On the plane, a woman reclined her seat and crushed my legs — so I decided to give her a lesson in manners. I was sitting peacefully by the window, thinking: just an hour and a half, everything will be fine. In front of me was a sturdy woman in a loud floral sweater. The plane had barely lifted off when — bang! — she suddenly threw her seat all the way back without even glancing.

“Ouch!” My knees were instantly trapped.
“Excuse me,” I said politely, leaning forward, “could you please raise your seat a little? It’s really tight here.”
Without turning her head, she replied: “I’m more comfortable this way.”

I tried to shift my legs — impossible. Clearly, this wasn’t going to solve itself. I pressed the call button. A flight attendant appeared.
“How can I help?” she asked.
“The passenger in front of me reclined so far that my legs are pinned. I can’t even move.”
The attendant leaned over to the woman. “Excuse me, would you mind raising your seat just a little, so it’s more comfortable for the person behind you?”

The woman turned with a look that could curdle milk. “My back hurts. I paid for this seat — I’ll sit how I want.”
The attendant, struggling not to roll her eyes, kept her voice calm: “We ask all passengers to consider each other’s comfort.”

With a loud, dramatic sigh, the woman grudgingly moved her seat forward — two centimeters at most.
“Happy now?” she snapped.
“Well, my legs haven’t magically healed yet, but it’s an improvement, thanks,” I replied with a smile. She snorted, and the attendant gave me a subtle wink before walking away.

Half an hour later, I had almost forgotten about it… when bam! The seat flew back again. My knees screamed.
“Seriously?” I muttered aloud, but she didn’t move an inch. At that moment I realized — diplomacy was dead. It was time to act.

With the most innocent face I could manage, I lowered my tray table, set down the plastic cup of tomato juice the crew had just served, and positioned it right on the edge — directly under her seatback. For a few minutes, nothing happened. Then she shifted.

Sploosh! The juice toppled straight onto her white bag and splattered across her sweater.

She shot up, furious: “What is this?!”
“Oh no!” I widened my eyes. “I’m so sorry — you moved so suddenly… and the tray’s so tiny. I did warn you it was cramped.”

She flailed, yelling for the attendant: “Everything’s ruined!”
The same attendant returned. “What happened?”
“I was just sitting here drinking my juice, and the seat in front of me suddenly went back,” I said, pointing at the mess. “Physics, I guess.”

The attendant clearly understood but kept her face neutral. “Let me get you some napkins. And please make sure your seatback stays upright.”

The woman wiped at her bag in silence. For the rest of the flight, her seat remained perfectly vertical.