My legs were squashed by a woman who leaned back in her seat on the plane: I made the decision to discipline her.
In my window seat, I was flying calmly, assuming that everything will be alright in an hour and a half. A quite plump woman wearing a brightly colored sweater sat in front of me. Without without looking, she suddenly reclined back in her seat as soon as the jet took off.
Me — ah! — due to the pressure of my knees against the seat.
I leaned forward and said, “Pardon me. Would you perhaps push your seat back a bit? I get severe cramps.
Without even looking, she said:
“This makes me feel more at ease.”
After giving her response some thought, I attempted to move my legs but was unsuccessful. I made the decision that I would not let it go. I called the flight attendant by pressing the button.
A young, uniformed woman came up:
“How may I assist?”
“You see,” I clarified, “my legs are caught because the passenger in front of me has pushed back her seat. I’m immobile.
The flight attendant leaned courteously in the direction of the woman:
“Pardon me, but in order to make your neighbor more comfortable, could you please push your seat back slightly?”
With an expression that suggested I had personally ruined her vacation, the woman turned around:
“I have back pain. I can sit however I want because I paid for my seat.
Clearly, the flight attendant refrained from rolling her eyes:
“Please take into account the comfort of every passenger.”
With a slow exhale, the woman pushed the seat back a few centimeters.
“Are you happy now?” She threw me a fling over her shoulder.
“Thanks, it’s better, even though my legs haven’t grown back yet” — I grinned.
The flight attendant winked at me, barely perceptible, and continued on when she snorted.
After the initial “attack,” I was nearly at ease around half an hour later. Then, suddenly, her seat flew back. Again, I felt pressure on my knees.
“Really?” She didn’t even bat an eyelid when I said it aloud.
I recognized then that diplomacy was no longer effective. I made the decision to take action and exact revenge on this impolite, uncivilized woman. This is what I did.
I lowered the tray table slowly and innocently, picked up the plastic cup of tomato juice (they were providing drinks at the time), and set it on the edge, directly beneath her seatback.
We take seats. Silence for five minutes. Then, with a tiny movement, she makes a splash! A small amount of the liquid spills onto her sweater and onto the white bag that was next to her.
She suddenly leaps to her feet and spins around:
“What is this?”
“Oh!” — I enlarge my eyes. — I apologize; you moved so abruptly. You see, I told you that the tray is little and claustrophobic.
She stands up and makes an angry wave with her arms:
“A flight attendant! You have revealed all!
The same young lady comes up:
“What took place?”
“The seat in front of me just went back on its own while I was sitting there drinking juice, and…” I point to the stain. — “Physics, apparently.”
Despite having a stony expression, the flight attendant states:
I’ll give you some napkins if you come. Additionally, kindly ensure that the seatback is locked.
The seat remained upright for the remainder of the trip while the woman silently cleaned her bag.
