I was sitting by the window, calm and thinking—just an hour and a half flight, no big deal. In front of me sat a plump woman in a bright, patterned sweater. The plane had seldomly taken off when, without war:ning or a glance, she banged her seat back.

“Ouch!” my knees asserted as they were trapped.

“Excuse me,” I said courteously, leaning forward, “could you raise your seat a little? It’s really cramped for me.”

She didn’t even look back.

“It’s more comfortable this way,” she replied.

I tried to toss my legs—impossible. Deciding I wasn’t going to let it slide, I pressed the call button.

A flight attendant arrived:

“How can I help you?”

“The passenger in front of me has reclined her seat so far that my legs are pinned. I can’t move at all,” I explained.

The attendant politely leaned toward the woman.

“Excuse me, could you raise your seat slightly to make it easier for your neighbor?”

The woman spun around like I had personally ruined her day.

“My back hurts. I paid for this seat; I’ll sit however I like.”

The flight attendant bit back an eye roll.

“Please consider the comfort of other passengers as well.”

With a long, exaggerated sigh, the woman lifted the seat a few centimeters.

“Happy now?” she snapped over her shoulder.

“Well… my legs haven’t grown back yet, but it’s better, thank you,” I said with a smile.

She snorted, the stewardess gave me a knowing wink, and moved on.

About thirty minutes later, I had almost relaxed—until—bam!—her seat crashed back again, pinning my knees.

“Seriously?” I muttered, but she didn’t budge.

Diplomacy had clearly failed. It was time for a little revenge. Slowly and innocently, I lowered the tray, took a freshly served plastic cup of tomato juice, and placed it carefully on the edge of the table right under her seat.

We waited. Five silent minutes passed. Then she shifted—and splat! The juice spilled onto her white bag and a bit onto her sweater.

She jumped up, turning around.

“What is this?!”

“Oh!” I widened my eyes innocently. “Sorry! You moved so suddenly… the tray is small and tricky.”

Fuming, she waved her hands and called:

“Flight attendant! They’ve made a mess of me!”

The stewardess arrived.

“What occured?”

“I was just sitting and drinking, and the seat in front of me… well, it moved back and…” I pointed. “Physics, I guess.”

The attendant understood perfectly but kept a straight face.

“Here are some napkins. Please make sure your seat stays upright.”

The woman silently cleaned her bag, and after that, the chair stayed upright for the remainder of the flight.