My height has always caused me problems, especially on aeroplanes.
On my last flight, I met a fellow passenger who didn’t care about my discomfort and made the situation even worse.
But this time I had a cunning plan!
I am 16 years old, and I am quite tall for my age.
I am just over six feet tall (about 1.83 metres)!
Every time I get on a plane, I know it’s going to be a difficult journey.
My legs are so long that my knees hit the seat in front of me before take-off.
And I can tell you, it’s no fun at all!
But what happened on this last flight was the real kicker…
It started out like any other flight.
My mum and I were flying home after visiting my grandparents.
We were sitting in economy class, where the legroom was more like a prison cell for your legs.
So I was already prepared for the discomfort, but I decided to just get through it somehow.
But I had no idea it would get even worse.
The flight was delayed, and when we finally boarded the plane, everyone was irritated.
The plane was overcrowded, and the tension in the air was palpable.
I settled into my seat and tried to position my legs so that I wouldn’t feel cramped, like in a washing machine.
My mum, who is always ready to find a solution, handed me a neck pillow and some magazines.
‘Here, maybe this will help,’ she said with a sympathetic smile.
I was just leafing through one of the magazines when I felt the first warning sign: a slight jolt as the seat in front of me tilted back a centimetre.
I looked up and hoped it was just a minor adjustment.
But no, that wasn’t the case…
The man in front of me, around 40 years old, wearing a business suit, decided to recline his seat all the way back!
I don’t mind when people recline their seats, but there are a few unwritten rules.
For example: maybe you should look back first?
Or maybe you shouldn’t push the seat hard into another person’s knees if there’s almost no room anyway?
I watched in horror as the seat reclined further and further back until it seemed like the man was practically sitting on my lap!
My knees were pressed together, and I had to bend them to the side to keep from crying out in pain.
I couldn’t believe it!
I was trapped!
I leaned forward and tried to get his attention.
‘Excuse me, sir?’ I said politely, though my frustration was growing.
‘Could you please move your seat forward a little? There’s no room here.’
He turned his head slightly, looked me over and shrugged.
‘Sorry, lad, I paid for this seat,’ he said, as if that should settle the matter.
I looked at my mum, who gave me a look… a look that said, ‘Just let it go.’
But I wasn’t ready to give up yet.
‘Mum,’ I whispered, ‘this is ridiculous. My knees are stuck in the seat. He can’t just…’
She cut me off with a raised eyebrow.
‘I know, dear, but it’s a short flight. Let’s just try to get through it, okay?’
I wanted to argue, but she was right.
It was a short flight.
I could endure it.
Or at least, that’s what I thought.
But then the man in front of me decided to recline his seat even further.
I’m not kidding!
His seat must have broken or something, because it reclined several more centimetres, WELL beyond normal!
My knees were now practically wedged into the back of his seat, and I had to sit in a strange position to avoid being crushed!
‘Mum, this isn’t going to work,’ I said, gritting my teeth.
She sighed and called the flight attendant over.
A friendly-looking middle-aged woman approached us, her smile fading as soon as she realised what was going on.
‘Hello, is everything all right?’ she asked, leaning in to be heard over the roar of the engines.
‘My son is having a problem with the seat in front of him,’ my mum explained.
‘It’s reclined too far back, and he doesn’t have enough room.’
The flight attendant nodded and walked over to the man in front of me.
‘Sir,’ she said politely, ‘I understand that you want to recline your seat, but it seems to be causing discomfort to the passenger behind you.’
‘Could you raise your seat a little?’
The man barely looked up from his laptop.
‘No,’ he said flatly.
‘I paid for this seat, and I’ll use it however I want.’
The flight attendant blinked in surprise, clearly stunned by his response.
‘I understand, but your seat reclines further than usual.’
‘It looks like it reclines six centimetres more than the other seats.’
‘This creates a very uncomfortable situation for the young man behind you.’
He finally looked at her, and I saw irritation in his eyes.
‘There’s no rule against me reclining my seat.’
‘If he’s uncomfortable, he should buy a seat in first class.’
I felt my face flush with anger, but before I could say anything, the stewardess looked at me with sympathy.
She pursed her lips silently, saying, ‘I’m sorry, there’s nothing more I can do.’
Then she turned to him and said, ‘Have a good flight, sir,’ and walked away.
I slumped back into my seat and tried to find a way to cope with the discomfort.
My mother patted my arm reassuringly, but I could see that she was upset too.
And then I had an idea!
My mum is always prepared for any situation, and I mean ANY situation.
She’s the kind of person who carries a whole first aid kit in her hand luggage, just in case.
I was sure she had packed everything we needed for our flight.
Sure enough, when I opened her bag, I found the solution to my problem… I pulled out a packet of pretzels!
An idea began to form in my head!
It was a bit childish, but honestly, I didn’t care.
This guy had no respect for those around him, so why shouldn’t I disregard his personal space?
I leaned over to my mum and whispered, ‘I think I know how to deal with this.’
She raised one eyebrow but nodded with interest to see what I was going to do.
I tore open the bag of pretzels and started munching loudly, trying to chew with my mouth open.
Crumbs were flying everywhere — onto my lap, onto the floor, and, most importantly, onto this man’s head!
At first, he didn’t notice, too absorbed in what he was doing on his laptop.
But after a few minutes, I saw him tense up.
He reached up and ran his hand over his shoulder, then the back of his head.
I could tell he was annoyed, but I kept going, making each bite as loud and messy as possible.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore!
He turned around abruptly and stared at me with rage and disgust.
‘What are you doing?’ he hissed.
I looked at him innocently and wiped a couple of crumbs from my lips.
‘Oh, sorry,’ I said, though I wasn’t sorry at all.
‘These pretzels are very dry. They make a lot of mess somehow.’
‘Stop it,’ he demanded, his voice getting louder.
I shrugged.
‘I’m just eating my snack. I paid for this seat, you know.’
He narrowed his eyes, clearly not thrilled that I was using his own words against him.
‘You’re getting crumbs on me. Stop it!’
I leaned back in my chair and continued chewing.
“I would stop, but it’s kind of hard when your seat is squeezing my legs.
Maybe you could move it forward a little so I don’t have to sit like this?”
His face turned an interesting shade of red.
‘I’m NOT going to move my seat just because some kid can’t stand a little discomfort!’
‘Well, if that’s how you see it,’ I said, and then sneezed — on purpose, of course!
It was a fake sneeze, but it was loud enough to make even more crumbs fly onto his head!
My mum looked like she wanted to intervene…
But then came the turning point!
He muttered something under his breath, then, looking completely defeated, pressed the button to raise the seat.
The relief in my legs was IMMEDIATE, and I couldn’t help but smile as I stretched them out a little.
‘Thank you,’ I said sweetly, although I was sure my smile was far from as innocent as I was trying to make it seem.
He didn’t reply, just turned away again, probably trying to salvage what was left of his pride.
The stewardess passed by again a few minutes later and, as she walked by, discreetly gave me a thumbs up.
I could tell she was glad the situation had resolved itself.
My mother leaned over to me and whispered, ‘That was clever. Maybe a little cruel, but clever.’
I smiled.
‘He kind of deserved it, right?’
She chuckled quietly.
‘Maybe. Just don’t do it next time.’
The rest of the flight was MUCH more enjoyable!
The guy left his seat upright, and I was able to finish my pretzels in peace.
When we finally landed, I felt like a winner!
Of course, it wasn’t the most mature way to handle the situation, but it worked.
As we began to get ready to exit, the man stood up and glanced at me.
For a moment, I thought he was going to say something, but then he just shook his head and walked away.
I couldn’t help but feel a little proud of myself!
As we left the plane, my mother looked at me with a mixture of surprise and pride.
‘You know,’ she said, ‘sometimes it’s okay to stand up for yourself, even if it means making a little mess.’
I nodded, feeling much better than I had at the beginning of all this.
‘Yes,’ I agreed.
‘And next time, maybe I’ll bring snacks that don’t make such a mess.’
She laughed and hugged me as we walked to the baggage carousel.
‘Or maybe next time we’ll just upgrade to first class.’
I couldn’t help but smile.
‘That’s an idea I like.’
