A woman ruined an 8-hour flight for fellow travelers – Following the journey, the captain took steps to address her behavior

When James is on his way home after a swimming competition in London, all he wants is to sleep on the flight. But that’s the last thing on the agenda because sitting next to him is a woman who only wants to cause trouble. Eight hours later, the captain teaches her a lesson.

I was already prepared for the flight. I knew that it was going to be a long one. I mean, eight hours from London to New York was not going to be easy, but I had my earplugs, sleeping pills, and a few snacks to keep me going.

I had just wrapped up a grueling swimming competition, and every muscle in my body was crying for some much-needed rest. I was in the middle seat, which wasn’t ideal for my height, but I was too tired to care. The woman next to me, at the window, seemed just as wiped out as I was, and I could see her eyes drooping before we took off.

We exchanged a weary smile before settling into our seats.

It’s okay, James, I thought to myself. You’ll sleep through it all.

But then there was the woman who was going to be the cause of absolute mayhem and discomfort for the next eight hours.

From the moment she sat down next to me, I sensed that she was going to be trouble. She was huffing and puffing and shifting around like she’d been assigned to a seat in the luggage compartment instead of economy.

“Oh boy,” the window-seat woman sighed.

Aisle-seat woman, let’s call her Karen, kept eyeing me up and down, her mouth twisting into a frown.

Look, I’m a tall guy at six foot two. I was used to getting uncomfortable stares in airplanes, but it wasn’t my fault.

The first sign of trouble came when the plane took off. Karen pressed the call button, not once like any rational person, but three times in a row, like she was setting off an alarm.

I almost expected an alarm to sound off in the airplane.

“Ma’am,” the flight attendant asked when we had reached cruising altitude, “how can I help you?”

“This seat is unacceptable!” Karen snapped. Her voice was loud enough to draw attention from the rows around us.

“I’m cramped, and look at these two… people! They’re practically spilling over into my space.”

She shot a look at me, then at the woman at the window, who was staring straight ahead, pretending not to notice.

“I’m sorry, but we’re fully booked today,” the flight attendant replied. “There’s nowhere else for you to move.”

“You mean that there’s not one seat available on this flight? What about business class? Nothing?” she demanded.

“No, ma’am,” the flight attendant said. “There’s nothing available.”

“Then I want them moved,” Karen declared, louder this time. “I paid for this seat just like everyone else here, and it’s not fair that I have to be squished next to them. I can’t even open a packet of chips without bumping into this guy.”

For emphasis, she elbowed me in the arm.

I glanced over at the woman in the window seat, who looked on the verge of tears. My patience was wearing thin, too, and I couldn’t handle this woman when my energy tank was empty.

“Ma’am,” I said, keeping my voice as calm as I could, “we’re all just trying to get through this flight and get to our destinations. There’s really nothing wrong with the seating arrangements here.”

“Nothing wrong?” Karen barked. “Are you kidding me? Are you blind?”

She continued her rant for what felt like hours. And it was clear she wasn’t going to drop it. I tried to ignore her, but she kept shifting in her seat, kicking my legs, and continuously elbowing my arm.

By the fourth hour, I was cranky and exhausted beyond any other moment in my life. I was done.

“Look,” I said, turning to her as the flight attendant wheeled a cart down the aisle, “we can keep this up for the rest of the flight, or we can try and make the best of a bad situation. Why don’t you watch something on the screen? There are some pretty good movies here.”

But she wasn’t having it at all.

“Why don’t you tell her to go on a diet? And why don’t you learn to book seats that have space for your gigantic legs? Why do you both insist on making my life hell?” Karen hissed.

And the entire time we had been talking, Karen was busy pressing the call button.

I felt my blood boil and watched as the woman sitting next to the window tried to make herself as small as possible.

I could see the flight attendants murmuring amongst themselves, giving Karen dirty looks. If I’m being honest, I was just hoping that one of them would slip her a sedative or something. Finally, a flight attendant came over, looking as upset as I was.

“Ma’am, if you don’t calm down, we’re going to have to ask you to stay seated and not press the call button again, not unless it’s an actual emergency.”

“Oh, this is an emergency!” she shouted. “It’s a human rights violation! My rights are being violated, and everyone is just ignoring that!”

The rest of the flight went on like this, with Karen sighing dramatically, muttering under her breath, and generally making everyone around us miserable.

I just kept my head down and tried to focus on the tiny screen in front of me, tracking our progress home.

When we finally landed, I couldn’t have been any happier if I tried. This nightmare was almost over.

But then, as soon as the wheels touched down, Karen was out of her seat, darting up the aisle as if she was about to miss her connecting flight to Mars. The seatbelt sign was still on, and everyone was sitting patiently, waiting for it to turn off.

But not Karen. No, she was ignoring all the calls from the flight attendants, not even looking back. Soon, she was standing right next to the curtain separating the business-class seats from economy.

The rest of us just watched, too exhausted and frustrated to react.

Then came the captain’s voice over the intercom:

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to New York! We have a special guest onboard today.”

There was a collective groan. What now? Were we supposed to sit there for longer?

“We ask that everyone remain seated as I make my way through the cabin to greet this very special passenger.”

Karen perked up for some reason, her shoulders straightening like she’d just been announced as Miss Universe. She looked around with a self-satisfied smile, as if expecting everyone to applaud her.

When the captain came out of the cockpit, we saw a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor and a tired smile. As he saw Karen, he paused.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” he said. “I need to get past you to greet our special guest.”

“Oh,” she said, looking surprised. “Of course.”

He continued to make her step back down the aisle until they were almost to our row. It was priceless because although she was complying with him, the confusion growing on her face was clear.

“Maybe you should sit down in your seat,” he said.

The rest of us were watching in stunned silence, catching on to what he was doing. I could feel a smile tugging at my lips. The woman next to me was grinning, too.

Finally, the captain stopped at our row, forcing Karen to move into the row and stand at her seat.

The captain looked up at the seat numbers and grinned to himself before speaking.

“Ah, here we are,” he said, his voice booming through the cabin. “Ladies and gentlemen, our special guest is sitting right here in seat 42C. Can we all give her a round of applause?”

For a moment, there was silence. Then someone started clapping, followed by another, and another. Before long, the whole plane erupted into laughter and applause.

The woman’s face turned bright red. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She just stood there, awkward and humiliated, as the captain took a slight bow and returned to the front.

“That,” I said, leaning back in my seat with a satisfied grin, “was worth the eight hours of this torture.”

The rest of us finally gathered our things and filed out, leaving her to stew in her own embarrassment.

“Jeez,” the woman next to me said. “I’m so glad this is over. I don’t ever want to see that woman again. Maybe we’ll end up next to each other on another flight. Without a Karen this time.”

“Here’s hoping,” I said, and for the first time since the flight started, I genuinely laughed.

What would you have done?

13 Years Ago Was the Last Time I Saw My Daughter, Today I Got a Christmas Letter from Her – My Story

Over a decade ago, I lost my job and family because I didn’t take myself seriously. After slowly piecing my life together, I finally have a chance at redemption with my estranged daughter.

I used to be an ambitious young man with the world at my feet. I always saw myself running my own business, and for a while, I believed that I was on the right path. Looking back, I think this passion made my ex-wife, Rebecca, first fall in love with me. She even supported me during the humble beginnings of my old repair shop.

Rebecca and I had our daughter, Harriet, during this time. Unfortunately, my repair shop went bankrupt. I began to feel depressed and lost motivation. I worked as a waiter to make ends meet, but I couldn’t provide a stable lifestyle for my family.

“When are you going to get a real job?” Rebecca asked me. I had no answer. Even though I had a great relationship with Harriet during her childhood, my marriage slowly fell apart.

Rebecca and I fought all the time, and we grew further apart. One day, I was called into the restaurant and told they could no longer keep me on the staff. “We’re going to have to let you go, Jimmy,” my manager told me.

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

At the time, I was at such a low point in my life that I didn’t even care. Perhaps I thought Rebecca could care for me while I looked for a new job. That day I went home and took a walk with my family. Harriet was riding in her little car with foot pedals. Rebecca had a solemn demeanor, and I sensed something was wrong.

“I’m leaving you, Jimmy. I just can’t do this anymore. It’s obvious that you’ve given up on everything,” She told me. In one day, my entire world had come crashing down. I tried to convince Rebecca to give me one more chance, but her mind had already been made up. I gave my daughter a big hug.

“Mom always told me you were a loser and I should forget about you, but I can see that you’ve changed.”

“Daddy will always love you no matter, okay Harriet?” I told her. I could tell that she didn’t understand what was going on. By the following day, Rebecca and Harriet were out of the house, and I was all alone. Rebecca took full custody of our daughter as I was unemployed.

It was only then that I realized how much of a loser I was. I couldn’t even take care of Harriet as I had no savings or job lined up. In what felt like a few months, Rebecca had already moved in with a new partner, Eric. “Until you get your life in order, don’t even think about talking to Harriet,” Rebecca told me.

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

I used the last of my money to buy Harriet a gift for her birthday party, a small bunny rabbit. I also wrote a note which read, “I miss you so much. Happy Birthday. Love Daddy.”

When I reached Eric’s house, I saw he was pretty rich. He had thrown a big birthday party for Harriet, with mascots and a jumping castle. I felt ashamed. My daughter had a new dad. Eric could provide Harriet with things I couldn’t even dream of buying.

I left my gift at their front gate and left. At this point, I was in a very dark place and couldn’t see a way forward. I decided to leave the coast and move cities. All I had to my name was the house my father, Frank, left me.

Since I was flat broke, I sold the house and moved into an apartment in a town in a different state.

I worked odd jobs at times to make a bit of money. Two years after I left my family behind, I was broke again. The following month, I was evicted. I found myself out on the street with nowhere to turn.

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

I can’t keep living like this, I realized. I walked into the local store and begged for a job. The manager recognized me from around town and gave me a chance as a cleaner in the store. In the next few months, I was promoted to cashier, and within a year, I was made administrator of the whole store.

Even though I was finally financially stable and had cleaned up my act, I was still very lonely. Years flew by, and I still wasn’t in contact with any of my family, and I had no real friends. I regularly gave some of my money to charity because I had no one to spend it on.

That all changed today, as for the first time in ages, I received mail that wasn’t an outstanding bill. It was a Christmas letter from Harriet!

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

It has been 13 years since I’ve seen I have seen or heard from my daughter but I’ve been blessed with a Christmas miracle. Her words warmed my heart in a way that I haven’t felt in years. Her letter read:

“Hi, Dad. I’ve finally found you! This may come as a shock, but I’ll be flying in to see you tomorrow. We have so much to talk about. Even though mom and Eric provided me with everything growing up, I always wondered when you would come back.

Mom always told me you were a loser and I should forget about you, but I can see that you’ve changed and got yourself together. Just so you know, I still have the stuffed bunny you left me for my birthday. I named him Jimmy, so in a way, you’ve been with me all along!

See you soon. I love you, and I can’t wait.

Merry Christmas, Dad!”

This is the most incredible day of my life. I’ve missed my daughter so much, and I never thought I’d get this opportunity. I changed my life for the better and did what I could to help my community.

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

For illustrative purposes only. | Source: Unsplash

Although I felt too ashamed to return home, God has blessed me with a second chance with Harriet. This time, I’ll do everything I can to make her proud and make up for all the time we missed together. After 13 long years, I finally have my shot at redemption.

Have you ever had a moment when you needed to start life with a clean slate? How did you survive it?

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who abandons his family and is recognized 20 years later begging in the streets by his estranged daughter.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.

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