The woman thought her flight would be just another ordinary journey, but her neighbour’s unexpected insolence led to an unpredictable twist.
The journey ended in a way neither of them expected.
It was just another business trip for me as I boarded a plane from New York to Los Angeles.
As a 35-year-old marketing consultant, I travel frequently and airports and flights have become second nature to me.
This time I was flying to an important conference in LA, with a layover in San Diego for a pre-meeting.
Everything was meticulously planned – I couldn’t afford any delays.
I even chose an aisle seat so I could get off faster.
When I got to my row, I noticed that the man at the window was already seated.
He was in his early 40s and exuded an aura of smugness.
Dressed in a neatly ironed shirt, stylish trousers and polished shoes, he kept glancing at his expensive watch and barely noticed me when I sat down.
Not a problem, I thought.
I just wanted a quiet flight, maybe go over my notes for the meeting in San Diego and maybe take a little nap before landing.
What I didn’t know was that this man would turn my carefree journey into a little nightmare.
About halfway through the flight, the flight attendants started serving dinner.
I hadn’t had time to eat all day, so I was hungry when the food distribution started.
The smell of food made my stomach rumble, and I was looking forward to eating, reviewing my notes, and getting some rest.
But nature called.
I looked down the aisle and noticed that the food trolley was still a few rows further down.
Since I thought I was going to make it in time, I excused myself and went to the loo, trying not to disturb Mr Important.
As I got to the tail of the plane, I noticed there was a queue.
Just what I needed!
I glanced nervously at my watch as the minutes dragged on.
When I finally got to my seat, I was greeted by an incredible sight: my tray was gone, and the man next to me was happily eating his second course.
Um, didn’t they bring me my food while I was in the loo? – I asked, though the answer was obvious.
He pulled away from his tray with a smug smile on his face.
Oh, yeah. You were long, and I figured you didn’t want any. Didn’t want the food to go to waste.
I looked at him with bewilderment.
You ate my food?
Yes,’ he said, continuing to chew.
I was still hungry after mine, and you were gone.
You can buy something at the airport when we land.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
I’d heard of smug people, but this was on a whole other level.
Who does that?
Are you serious? – I asked, more to myself than to him, hoping it was some kind of joke.
He just shrugged, completely unimpressed.
Relax, it’s just food on an aeroplane.
Mixed with anger and disbelief, I pressed the call button and asked the flight attendant if there was any more food.
She gave me an apologetic smile.
I’m sorry, but we’re out of food. Would you like some pretzels?
Pretzels?
It wouldn’t be enough, but what was left?
I took a small bag of pretzels, feeling defeated and increasingly irritated by my neighbour’s insolence.
Meanwhile, Mr Important ate both dishes, leaned back and fell fast asleep, as content as a cat that caught a mouse.
I tried to concentrate on my work, gnawing on pretzels and casting venomous glances at my neighbour, who was now snoring quietly.
My stomach rumbled with hunger, but I forced myself to focus on my notes.
I had a short connecting flight and I couldn’t let this guy ruin my day.
I looked at my watch over and over again and counted the minutes until we landed.
As we began our descent into Los Angeles, the flight attendants made the usual boarding and connecting flight announcements.
Memories of connecting flights snapped me out of my irritation and brought me back into work mode.
I cast a glance at my neighbour who was still sound asleep and didn’t notice anything.
The plane landed, and as soon as it did, I grabbed my bag, ready to run to the next gate.
But just as I stood up, I heard one of the flight attendants make an important announcement, ‘Attention passengers with a connecting flight to San Diego.
There has been a gate change. You need to get to Terminal 4, Gate 45, as soon as possible.’
Great, I thought. Just what I needed – an exit change.
I was about to leave, but hesitated when I looked at Mr Important, who was still snoring.
I wondered if I should wake him up.
Sure, he ate my food and acted like a real idiot, but did that mean I should just let him miss his connecting flight?
I gave him a little shove. ‘Hey, we’ve landed,’ I said quietly.
Nothing. He didn’t even move.
I pushed him a little harder. ‘You should wake up; we’ve landed and the exit has been changed.’
This time he mumbled something inaudible and rolled over onto his other side, clearly not ready to wake up.
Since I thought the general noise would eventually wake him up, I decided to focus on my connecting flight.
I couldn’t afford to be late for my flight, so I hurriedly got off the plane.
The terminal was crowded with people, and I had to wade through the crowd to get to the new exit.
When I finally got there, boarding was already starting.
I made it just in time, and as I sat down in my seat, I was overcome with a sense of relief.
I was on my way to San Diego, and I finally had a moment to catch my breath.
It wasn’t until I landed in San Diego and met up with my colleagues that I learnt the whole story.
While we were chatting about our flights, one of my colleagues, Lisa, mentioned that she saw someone she knew.
‘There was this guy in LA who looked like he had just woken up from a coma,’ Lisa said, laughing.
‘He tumbled out of the plane, completely confused. I heard him arguing with the gate agent because he missed his connecting flight.
Apparently he was asleep when the gate change was announced, and when he woke up, it was too late.’
I couldn’t hold back a smile. ‘What did he look like?’
Lisa described him – a man in his mid-forties, wearing a slightly wrinkled shirt, trousers and polished shoes, with an expensive watch that he kept checking while arguing with the gate agent.
His hair was dishevelled and he looked both confused and angry.
There was no doubt – it was him.
‘Ah, that bloke!’ – I said, and satisfaction crept into my voice. ‘Yes, he was sitting next to me.
Can’t you believe he ate my food while I was on the loo and then fell asleep? I tried to wake him up, but he just didn’t want to.’
Lisa’s eyes widened. ‘Really? That’s karma in action.’
It was hard to disagree with that.
As annoying as it was to me, it was incredibly satisfying to know that karma had intervened.
While I made it to my meeting on time, Mr Important was stuck in LA, missed his connecting flights and probably regretted his decision to eat both meals.
Sometimes things happen exactly as they should. And in this case, karma didn’t miss a thing.
