When Piper returns from a trip with her friends, she cannot wait to get home to her husband. But as she unpacks her car, a neighbor approaches her, complaining about the noise from her apartment. If Piper wasn’t home, who was Matthew entertaining in her absence?
I had just returned from a blissful week-long camping trip with my friends. It was all about us taking time away from our lives and enjoying being away from the city.
My husband, Matthew, had stayed behind, claiming that he needed to stay at home.
“I have to be home, Piper,” he said when I was packing my bags. “It’s just work responsibilities. There are meetings and presentations coming up.”
“Are you sure?” I asked him. “Why don’t you come along, and then we can find you a place to work in between it all?”
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said. “You go and join the others and have fun. You need some time away from this place.”
He continued to persuade me to go on the trip, and eventually, I gave in.
“If you’re sure, then it’s settled. I’ll go,” I said. “But I’ll meal prep your food for you before I go.”
Two weeks later, I was back home, feeling rejuvenated and happy to be back with my husband.
“I missed you,” I said when I walked into the house.
Matthew was cooking for us, music was playing in the background, and I felt grateful that I could come home to him.
“I’m just going to unpack the car,” I said. “But dinner smells great!”
I went outside and began to unpack my things when our downstairs neighbor, Mrs. Peterson, approached me by the car. Her stern expression made me pause everything.
“Is everything okay?” I asked her, ready to jump at whatever she needed.
“No, Piper,” she said, crossing her arms. “I know that you and your husband are a young couple and stay up until the late hours. But could you try and keep it quiet at night? At least from about nine-thirty. For the past week, I could barely sleep.”
I blinked, taken aback.
“What? Mrs. Peterson, I haven’t been home all week. Are you sure that it was coming from our place?”
The old woman frowned, and I could tell that she was trying to see if I was joking or not.
“Well, someone was making a lot of noise, Piper,” she said. “It sounded like a party every single night.”
I wasn’t sure what I was listening to. I knew that Matthew was a good guy, but we were on the top floor, and there wasn’t anyone living above us.
Was there a possibility that I didn’t know my husband as well as I thought?
I apologized profusely, my mind racing. As soon as she walked away, I rushed upstairs to confront Matthew. I needed to know what Mrs. Peterson was talking about.
If he had been entertaining people, then that was one thing, and it was okay.
But what if he was having an affair?
“Stop it,” I muttered to myself as I stood in the elevator.
I found my husband lounging on the couch, watching TV.
“Matt, we need to talk,” I said, my voice giving me away.
He looked at me, picked up the remote, and switched the TV off.
“What’s wrong, Piper?”
“Mrs. Peterson just complained about noise coming from our apartment every night last week. I wasn’t here, Matthew. What the hell is going on, and who were you making so much noise with?”
My husband’s face paled, and he buried his face in his hands. My heart sank.
There was something about the resignation of his body that made me think that he was guilty. But guilty of what?
Was he simply guilty of having friends over? Or an affair?
“Please, just tell me the truth,” I pleaded, sitting down on the couch across from him.
“I’m not having an affair,” he muttered, barely audible. “And I know that’s what you’re thinking. But I was just ashamed to tell you the truth.”
“What truth? What do you mean? What’s going on?” I asked, the questions hurling themselves at Matthew.
My husband took a deep breath and looked up, his eyes filled with something that I couldn’t understand.
“I lost my job a few months ago, Piper. I didn’t know how to tell you. But I’ve been desperate to make money so that you wouldn’t notice the shortfall. While you were gone, I rented out our apartment to make some money. I stayed at Trent’s place while the apartment was rented out.”
I sighed, the relief and confusion dissipating from my body.
“So, the noise was from the people who rented out the place?” I asked, needing to hear it from him.
He nodded.
“I’m sorry, love,” Matthew said. “I just didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want you to worry. And I didn’t want you to miss the trip just because of me. I also had an interview during the first week, and I wasn’t about to reschedule it.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me, Matt?” I asked. “We could have figured something out together.”
“I know,” he said, his voice breaking. “But I was just scared about letting you down.”
“We’re a team, Matthew,” I said. “You don’t have to face things like these alone. We can deal with this together. That’s what marriage is about.”
My husband smiled and pulled me toward him.
“I understand that now,” he said.
We sat in silence for a while, both trying to figure out the next move. I knew that he would have been trying to find another job, and I didn’t want to ask him a million questions about it.
He would tell me when something came up.
“Come,” he said. “Let’s eat.”
We sat down at the table, and Matthew asked me about the trip.
“Tell me everything,” he said. “Did Liam get drunk and do something stupid?”
“Of course he did!” I laughed as Matthew poured me a glass of wine. “He tried moonshine from some other campers and ended up streaking, running through tents.”
“I bet Sasha wasn’t impressed,” Matthew laughed. “That couple is always disagreeing.”
As we did the dishes together that evening, Matthew sighed and leaned against the counter.
“Thank you for understanding,” he said. “Thank you for not thinking that I was covering up an affair.”
I smiled at my husband, ashamed that I entertained the thought of him having another woman in our home.
“But did you make sure to change the bedding?” I asked him. “I’m not about to sleep in a bed that other people have been in.”
Matthew laughed loudly.
“Our bedroom was locked, darling,” he said. “They only used the guest room.”
Over the next few days, we talked about everything. We spoke about the loss of his job, the financial strain, and our plan moving forward.
“I’m actively looking, Piper,” he said over coffee and toast the next morning. “I’ve set up alerts for job positions that I would fit into. And I’ve cut down on any other unnecessary expenses. This isn’t going to be for long. I can promise you that.”
As for Mrs. Peterson, I went downstairs to her apartment, ready to explain everything.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know about everything Matthew was going through. And he ended up letting our apartment out as an Airbnb for the week, just to make some money off it.”
“Oh, honey,” she said, her eyes softening as she put the kettle on. “It’s okay! I understand it now. I just thought that you two were taking advantage of the situation. But I get it now.”
“Thank you for understanding,” I said. “We just need a minute to get back on our feet.”
Mrs. Peterson faffed around the kitchen, making us some tea.
“Look, Piper,” she said, giving me a plate of biscuits. “I’m here and willing to help you out if you ever need the help.”
It turned out that in her youth, Mrs. Peterson had been through tough times herself and knew how hard it could be to ask for help.
What would you have done?
An entitled couple claimed my premium airplane seat – I taught them a lesson and managed to profit from the situation
When I went out of my way to get one of the best seats on my flight, I didn’t expect to be swindled out of it by a manipulative couple. But what they didn’t know was that they messed with the wrong person, and in the end, I was the victor!
As soon as I settled into my aisle seat, feeling quite pleased with the extra legroom I had carefully selected for this long flight, I noticed a couple approaching. Little did I know that my interaction with them would lead to me teaching them an important lesson. Here’s my tale that can teach you how to stand up for yourself against bullies. Read on…
The woman who approached me was in her late thirties, dressed in a designer outfit that screamed wealth. But her expression was anything but pleasant. Her husband, tall and broad-shouldered, walked slightly behind her with an air of arrogance that matched her demeanor.
They stopped right next to me, and the woman’s eyes zeroed in on my seat. Without so much as a polite greeting and while exuding entitlement, she rudely demanded, “You need to switch seats with me. I accidentally booked the wrong seat, and I refuse to sit away from my husband.”
I blinked, taken aback by her tone. She spoke as if her mistake was somehow MY problem to fix! I glanced at her boarding pass, which confirmed my suspicion. It was a middle seat in row 12, not even close to the premium one I had chosen!
When I didn’t immediately comply, the woman rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Come on, it’s just a seat. YOU don’t need all that space,” she scoffed dismissively at my hesitation, her tone dripping with condescension.
Her husband, standing behind her with his arms crossed, smirked as he added, “Yeah, be reasonable. We need to sit together, and you don’t really need to be up here, do you?”
The audacity of their request left me momentarily speechless. They were clearly arrogant and hadn’t even bothered to ask nicely. They just assumed I would give in to their demands. I could feel the other passengers’ eyes on us, some curious, others sympathetic.
I took a deep breath, weighing my options. A confrontation wasn’t something I wanted to deal with, especially not at the start of a six-hour flight.
“Alright,” I said with as much calm as I could muster. Standing up, I handed over my boarding pass while trying hard to hide my irritation. “Enjoy the seat,” I told them without meaning it.
The woman snatched the ticket from my hand with a satisfied smirk. She muttered something under her breath about people in premium seats being “So selfish.” Her husband supported her by saying, “Someone like her doesn’t even need it.”
As I made my way toward the back of the plane, where her assigned seat was, I could feel my blood boiling. But I wasn’t one to make a scene. I had a better idea. Just as I approached row 12, a flight attendant, who had been watching the whole exchange, intercepted me.
She leaned in, her voice low as she whispered, “MA’AM, YOU DO REALIZE THIS WAS A SCAM, RIGHT? THEY TRICKED YOU OUT OF YOUR BETTER SEAT! THEY’RE BOTH MEANT TO BE IN ROW 12!”
I smiled at her, the anger simmering down to a cool resolve. “I know. But I’m about to turn the tables.”
“I actually have a little trick up MY sleeve. Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” I said as I winked.
The flight attendant raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t press further as she quickly put two and two together and tried stifling a laugh. She directed me to my new seat. So, as soon as I reached my middle seat and sat down, I started forming my plan.
The premium seat had been booked using my frequent flyer miles, and with that came certain privileges that most passengers wouldn’t be aware of. I knew exactly what to do to teach those two bullies a lesson they’d never forget…
My middle seat in row 12 wasn’t close to being as comfortable as the premium one I had given up, but I knew it would all be worth it. I allowed the mean couple to enjoy the seat and think they’d won.
About an hour into the flight, when the cabin had settled into a comfortable hum of quiet conversations and the occasional clink of glasses, I signaled for the flight attendant who had spoken to me earlier. She approached, and I asked to speak with the chief purser.
She nodded with a knowing smile and disappeared, returning moments later with a woman who exuded authority.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. I understand there was an issue with your seating,” the chief purser said, her voice professional but warm.
I explained my situation calmly, emphasizing how I had been moved from my premium seat due to the couple’s deception. The purser listened carefully, her expression serious.
When I finished, she nodded and said, “I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. Please give me a moment.”
I noticed a few passengers paying close attention to what was happening. They must have figured that I was retaliating in some way and didn’t want to miss anything. They hilariously kept throwing glances in my direction and at the departing purser.
When the head stewardess walked away, she left me wondering what my next move should be. A few minutes later, she returned, but instead of an apology, she offered me a choice.
“Ma’am, you have two options. You can either return to your original seat, or we can compensate you for the inconvenience with a significant amount of airline miles, equal to upgrades on your next three flights.”
I pretended to consider it, but I already knew what I wanted. “I’ll take the miles,” I said, smiling inwardly at the thought of the extra benefits this would bring. I knew fully well that the miles were worth far more than the price difference between premium and economy on this flight.
The purser smiled and made a note on her tablet. “It’s done. And as a token of goodwill, we’ve upgraded your next flight to first class.”
“Thank you,” I replied, genuinely pleased. As she walked away, I settled back into my seat, a sense of satisfaction washing over me. I knew the couple up front had no idea what was coming.
The flight continued without incident until we began our descent. That’s when I noticed a flurry of activity around row 3, where the couple sat. The chief purser, accompanied by another flight attendant had made their way to them, their expressions serious.
“Excuse me, Mr. Williams and MISS Broadbent,” the purser began, her tone no longer friendly. She pronounced the woman’s title with emphasis, making it clear to all aboard that the couple weren’t even married!
“We need to address an issue with your seats,” she continued looking quite stern.
Broadbent’s smile faltered, and Williams looked genuinely puzzled.
“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice tinged with irritation.
The purser glanced at her tablet before continuing. “We’ve been informed that you manipulated another passenger into switching seats with you, which is a violation of our airline’s policy. This is a serious offense.”
The color drained from the woman’s face, and she stammered, “But… but we didn’t do anything wrong! We just asked to switch seats!”
“Unfortunately,” the purser interrupted, “we have clear reports of your behavior. Upon landing, you’ll need to go with security for further questioning.”
All the passengers had wide eyes as they absorbed all the drama!
“Also, lying about being married when you are not to manipulate other passengers, is problematic in its own way. Additionally, due to this breach, you will be placed on our airline’s no-fly list pending an investigation,” the purser continued.
Williams opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. The flight attendants, already poised to act, ushered them out of their seats and toward the back of the plane. As they were escorted, Broadbent felt the need to defend herself.
“I might not be his wife now, but I will be in a few months! He is going to divorce his wife to be with me!” she yelled frantically.
A collective shock settled among all of us as we realized the two were having an affair!
The crew took them where they would be the first to be escorted off by airport security.
As I gathered my belongings after landing, I couldn’t resist glancing at the couple one last time. Their smug expressions were gone, replaced by a mix of anger and humiliation.
They had lost more than just a seat as they were now facing consequences that would follow them long after this flight. Walking through the airport, I couldn’t help but smile to myself.
In my 33 years of life, I’ve realized that sometimes, getting even isn’t about making a big spectacle to get your way; it’s about patiently watching those who think they’ve won realize just how badly they’ve lost!
And that’s how it’s done, folks! If you enjoyed my story or even felt a little empowered by it, you’ll LOVE this next one! Julia thought she had a good friend in Janet until the latter showed her true colors after borrowing the former’s special item. Like me, Julia got revenge by teaching Janet a lesson she’ll never forget!
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