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?
Single Mom of 3 Adopts Twins Abandoned in Park, Their Birth Mother Shows up on Their 18TH Bday – Story of the Day
Twins Alan and Patrick were adopted by a single mother of three as babies. But on their 18th birthday, their birth mother showed up at the party and shocked everyone.
The party was in full swing as Alan interrupted the guests.
“Excuse me, everyone,” he raised his glass, then turned to Alice. “Mom, can you please join Patrick and me?”
Alice smiled shyly as she stood beside her boys.
“Thank you for coming, everyone,” Alan continued. “Some of y’all might not know, but Patrick and I would’ve been struggling if Mom hadn’t come into our lives. So we wanted to take this moment to thank you, Mom,” he added…
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Tears sprang into Alice’s eyes as Patrick wrapped an arm around her.
“Alan’s right,” Patrick added. “18 years ago, Mom found us in that park across from this house. Abandoned and alone. We’re just so thankful she took us in. We love you, Mom! So much! And no matter how much we thank you, we can’t return the love and care you gave us.”
Alice and her boys wrapped each other in a hug as the crowd applauded. But suddenly, a hush fell over the gathering.
Alan and Patrick turned around and saw a pale, petite woman in ragged clothing in their backyard.
“Uh, can we help you?” Alan asked her.
“Are you Alan, and that’s…your brother, Patrick?” she asked tremblingly.
“Yes,” Patrick replied. “Who are you?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“I’m—I’m your birth mother, Amanda…” she revealed shakily, and a huge gasp rang out in the gathering.
The party ended abruptly as Alan, Patrick, Amanda, and Alice went inside the house.
“Why are you here after all these years?” Alan asked as Amanda settled on the living room couch.
“18 years ago, I saw your father for the last time and did something I shouldn’t have. All these years, I…I was in the prison,” Amanda replied as the past flashed before her eyes.
18 years ago…
Amanda, 24, straightened her uniform as she joined the restaurant staff to welcome her boss, Adam, and his parents. Suddenly, a limo pulled outside the diner.
“Congratulations, and welcome back, boss!” Confetti rained on Adam and his parents, and applause sounded in the eatery.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
The staff wished Adam the best for expanding the business in Europe and returned to work, but Amanda’s gaze was fixed on him. She quietly followed him as she saw him head to his office after talking with the manager.
“Oh my god, finally!” She locked the office door and threw herself into his arms.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this! Our children look exactly like you,” she added, pulling away. “Twin boys. I was tired of making up stories about having another fiancé, Adam! And the pregnancy was so hard…but now that you’re here…Finally, we can be together!”
“Stop it, Amanda,” he looked away from her. “We’re not going to be together.”
“Shut up! Not the time for pranks!” she smiled foolishly and pulled him in a hug. But he pulled away.
“Oh god, stop it!” he hissed. “And lower your voice. Amanda, I’m really sorry, but I met someone while I was in Europe, and we’re getting married in two weeks!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Amanda was shocked. She thought he was still joking, but Adam was serious. He told her he would pay her $70,000, an unofficial alimony monthly until the twins were 18, and even fund their college education. All he wanted from her was her silence about the twins.
“I’m telling your fiancée everything!” Amanda blackmailed him. “She needs to know the kind of man you are, Adam!”
But Amanda was too naive at the time. Unbothered by her words, Adam threatened to put her on the blacklist and destroy her career. “And nobody will hire you as a chef after that, Amanda,” he sighed. “So a peaceful break up is a good way out for both of us.”
Amanda was shattered. Too stunned to react, she just went home, and when she looked at her twin babies, she couldn’t stop herself from crying. Her friend, Sarah, who babysat her kids, was horrified when Amanda began sobbing like a child on the living room floor.
“He left me! For a girl he met 10 months ago!” she cried as Sarah hugged her.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“He’s not the right man for you, Amanda,” Sarah advised her. “And it’s only fair he’s compensating you. Take the deal. It will secure your children’s future.”
But Amanda was boiling in rage. “No way I’m backing off!” she barked, wiping her tears. “Adam won’t get married or live peacefully…Not while I’m alive!”
The next day at the restaurant, Amanda’s eyes followed Adam and his fiancée, Catherine. She wanted to scream and tell everyone what a horrible man Adam was as she saw him playing the gentleman card. But she composed herself because she had a plan.
“What would you like to have, ma’am?” she asked as she approached Catherine’s table. “Hi, I’m the head chef, Amanda. I’ll be assisting you today.”
“Oh god, please call me Catherine,” Catherine jumped to her feet. “I know I was here for breakfast, but let’s do that later. Can you show me around the restaurant? Your boss has been putting it off for too long!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Amanda grinned wickedly. “Oh! That would be a pleasure!” she said.
Amanda was so nice to Catherine while they toured the restaurant that the two struck a friendship. Catherine insisted on having breakfast with her, which gave Amanda the chance she was waiting for.
“I wanted to ask you something as a friend, Amanda…” Catherine paused eating and looked at her. “Has Adam ever dated anyone on the staff? It’s not like he would hide something from me, but…I was, you know, just curious.”
Amanda’s happiness knew no bounds, but she maintained her serious expression. “Oh well, Mr. Quinn had a bit of a reputation with women, but come on, Catherine, he’s such a gentleman, and he’s turned over a new leaf now that he’s met the love of his life,” she said, smiling. “You probably have nothing to worry about.”
But Catherine had fallen into deep thought, doubting whether she knew Adam. Amanda noticed that, and she was elated. She eventually excused herself and left the restaurant after some time, ready to put the second part of her plan into action.
“Hey, um, can I get some sleeping pills?” she asked the pharmacist at the medical store across the street.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
That evening, Adam and his friends gathered at the restaurant for his bachelor party. Most of the staff had gone home except a few male members serving Adam and his friends. Amanda stayed behind, citing she was finalizing new dishes for the menu.
When she noticed Adam and his group were quite drunk and some of his friends were leaving, she approached their table. She sneaked sleeping pills into Adam’s glass, pretending to clean the dirty dishes.
“Oh, let me give you a hand,” she smiled at the server as she poured them drinks.
Amanda watched Adam from the kitchen door that evening until he downed the last alcohol. She panicked when she noticed he was in a deep sleep, and two of his friends decided to carry him home.
“You can’t do that!” she blurted, hurriedly approaching them. “I—I mean, you can’t take him home because Mr. Quinn’s fiancée is at his home, celebrating her bachelorette with her friends. How about you help me carry him to his office couch? He sleeps there when he’s working late.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
The two guys exchanged glances, and her heart raced, wondering if they had bought her story.
“Sure!” they said seconds later, and she sighed in relief.
Once Adam was alone at the restaurant, Amanda called a stripper there. “10 times what they quoted on your website,” she offered the woman. “Make it look like you seduced him and went above and beyond your ‘job description.’”
“Are you crazy?” the woman retorted. “I don’t sleep with guys for whatever money you offer me. Keep that money; I’m outta here!”
“No, wait!” Amanda stopped her. “All you need to do is make it look like you slept with him, do you understand? Um, his fiancée should get to see you two together. Can you do that?”
“You should’ve said that before!” the stripper rolled her eyes and agreed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Two hours later, it was 7 a.m. Amanda called Catherine and invited her for breakfast at the restaurant as planned. But Catherine was not prepared for the shock.
“WHAT THE HELL, ADAM?!” she screamed as she marched into Adam’s office, and Amanda stood behind her, grinning that her plan was successful.
The stripper pulled herself off Adam and began dressing. Adam sat frozen on the couch.
“How could you do this when we’re getting married in a few days, Adam?!” Catherine yelled. “Disgusting!”
“I didn’t do anything, babe!” he rose to his feet, shaking his head. “I—I don’t remember anything because I was quite drunk last night, but—”
“Don’t lie to your future wife,” the stripper smirked. “You called me for a private performance, then we had wine, you told me how beautiful I looked…and well, the rest is history!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Don’t lie!” he yelled. “I couldn’t have—Wait if I called you here, I would’ve paid you, right? Show me the transaction!”
“You gave me cash,” she shrugged and opened her purse.
“Lies!” Adam fumed. “Another bunch of lies, babe! I only make payments with my credit card.”
Then he looked beyond Catherine’s shoulder and saw Amanda.
“Actually, you know what, babe,” he said as the stripper left. “Let’s check the cameras, and we’ll know what happened!”
Amanda’s plan backfired once Adam and Catherine checked the CCTV as they saw Amanda was the one who led the stripper to Adam’s office. Catherine demanded Amanda be put on a blacklist, but Adam only fired her and told her to go away from his and Catherine’s lives.
“I won’t!” she growled then. “You won’t live in peace, Adam!”
When Adam and Catherine’s wedding day arrived, Amanda decided to crash their wedding.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Stop it, Amanda!” Sarah scolded her. She had moved in with Amanda because Amanda had been on a bender, too lost to care for the twins.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion!” she snapped as she chugged the wine. “That man can’t leave me like this and move on with a happily ever after!”
“Snap to your senses, Amanda!” Sarah told her. “You’ve got two sons, and you should be bothered about them! It’s not the end of the world! You can find a better guy!”
But Amanda didn’t listen to anyone but herself. She forced Sarah to leave her alone, and then Amanda drove to the park where Adam and Catherine’s wedding venue was arranged.
Amanda swallowed the angry tears rising to her eyes as she spotted a woman sitting across from the venue on a bench. Her three children were playing around her.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Amanda left her twins with the woman for 10 minutes and burst into the venue, yelling, “THE GROOM IS THE FATHER OF MY TWINS!”
Amanda smirked as the guests gasped in horror and stared at Adam. She had no idea Adam had confessed the truth to Catherine.
“Stop embarrassing yourself, Amanda,” he advised her, and Amanda’s rage knew no bounds. Fury gripped her, and she began ruining the entire venue—plucking the decorations, toppling the tables, and kicking the chairs—until the patrol policeman ran up to her.
He began escorting her out. But there was a moment of negligence, and she got her hands on the gun in the cop’s holster.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
She shot Adam but missed the aim.
“What the hell!” he cried, clutching his injured arm.
Amanda froze. The gun slipped from her grasp. The next moment, the cop pushed her to the ground, and she passed out.
Present-day…
“And that’s how I ruined life for all of us,” Amanda finished. “I’m sorry. I hope you forgive me someday.”
“And I was the woman she had asked to watch you both,” Alice added.
There was a moment of silence, and then Patrick looked at Amanda. “Maybe someday we’ll forgive you. But in the meantime, we’ll help you restart your life. We’ve all suffered enough, and that includes you.”
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