On the plane, a woman reclined her seat and crushed my legs: I decided to teach her a lesson in politeness 😢😢
I was flying quietly, in a window seat, thinking—a one-and-a-half-hour flight, everything will be fine. In front of me was a woman, a bit stout, in a colorful sweater. The plane had barely taken off when she abruptly reclined her seat without even looking.
Me—ah!—because my knees were pinched by the seat.
“Excuse me,” I said politely, leaning forward, “could you raise the seatback a little? I’m really cramped.”
She didn’t even turn her head:
“I’m more comfortable like this.”
I digested her answer for a few seconds and tried to move my legs—impossible. I decided I wasn’t going to let this go. I press the button to call the flight attendant.
A young woman in uniform arrives:
“How can I help you?”
“You see,” I explain, “the passenger in front of me has reclined her seat so that my legs are stuck. I can’t even move.”
The flight attendant leans politely toward the woman:
“Excuse me, but could you raise the seatback a little so that the person sitting next to you is more comfortable?”
The woman turns around with a look as if I’ve personally ruined her vacation:
“My back hurts. I paid for my seat, so I can sit however I like.”
The flight attendant visibly refrains from rolling her eyes:
“We ask you to please consider the comfort of all passengers.”
The woman sighs slowly and raises the seatback a few inches.
“Is that okay?” ” she calls over her shoulder.
“Well, my legs haven’t grown back yet, but they’re better, thanks,” I smile.
She sniffs, and the flight attendant gives me a discreet wink before continuing on her way.
About thirty minutes after the first “attack,” I was starting to relax. And then—bam!—her seat moves back again. My knees are under pressure once again.
“Seriously?” I say out loud, but she doesn’t even move.
That’s when I realize diplomacy is no longer working. I decide to take action and get revenge on this rude and impolite woman. This is what I did. Continued in the first comment 👇 👇
Slowly, with an innocent look on my face, I lower the tray, take the plastic cup of tomato juice (they were just serving drinks), and place it on the edge, just under her backrest.
We remain seated. Five minutes of silence. Then she moves slightly—and… splash! The juice falls onto her white bag lying nearby, and a little onto her sweater.
She stands up abruptly and turns around:
“What’s that?!”
“Oh!” I make my eyes widen. “Sorry you moved so suddenly… The tray is small, see, I warned you—it’s cramped.”
She stands up, waving her hands indignantly:
“Stewardess! Everything’s dirty!”
The same young woman arrives:
“What happened?”
“I was just drinking my juice, and the seat in front of me… well, it went backwards by itself, and…” I point to the stain. “Apparently, it’s physics.” »
The flight attendant understood perfectly, but with a straight face said:
“Come on, I’ll give you some napkins. And please, make sure the seatback is securely locked.”
The woman silently wiped her bag, and the seat… remained upright until the end of the flight.
