On the flight home, Crystal and her husband Alton encounter an annoying female passenger who keeps kicking Alton’s seat. After repeatedly asking her to stop, Crystal decides to take matters into her own hands.
Last night we were on a plane with my husband. We were finally coming home after spending a week at his parents’ house. I couldn’t wait to be in my own bed again.
‘The thing I missed the most was our shower,’ Alton said. ‘Mum and Dad are fine, but our water pressure is second to none.’
We boarded the plane and it seemed like everything was going to go smoothly.
‘Come on, I’ll get your bags, Crystal,’ Alton said, taking my rucksack.
We finally settled into our seats, and soon the hum of the engines was the soothing white noise I needed to relax during the flight.
But as I pushed my seat back, I noticed something that immediately made my teeth grit. A woman in the row behind us had placed her bare feet on my husband’s seat.
‘Why?’ I muttered to myself, while the woman kicked Alton’s chair. She was chatting animatedly with her friend, completely oblivious to how rude she was being.
I looked at my husband, hoping he would do something about it. He’s usually so patient, but this was too much even for him.
‘Would you put your feet down?’ – He asked, turning to face the woman.
She glanced at him, exchanged a few words with her friend, and then laughed. I couldn’t hear exactly what she said, but it was clear that her legs weren’t going anywhere.
Then it was time for the in-flight safety protocol, so we all sat up straight and paid attention for a few minutes. But after a few minutes, the woman started chattering again, her feet constantly pushing into my husband’s seat.
Alton turned around again, this time his voice was firmer.
‘Hey, could you please get your feet off my chair? This is getting kind of annoying.’
Of course, this time the woman didn’t even bother to respond. She just rolled her eyes and continued the conversation, sitting down firmly in his seat.
I could see my husband’s shoulders tense. It was going to be a long flight.
‘Honey, why don’t you get a stewardess?’ I suggested, trying to keep my voice calm.
I didn’t want to get involved just yet. And I knew Alton didn’t want me to get involved either. We both knew how petty and ridiculous I could be if called upon to do so.
He nodded and stood up, heading down the aisle. A moment later he returned with a stewardess in tow.
She was a tall woman with a stern demeanour.
‘Oh, she’ll make it all right,’ I muttered to Alton as he sat down.
The stewardess leaned over and spoke to the woman behind us, her voice low and commanding.
‘I just wanted to take a nap,’ Alton said.
My husband yawned and closed his eyes.
But I turned to see the woman’s reaction.
She was clearly annoyed and finally put her feet down. I thought that would be the end of it, but no sooner had the stewardess stepped back than she raised her legs again.
How cheeky is that?!
At this point petite Crystal was ready to assert herself.
Who does she think she is? Why was it so important to her that her feet were on someone else’s seat? She was just being rude.
I glanced at Alton, who was feeling awkward and trying to ignore the feet pressed against his seat.
That was it.
I could hear the drinks trolley making its way down the aisle and my plan was easy to execute.
‘What can I get you?’ – The stewardess asked Alton and me.
‘I’ll take a gin and tonic,’ Alton replied without hesitation.
‘And I’ll take a bottle of water,’ I said.
I slowly unscrewed the cap and, without taking a sip, smiled.
‘What are you doing?’ – He asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
‘Just trusting me,’ I replied.
Carelessly leaning back in my chair, I tipped the bottle and poured half of the contents onto the woman’s bag that was wedged between her chair and my husband’s.
The water seeped into the fabric and immediately darkened.
Petty Crystal was here to play.
But the woman never realised what I had done.
Then I took the rest of my husband’s drink.
‘Crystal,’ he grinned. ‘I know exactly what you’re going to do.’
‘Then let me do it,’ I stated.
I slipped my arm through the armrest and aimed straight for her legs. I emptied my glass.
‘Ew!’ the woman shrieked, pulling back so fast she almost kicked her friend.
She tugged at my sleeve and stared at me.
‘Did you just drop your drink on my feet?’ – She demanded.
I turned to face her and made the most innocent expression on my face.
‘Oh, I’m really sorry about that. Turbulence and all that. I wasn’t in control.’
The woman opened her mouth to object, but then seemed to change her mind.
Instead, she muttered something to herself and turned to her friend, who was staring at her with wide-eyed wonderment.
I heard scraps of their conversation, something about how disgusting I was and how rude we were.
‘She’s just a trashy broad,’ the woman said. ‘And she poured alcohol on me. I can feel it. Disgusting.’
‘She should have just asked nicely,’ the friend said bluntly.
‘Yeah, but I paid for that flight too,’ she grumbled. ‘I deserve comfort, too.’
‘Some people just think they’re better than everyone else,’ her friend said.
They walked for a while longer. And as the food cart made its rounds, the woman accidentally hit my husband’s seat as she shifted for food.
‘I’m sorry!’ – She said loudly.
‘You actually apologised?’ – Her friend giggled.
‘Yes,’ said the woman. ‘Because I don’t want a piece of hot salmon falling on my feet or God knows what else.’
Alton grabbed my hand and laughed.
But you know what? For the rest of the flight, her feet didn’t come down from my husband’s seat.
‘That was something,’ Alton said, shaking his head, laughter dancing in his eyes. ‘You really showed her.’
‘I’m just tired of people thinking they can do whatever they want,’ I replied. ‘Especially when it’s so obviously disrespectful.’
The rest of the flight passed without incident. When I turned around, the woman would glare at me now and then, but I just smiled and pretended not to notice.
As we started to descend, I saw the woman reach for her bag and noticed that it was wet. Her face turned crimson and she threw me a look that could have melted steel.
I only smiled weakly and looked away.
‘I’m going to take a shower first,’ Alton said. ‘And then we’ll climb into our bed.’
‘I agree with you on that one,’ I agreed with him.
When we landed and it was time to disembark, she walked past us, angrily muttering something to her friend. My husband and I leisurely gathered our things and let the crowd disperse before heading for the exit.
As we stepped off the plane, I felt a sense of satisfaction wash over me.
Sometimes a little petty revenge is just what you need to get your point across.
As we walked through the terminal, the tension of the flight melting away with each step, Alton put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him.
‘You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a small Crystal,’ he said with a note of laughter in his voice.
‘Well, desperate times call for desperate measures,’ I replied.
What would you do?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
A flight attendant made me kneel on an aeroplane when I was pregnant – her reason shocked me
Kayla, grieving the loss of her grandmother, is about to return home after the funeral. But when she boards her flight, she has no idea what nightmare awaits her. With mistaken identity, Kayla is left to rely on her wits and quick thinking to get out of the hot water she’s gotten herself into.
After a few long days of grieving, I was ready to collapse into my bed. I was six months pregnant and emotionally drained from my grandmother’s funeral.
The funeral was hard, but it was a farewell to the woman who had been my support throughout my life.
‘Are you sure you want to leave today?’ – Mum asked as I packed my suitcase. ‘You can wait a few days if you just need to sit with this loss.’
I smiled sadly at her.
‘I know,’ I said. ‘But I need to get back to work and back to Colin. You know my husband can barely manage without me.’
‘I suppose it’s a good idea for you to be in your comfort zone,’ she said. ‘But Daddy and I have decided that we’re going to stay the rest of the week to deal with Grandma’s house and finish up all the things that need to be done. I know Daddy can’t wait to get home.’
‘I just wish Grandma could see the baby,’ I said, rubbing my stomach with my hand. ‘It’s what I’ve wanted all along.’
‘I know, sweetheart,’ my mum said. ‘I wish you and Grandma had a moment like this, but it’s okay, honey. At least you were here at the end of the day when Grandma needed you most.’
Now I was standing in long queues at the airport. I hated flying, but flying home was so much easier than driving. I couldn’t spend twelve hours in the car if my bladder was fighting me.
But finally I boarded the plane, ready for the journey home to my husband.
‘I’ll take this, ma’am,’ the flight attendant told me, holding out my bag.
‘Thank you,’ I said as I settled into my seat, my body craving rest.
‘Oh, I hate flying,’ the woman next to me said. ‘It’s the worst. But I also hate driving. I should have just stayed home.’
I almost laughed because I was in complete agreement with her. I hated the turbulence that comes with flying. It made me feel uneasy and anxious, like I was losing control with every jolt.
But still, as I sat there, ready for the plane to take off and take me home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but for creative purposes it has been fictionalised. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
