with his grandpa who had returned from an overseas work trip on Monday.
The boy, whose name is Bennett, saw his grandfather emerge from the terminal at the Lafayette Regional Airport in Louisiana and waddled towards him with open arms and ready for a hug.
“I’m coming Papa!” the youngster shouted.
Grandfather Terrell Lemoine had spent the past two months in Dubai as he worked for an oil company, his wife Sandra Merry Lemoine, told McClatchy News, according to the Miami Herald.
Other air travelers stopped as the boy darts toward his papa — followed by an array of “awes” being let out as the two reconnect.
The TikTok of the emotional reunion has gained more than 2.5 million views as of Sunday morning.
“We have seven grandkids, and everyone loves their papa,” Lemoine told the outlet. “Bennett might just love him a little more.”
She shared that Bennett had only started speaking about three months ago — right before Terrell Lemoine embarked on his long work assignment.
Terrell Lemoine has traveled for work frequently and usually arrives back from his work trips later in the night, but this time landed at the airport around 7 p.m.
It was early enough that she could pick up Bennett — who lives about an hour away — to bring with her to the airport to surprise her husband.
“It’s a short video that everyone seems to love, but for us it’s bigger than that,” Sandra Lemoine shared. “Him saying, ‘I’m coming papa,’ is really special for us.”
The grandmother shared that the reuniting of generations brought a tear to the eye of all who were at the terminal.
The moment didn’t just thug on the heartstrings of those at the airport but of many across TikTok who were moved by Bennett’s love toward his grandfather.
“I watched it like 10 times you can hear the love,” one user commented, with Lemoine replying “I know my husband, which is papa, has watched it 50 times.”
“Ok, so that’s just the cutest damn thing I’ve seen all day,” another wrote.
“Listening to this and it taking me back 13 years with my son. He just turned 16,” a woman shared in the comments.