After a demanding year, I looked forward to one small luxury on my long-haul flight: the window seat I’d reserved and paid for weeks earlier. But when the little girl beside me began crying because she wanted the view, her father asked me to switch. I politely declined.
“You’re a grown woman, but you’re still very immature,” he said loudly enough for nearby passengers to hear. I stayed in my seat, though his comment and the uncomfortable silence around us made me question myself.
Halfway through the flight, a flight attendant asked me to follow her. I thought someone had complained. Instead, she quietly thanked me for holding a reasonable boundary. When I returned, the father began telling his daughter stories and playing games with her. She soon stopped crying.
I was glad they found a way to enjoy the flight. I was also glad I’d kept the window seat I had chosen.