2 / The haughty traveler sat back in my face; I gave him a backhand that caused him to quickly back off.
Or perhaps you shouldn’t ram your seat into someone’s knee when there’s hardly any room to spare anyway? I was horrified to see how his seat moved back and forth till it seemed as though he was actually sitting on my lap!I had to bend my knees to the side in order to keep from screaming in agony. My knees were crushed. It was unbelievable to me! I was ensnared! I bent forward in an attempt to get his attention.
“Pardon me, sir.” I said, trying to seem courteous even as my annoyance mounted. “Maybe you could raise your seat a little bit? There’s not much space for me back here. He gave me a brief once-over, twisted his head slightly, and shrugged. He apologized, saying, “Sorry, kid, I paid for this seat,” as though that would put an end to it.I looked at my mother, and she gave me that look—the “Leave it go” look. I wasn’t prepared to let it go, though. Not quite yet. I murmured to Mom, “This is ridiculous.” I can barely move my knees against the seat. He can’t just —
She arched an eyebrow and interrupted me. “I know, sweetheart, but the flight is short.” Alright, let’s just attempt to get through it. She was right, and I wanted to disagree with her. The flight wasn’t too long. I could put up with that. Alternatively, I believed I could.However, the man in front of me suddenly felt the urge to lie down even more. I am not joking! His seat moved back a couple more inches—far beyond what was typical—so obviously it was broken or something.
Now that his seatback was virtually entrenched in my knees, I had to sit at an odd angle to avoid having them crushed! “Mom, this isn’t going to work,” I muttered to myself.Sighing, she motioned for the flight attendant to come over. A pleasant-looking woman in her mid-thirties approached, her smile dissipating as she processed the circumstances. “Hello,” she whispered, bending to listen to us above the sound of the engines. “Is everything in order?” My mother said, “My son is having some issues with the seat in front of him.”
“It’s much more reclined than it usually is, and he has no space.”After giving me a nod, the flight attendant went up to the man in front of me. “Sir, I understand you’d like to recline your seat, but it appears to be causing an issue for the passenger behind you,” she stated courteously. Would you please bring it up briefly? The man looked up from his laptop just a little. “No,” he replied in a flat tone. “I’m going to use this seat however I please; I paid for it.” The flight attendant blinked, obviously unprepared for that kind of reaction.
“I get it, but it looks like the seat is reclined farther than it ought to. Compared to other seats, it looks like it has dropped a full six inches. It’s putting the young man behind you in a really awkward situation. When he finally raised his head to look at her, I could see the annoyance in his eyes. Nothing in the rules prevents me from reclining in my seat. Maybe he should obtain a seat in first class if he’s uncomfortable. Anger was rising in my cheeks, but before I could say anything the flight attendant sent me a pitying glance. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing more I can do,” she said. After saying, “Enjoy your flight, sir,” she turned back to face him and left. I sagged back in my chair and tried to figure out how to make the pain go away. My mother patted me on the arm, calming me, but I could see she was also annoyed. It dawned on me then! My mother is constantly ready for anything—and I really mean anything.
circumstances. She is the type of person who, as a precaution, always carries a whole pharmacy with her. She had packed everything I could think of for the travel. And sure enough, the solution to my issue was inside her bag when I opened it. I took out a bag of pretzels big enough for a family! Something had begun to take shape in my head! It was a little too innocent for my tastes, but I didn’t mind. I should respect this guy’s personal space, yet he showed no respect for anyone around him. “I think I know how to handle this,” I leaned over to say to my mother in a whisper.
Curious to see what I had in mind, she arched an eyebrow but nevertheless nodded. I tore open the pretzel bag and began to eat, making sure to chew with my mouth hanging open. There were crumbs all over the place—on the floor, in my lap, and, most importantly, on the man’s head! At first, he was too preoccupied with whatever crucial work he was doing on his laptop to notice. But I noticed him getting rigid after a few minutes. He reached up and touched the back of his head, then his shoulder. Though I could feel his frustration building, I persisted in making every bite as raucous and untidy as I could. He finally reached his breaking point!
He turned around and gave me a venomous, yet twisted, look. “Are you doing this?” he yelled. I innocently glanced up at him while I wiped some of the crumbs from my mouth. I said, “Oh, I’m sorry,” even though I had no regrets. These pretzels had a lot of dryness. They’re creating a mess, I suppose. His voice rising, he shouted, “Stop it.”I gave a shrug. I’m merely consuming my snack. You know that I paid for this seat. He squinted at me, obviously not amused that his own comments were being used against him. “You’re covering me in crumbs.
Take it off! I continued to munch as I sat back in my chair. “I’d be pleased to, but having your seat crush my legs makes it difficult. I might not have to sit this way if you moved it up a little. A curious hue of crimson appeared on his face. “I refuse to move because some brat cannot tolerate a little discomfort!” “Well, if that’s how you feel,” I uttered before purposefully sneezing! Even though it was a false sneeze, it was enough to give him another crumbs pray! It appeared as though my mother was going to step in.
However, THAT was the tipping point! With a look of complete defeat, he muttered something under his breath and pressed the button to elevate his seat. My legs felt immediate relief, and when I stretched them out a little, I couldn’t help but smile.I smiled pleasantly and said, “Thank you,” though I’m sure my grin wasn’t as innocent as I made it appear. Without responding, he simply turned around, perhaps attempting to save what little dignity remained. A few minutes later, the flight attendant came back and discreetly gave me the thumbs-up as she went past.
She seemed pleased that the matter had worked itself out, from what I could discern. That was smart, my mother said in a whisper as she bent over. Clever, maybe a touch nasty. I smiled. It seems like he deserves it in a way. She gave a little giggle. Maybe that’s the case. Just don’t let it become a routine .The remainder of the flight was MUCH cozier! The person in front of me remained seated.
straight, and I could savor the last of my pretzels in silence. We eventually touched down, and I felt like we had won! It may not have been the most responsible course of action, but it did the job. After gathering our belongings to disembark, the man got up and gave me another look. I kind of expected him to say anything, but all he did was shake his head and turn to leave. I couldn’t help but have a small sense of pride in myself! My mother looked at me proudly and with a mixture of laughter as we got off the plane.
She remarked, “You know, sometimes it’s okay to stick up for yourself, even if it gets messy a little bit.” I nodded, feeling much better than I had at the beginning of it all. Yes, I replied. “Maybe I should just stick to snacks that don’t make such a mess the next time.”We strolled in the direction of baggage claim while she smiled and wrapped her arm around mine. “Or perhaps we should just go first class.” That made me smile without fail. “That is a concept I can support,”
