When I was eight years old, my family found ourselves living overseas due to my dad being in the military. We were situated on a tiny island near Portugal, from where you could behold the vast expanse of the ocean in every direction. When my mom became pregnant with my brother, she resolutely refused to give birth there as she didn’t have trust in the healthcare provided. So, she and I embarked on a journey back home to the United States so that she could deliver. Dad would join us up there a few months later around the due date.
My brother was an incredibly sensitive infant who would simply not stop crying. (It later transpired that he was autistic.) As a result, my mom endured quite severe postpartum anxiety. When my brother was around five or six months old, we were on our extremely long flight back home. And due to a series of mishaps, I had to be seated separately from my parents on the other side of the plane. Thankfully, I had managed to get my hands on a portable DVD player to keep me entertained. (This was back in the days before the advent of smartphones.)
I was later told how the flight had transpired once we landed. My mom looked completely livid. I could hear my poor brother’s piercing cries throughout almost the entire flight. There was this one particular flight attendant who made it her mission to let my parents know just how miserable she was, constantly strutting over to ask them to make my brother stop crying, inquiring what his problem was and all that. My mom grew increasingly irritated with each passing moment, while my dad continuously tried to calm her down.
And then, this flight attendant came up with this gem.
Flight Attendant: “I see that you’re military, sir. We happen to have a seat open in first class. Would you like to take it for free?”
My mom sat there, completely dumbfounded, intently looking back and forth between this idiotic woman and her screaming baby. Luckily, my dad was quick to speak before she could.
Dad: “Thank you, but as you can see, I’m with my family right now. However, I do have my daughter seated in [seat number]. She would be more than happy to sit up in first class since she’s already away from us anyway.”
The attendant gave a rather twisted expression.
Flight Attendant: “I’m sorry, we can’t do that. This offer is reserved for service members only.”
Mom: “Are you completely stupid? Don’t you see that we’re kind of in a tough spot here? And you have the audacity to ask my husband to leave me?! Go to hell!”
The flight attendant gave another scathing look before walking away. Apparently, she also switched with the other attendant there as she stopped bothering my parents.
Fortunately, my brother finally cried himself to sleep and remained asleep for the majority of the flight.
