From the moment I saw the woman sitting next to me, I knew it was going to be an uncomfortable flight that would have me cramped in my spacious first-class seat.
As she looked for the seatbelt to buckle up, her elbow jabbed at my side.
“Watch it!” I snapped.
“I-I’m so sorry,” she said, looking flustered.
But I wasn’t in a forgiving mood.
“Excuse you? Or excuse the 3,000 doughnuts you ate to get to that size?” I sneered.
The shock in her eyes only encouraged me to keep going.
“Lady, when you travel, you need to book two seats!”
I could see the tears welling up in her eyes as she turned away, but I wasn’t done. Her cheap clothes and worn shoes annoyed me, and I mocked her for probably spending her entire budget on food instead of an extra seat.
When the flight attendant arrived with the drinks cart, I decided to keep the mood light.
“Shaken, not stirred!” I joked in my best James Bond voice, then added, “I don’t know what Moby Dick here will drink…”
The flight attendant shot me a disapproving glance and addressed the woman politely, asking if she’d like anything.
“A diet Coke, please,” she whispered, wiping tears off her cheeks.
“A diet Coke?” I scoffed. “Seems a bit late for that, don’t you think?”
The woman turned to face the window, and the flight attendant ignored me. At that point, I figured I had upset them both enough to feel satisfied.
Dinner was served soon after, and I couldn’t resist another jab.
“Are you sure that will be enough for her?” I asked. “It looks like she’d need a whole village to feed!”
The flight attendant ignored me once again, and I continued eating my meal.
Just when I thought the flight couldn’t get any more frustrating, the flight attendant returned, but this time with a smile.
“The captain is a huge fan and would love to invite you to the cockpit,” she said to the woman next to me.
I was confused, but I just watched her leave. I had no idea what was about to happen next.
As she walked away, I began mentally composing complaints to the airline about the service. But then the captain’s voice came over the speaker.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special guest onboard! If you’re fans of ‘I Love Opera,’ you’ll recognize the voice of Miss Allison, who is flying with us to perform in a charity concert for world hunger.”
The cabin filled with applause as a few bars of her singing played over the intercom. I froze in my seat as I realized who I had been sitting next to.
A minute later, the flight attendant returned.
“I don’t care how rich you are,” she said, looking straight into my eyes. “If you upset her again, I’ll move you to economy.”
“Sure, I, uh,” I stammered. “I-I’ll be careful.”
When Allison came back, I stood to let her sit down. I apologized to her once we were settled.
“I’m sorry if I was rude earlier,” I mumbled. “I didn’t know who you were.”
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” she said sternly. “You shouldn’t treat people like that, EVER. And you’re not really sorry. If I weren’t famous, you wouldn’t be apologizing.”
I couldn’t say anything.
“You can’t judge people by how they look,” she continued. “You have to change your habits.”
I kept my mouth shut for the rest of the flight. I felt so embarrassed and realized Allison was absolutely right. I had to stop judging people based on how they looked.
