\n\n\n\nA captain of an airplane | Source: AmoMama\n\n\n\n
When James is on his way home after a swimming competition in London, all he wants is to sleep on the flight. But that\u2019s 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.\n\n\n\n
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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.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA man standing in an airport | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t 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.\n\n\n\n
We exchanged a weary smile before settling into our seats.\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s okay, James, I thought to myself. You\u2019ll sleep through it all.\n\n\n\nAdvertisement\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA man standing in an airplane | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
But then there was the woman who was going to be the cause of absolute mayhem and discomfort for the next eight hours.\n\n\n\n
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\u2019d been assigned to a seat in the luggage compartment instead of economy.\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh boy,\u201d the window-seat woman sighed.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA woman sitting in an airplane | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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Aisle-seat woman, let\u2019s call her Karen, kept eyeing me up and down, her mouth twisting into a frown.\n\n\n\n
Look, I\u2019m a tall guy at six foot two. I was used to getting uncomfortable stares in airplanes, but it wasn\u2019t my fault.\n\n\n\n
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.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nAn annoyed woman sitting in an airplane | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
I almost expected an alarm to sound off in the airplane.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMa\u2019am,\u201d the flight attendant asked when we had reached cruising altitude, \u201chow can I help you?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis seat is unacceptable!\u201d Karen snapped. Her voice was loud enough to draw attention from the rows around us.\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI\u2019m cramped, and look at these two\u2026 people! They\u2019re practically spilling over into my space.\u201d\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA smiling flight attendant | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
She shot a look at me, then at the woman at the window, who was staring straight ahead, pretending not to notice.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, but we\u2019re fully booked today,\u201d the flight attendant replied. \u201cThere\u2019s nowhere else for you to move.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou mean that there\u2019s not one seat available on this flight? What about business class? Nothing?\u201d she demanded.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nAn annoyed flight attendant | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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\u201cNo, ma\u2019am,\u201d the flight attendant said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing available.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen I want them moved,\u201d Karen declared, louder this time. \u201cI paid for this seat just like everyone else here, and it\u2019s not fair that I have to be squished next to them. I can\u2019t even open a packet of chips without bumping into this guy.\u201d\n\n\n\n
For emphasis, she elbowed me in the arm.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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\u2019t handle this woman when my energy tank was empty.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMa\u2019am,\u201d I said, keeping my voice as calm as I could, \u201cwe\u2019re all just trying to get through this flight and get to our destinations. There\u2019s really nothing wrong with the seating arrangements here.\u201d\n\n\n\n
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\u201cNothing wrong?\u201d Karen barked. \u201cAre you kidding me? Are you blind?\u201d\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA tired man holding his head | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
She continued her rant for what felt like hours. And it was clear she wasn\u2019t going to drop it. I tried to ignore her, but she kept shifting in her seat, kicking my legs, and continuously elbowing my arm.\n\n\n\n
By the fourth hour, I was cranky and exhausted beyond any other moment in my life. I was done.\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook,\u201d I said, turning to her as the flight attendant wheeled a cart down the aisle, \u201cwe can keep this up for the rest of the flight, or we can try and make the best of a bad situation. Why don\u2019t you watch something on the screen? There are some pretty good movies here.\u201d\n\n\n\n
Advertisement\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA screen at the back of an airplane seat | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
But she wasn\u2019t having it at all.\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell her to go on a diet? And why don\u2019t you learn to book seats that have space for your gigantic legs? Why do you both insist on making my life hell?\u201d Karen hissed.\n\n\n\n
And the entire time we had been talking, Karen was busy pressing the call button.\n\n\n\n
I felt my blood boil and watched as the woman sitting next to the window tried to make herself as small as possible.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA call button on an airplane seat | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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I could see the flight attendants murmuring amongst themselves, giving Karen dirty looks. If I\u2019m 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.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMa\u2019am, if you don\u2019t calm down, we\u2019re going to have to ask you to stay seated and not press the call button again, not unless it\u2019s an actual emergency.\u201d\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nAn annoyed flight attendant | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, this is an emergency!\u201d she shouted. \u201cIt\u2019s a human rights violation! My rights are being violated, and everyone is just ignoring that!\u201d\n\n\n\n
The rest of the flight went on like this, with Karen sighing dramatically, muttering under her breath, and generally making everyone around us miserable.\n\n\n\n
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I just kept my head down and tried to focus on the tiny screen in front of me, tracking our progress home.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA flight full of annoyed people | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
When we finally landed, I couldn\u2019t have been any happier if I tried. This nightmare was almost over.\n\n\n\n
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.\n\n\n\n
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.\n\n\n\n
Advertisement\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA woman standing in a crowded plane | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
The rest of us just watched, too exhausted and frustrated to react.\n\n\n\n
Then came the captain\u2019s voice over the intercom:\n\n\n\n
\u201cLadies and gentlemen, welcome to New York! We have a special guest onboard today.\u201d\n\n\n\n
There was a collective groan. What now? Were we supposed to sit there for longer?\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA frowning woman in an airplane | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWe ask that everyone remain seated as I make my way through the cabin to greet this very special passenger.\u201d\n\n\n\n
Karen perked up for some reason, her shoulders straightening like she\u2019d just been announced as Miss Universe. She looked around with a self-satisfied smile, as if expecting everyone to applaud her.\n\n\n\n
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.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA close up of a captain | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cExcuse me, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said. \u201cI need to get past you to greet our special guest.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh,\u201d she said, looking surprised. \u201cOf course.\u201d\n\n\n\n
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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.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe you should sit down in your seat,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA frowning woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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.\n\n\n\n
Finally, the captain stopped at our row, forcing Karen to move into the row and stand at her seat.\n\n\n\n
The captain looked up at the seat numbers and grinned to himself before speaking.\n\n\n\n
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\u201cAh, here we are,\u201d he said, his voice booming through the cabin. \u201cLadies and gentlemen, our special guest is sitting right here in seat 42C. Can we all give her a round of applause?\u201d\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA frowning woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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.\n\n\n\n
The woman\u2019s 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.\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat,\u201d I said, leaning back in my seat with a satisfied grin, \u201cwas worth the eight hours of this torture.\u201d\n\n\n\n
Advertisement\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA man laughing in an airport | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
The rest of us finally gathered our things and filed out, leaving her to stew in her own embarrassment.\n\n\n\n
\u201cJeez,\u201d the woman next to me said. \u201cI\u2019m so glad this is over. I don\u2019t ever want to see that woman again. Maybe we\u2019ll end up next to each other on another flight. Without a Karen this time.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cHere\u2019s hoping,\u201d I said, and for the first time since the flight started, I genuinely laughed.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nA smiling woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
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What would you have done?\n\n\n\n
If you enjoyed this story, here\u2019s another one:\n\n\n\n