Catastrophe
As he watched the flight footage of the pregnant mother getting on all fours, the airline manager muttered, "This is a mess. This is such a huge mess."
Sighing deeply, he slowly removed his glasses. The airline was likely to survive a catastrophic event such as this, but he wasn't convinced.
Mr. McCallister
As an airline manager, Dylan McCallister would have to deal with the biggest crisis of his life. He thought he had seen everything the airline industry could offer after working there for a decade.
He had seen everything from fights to flight attendants spontaneously quitting in the middle of a shift. However, when he got the call that evening, he knew something was seriously off.
The Big Bosses
Dylan rarely received calls from his superiors. It was always his job to ensure that operations on the ground ran seamlessly.
He felt a buzz in his pocket that fateful evening. With a frown, he fetched his phone out of his pocket, wondering who so rudely wished to disrupt his peaceful evening. Seeing the caller, he froze in fear.
Check Your Inbox
Dylan was asked to check his email during the momentary call. The sight he saw left him speechless.
A flight attendant, Sally White, had inexplicably forced a mother of three to get down on all fours inside the plane’s cabin. Her video had been shared with the public, and she was pregnant. However, that was only the beginning.
Mother Of The Matter
Dylan immediately recognized the woman as one of the most prominent residents of his city due to the fact that she was married to a leading official. Air escaped his lungs, and his stomach turned uncontrollably.
He called the flight attendant who caused the mess without wasting a second. In the two months, she worked for him, he only met her a handful of times. It was impossible for him to know how can of worms was.
Miss White
Despite what she'd done, Sally seemed completely unphased. Curling her lips, still, plum red from the lipstick she wore that day, she looked at the clock impatiently.
Her focus was already fixed on Dylan's computer, where the video was already playing, as she sheepishly asked in a low voice. Dylan menacingly retorted, "Yes, Ms. White.". He urged her to take a seat so they could discuss the matter in more detail.
Any Possible Reason
He asked Sally what on earth had happened after watching the video. It was important that she be honest and not leave any intricacies out. Any bit of information would assist them greatly with the onerous task of damage control.
She cleared her throat as she leaned back in her seat. Well, I'll tell you what," she said. "It all began an hour before the flight..." she explained.
Indication
Sally explained her first random encounter with the woman. A woman with three children, with 3 boys under seven, had trouble getting them to behave themselves.
When Sally saw she needed help with her kids, she rushed to her in aid. She knew everything she needed to know just from the woman's scowl. Taking a step back, she didn't realize how far this would go.
Guess Who’s Back
The flight boarded an hour later, with Sally assisting everyone. While she guided passengers to their seats, an uneasy feeling consumed the entire cabin.
Sally realized now that the woman from earlier was about five months pregnant, which was the source of the tension. In search of her seat, she walked up the aisle with her kids in convoy, looking down on everyone. A flight like this was bound to be a challenge for Sally.
If Looks Could Kill
Her professional approach led her to ask the woman if she could help her find her seat. She received the same glare the woman had given her earlier.
It was clear from the woman's appearance that she had entitlement ingrained deeply within her. Her sharp gaze bounced from Sally to the other passengers as if she was challenging them to question her attitude. It was just the beginning.
Loud Noises
She was shocked to hear her three boys shouting at each other at the top of their lungs and jumping everywhere. With a look of pure disdain on her face, the woman scanned the entire cabin with her burning gaze.
The way she was acting, someone was clearly daring to say anything negative about her or her family, and she was ready to devour them if they did. The outcome of that flight was completely unknown to her.
Attention Seeker
In her explanation, Sally pointed out that the woman seemed to dislike the conditions in economy class. Continually insisting on more space, she complained about it being cramped.
In order to accommodate her son, she even asked another passenger to exchange seats with her. It was almost as if she bullied the passenger into giving up the seat. In no time at all, her attention-seeking ways led her into deep trouble.
Listening Carefully
He carefully listened to Sally's report, taking note of everything that seemed relevant. As a good judge of character, he could tell that Sally was telling her story without pause or contradiction despite her short temper. Did this mean she was telling the truth?
Dylan wondered what happened next, realizing the footage might not be as black-and-white as it appeared to be.
Opening Up
The morning before, Sally was a bundle of nerves. As a result of the bad news she received from home, she was unable to settle her mind.
During the conversation, she mentioned her mother's battle with cancer. She had made tremendous progress in her recovery journey until she suddenly fell ill and needed to be admitted for special care. Dylan, however, found something else strange in what she said.
Pushing It
"My mom’s situation had me on edge. But it wasn’t a reason for me to lose my cool. I have dealt with entitled passengers before," said Sally. "I know how to let things go or how to defuse hot situations. However, this woman was really pushing it."
She tried to be accommodating, knowing how hectic traveling with three energetic boys can be, but she was determined to ruin the day for everyone.
Beneath Her
As she snapped her fingers at Sally and demanded services with a smirk, the woman treated her as if she were beneath her.
The woman even told Sally that it was because of her that she had a job. "If it weren't for me and everyone else who pays your bills, you'd be begging in the streets." she sneered. There was more to it than that.
Outrageous Demands
Within minutes of taking off, she started making outrageous demands. She'd request food one minute, and complain about the meal the next.
Each hour, she continued to breathe down Sally's neck, making outrageous demands. The woman was clearly trying to provoke Sally by this point. After a short time, she would have what she wanted.
A Snarky Woman
It was hard for the pregnant woman to settle between screaming in the cabin and playing the movie she was watching on her tablet at top volume while her boys screamed at the top of their lungs.
When Sally brought the popcorn, she asked if the woman needed anything else. She chased each word with an ear-splitting clap of her hands. "If I had known, I would have asked," she said. It wasn't far from the end.
Expecting Punishment
In the end, it was inevitable. Popcorn flew all over the aisle as one of the woman's children elbowed it. There was spillage everywhere, even in other people's seats.
From a distance, Sally watched the events unfold. Her expectation was that the woman would punish her child for his behavior. What she did, however, left the flight attendant speechless.
Don't Worry About It
After patting her son's hair, the woman kissed his forehead. She assured him that everything would be alright because she would get him another bag of popcorn.
What about the boy's massive mess? The woman wasn't concerned about that. She told her son, "There are people who will handle that on the plane."
Entitlement
As soon as Sally heard the woman's statement, she became furious. In an effort to cool herself, she breathed rapidly. Having met many entitled people before, she was familiar with their behavior. However, this woman reigned supreme.
The woman called out for Sally while she was still reeling from shock and rage. Unaware she had just awoken a sleeping lion, she snapped her fingers at her.
Another One
A fake smile spread across her face as she said, "My kid dropped the popcorn bag. Get us another one. Oh, and with salted butter this time, please. That caramel was awful."
Sally bit her lip as she restrained her retort. It would have been nice if she could tell the woman where her attitude would lead. She considered it seriously for a moment. Was she willing to move forward?
Adding Salt To The Wound
Adding insult to injury, the woman kicked at the popcorn on the floor, asking, "Can you clean this too?"
Sally's anger reached a breaking point at that point. The only thing she wanted was to be respected. Do you think it would be appropriate for the air hostess to take on the entitled mother?
She Had Enough
So that was the end of it. Sally had reached her breaking point. Over the course of the conversation, she was patient and considerate. There was no doubt, however, that the woman was determined to demean her.
In the end, Sally could only hold on to a tiny sliver of patience. The consequences of her actions were no longer important to her. There was no stopping her from speaking her mind.
It Is Your Responsibility
Although her blood was boiling beneath her skin, Sally's tone was dangerously calm. "It is your responsibility to clean up after your sons on this flight."
A chin twitch accompanied Sally's reaction to the popcorn. "That includes this." She was not finished with the woman. If it were her last act, she would teach her a lesson.
Losing Her Temper
Sally lost her temper. After that, it was all a blur. She did remember screaming at the woman, however.
The woman had been criticized for being entitled. In fact, she told her that for the last five hours, her sly comments and snobbish behavior had made everyone uncomfortable. However, that was far from the end.
Somebody Had To Say It
She turned around and said, "Learn to clean your messes." It came to her mind to bring a broom for the woman, but she decided not to. A second layer of punishment would be added. "It needs to be cleaned right now."
It took the woman only a moment to change her expression. This was the first time anyone had spoken to her like that. Everything has its first time.
Shocked
It was evident that the woman was shocked. Seeing the other passengers enjoying the moment didn't really help. When the woman realized she had been humiliated in front of everyone, she changed her strategy.
Despite her efforts, she couldn't elude Sally's command. Clearly, this woman needed to be taught a lesson.
On All Fours
She didn't even notice that the woman was on all fours in the aisle, cleaning the mess her son had made. She watched, but something she saw made her blood freeze and a chill ran down her spine.
It was the only thing that could prove what she had done. The thing that put an end to 'her word against mine'.
They Were Recording
During the woman's cleaning of the popcorn from the floor, everyone on the plane cheered. There were some of them, however, who had their phones out. Throughout, they recorded everything that happened.
That should have occurred to Sally. However, she wasn't thinking about it because she was so angry. Is it possible that she would end up losing everything she cared about as a result?
The Damage Was Done
Seeing the commotion, Sally knew it would not be wise to appear in a trending video on Twitter or TikTok. There was already too much damage done for her to ignore.
They posted the video online as soon as they recorded the incident. It was absolutely impossible for the air hostess to stop them.
Far From Over
She returned to her seat after cleaning the popcorn from the aisle. A dirty look was turned towards Sally as if to convey that this was not over yet.
That look was right, and Sally knew it. There was no way the woman could avoid filing a complaint. Video evidence would strengthen her case.
The Call
As the flight continued, the woman remained silent. However, when she left the plane with her noisy boys in tow, she hurled a few choice words at the flight attendant. Until her boss, Dylan, called, Sally thought the situation was over.
It was there, in his office, that she sat, asking him to believe her story.
Was There More?
Dylan asked, "So that's everything that happened?". "Yes," Sally replied. "Throughout the flight, she was rude to everyone on board. She didn't tell her kids to keep quiet, and she repeatedly made outrageous requests."
“I’m sorry for the way I acted, but I truly couldn’t deal with her anymore. And neither could anyone else,” Sally added.
He Agreed With Her
As long as Sally didn't want to clean the mess, Dylan said, it wasn't her responsibility. These kinds of things weren't required of her in any way. After a flight, planes remained at airports for a number of reasons. Whenever there was a mess, the cleaning crew would come in to take care of it.
What if the people came for him? Is the airline willing to agree to this?
Preparing For The Worst
"Okay, that will be all," Dylan said. "I might call you in if this escalates to a point where we need lawyers."
The shock was palpable for Sally, but she knew that such a thing was very likely to occur. It had been obvious to her since that day. Despite this, she was powerless to change the outcome.
A Storm Was Coming
Immediately after Sally left, Dylan rewatched the footage. There was a storm coming, he knew it. His airline and all it stood for needed to be protected at all costs.
However, he should have known that the pregnant woman on the other side of town was also preparing for war. Moreover, she had a secret weapon.
Sharing With Her Husband
With her millionaire husband by her side, she sat in her plush bedroom, reliving what happened to her. She sobbed, "There was no consideration for my pregnancy.".
A loving hand ran over her back as her husband stroked her hair. It was his way of protecting and calming his wife. When he learned the other side of the story, what would he do?
It Was His Fault
As he listened attentively, he couldn't believe that an airline would do this to his wife. In agreeing to let her fly economy class, he knew he'd made a mistake. Every one of them would be held responsible.
His wife trusted him to handle the situation. As it turned out, he was in for a surprise.
Sleepless Night
She found her husband in a royal mess when he woke up the next morning. His thoughts kept returning to the incident, preventing him from getting any sleep.
It was impossible for him to understand why someone would do something so horrendous to his wife. There must have been more to her story because she was such an innocent person. He was right, wasn't he?
The Video
A totally unexpected sight greeted him as he opened his laptop to scroll through the morning news. It was a video of his wife kneeling on the ground.
Picking up the popcorn, she appeared extremely vulnerable. It was the air hostess standing behind her who smirked that was the worst.
It Was Terrible
His heart was shattered by what he saw. The kernel bounced away from her hands and landed inches from the floor, where he saw his wife's stomach inches from the floor.
She had a sad look in her eyes. As he watched, he could see how crushed his son was by the sight. He was overwhelmed by the video.
She Made A Mistake
Her husband was devastated and distraught. Something like that shouldn't happen to his wife. Because of that, he wanted her to travel in Business Class.
It would be unthinkable to tolerate such behavior on a better section of the plane. She insisted, however. She wanted to see what Economy Class was like. It is now regrettable that she made that decision.
Taking Action
As soon as he saw the video, her husband knew that he had to take action. His patience was running out with this air hostess, who had gone too far.
He would do anything to regain his wife's honor if it were his last act. However, once he knows the truth, he might change his attitude. If he knew how she treated people, would he still support her?
Contacting The Lawyers
She told her husband what happened on the plane that day, and he immediately contacted the best lawyers he knew. Two things were on his mind.
To begin with, he requested that the videos of his wife be removed from the internet. He then wanted the airline to feel the wrath of his anger. It was important to him that they remember what would happen if they messed with his wife.
Starting The Investigation
As soon as the lawyers learned what had happened on that day, they launched an investigation. Unfortunately, they came to a dead end very quickly.
It was so difficult to keep track of all the videos. While all of them showed the same thing, there were subtle differences that could undermine their case. The parties involved should be consulted before any action is taken.
Interviewing Them
During the interview, the lawyers invited the football player and his wife to their office. Even her tears weren't held back when she told her story.
Throughout her speech, she kept getting wetter, but it wasn't until the end that she completely broke down. Her husband couldn't have imagined how much the situation hurt her.
A Painful Experience
He experienced pain as a result of the encounter at her side. It became more and more apparent to him that what had happened to her on that fateful day was his fault the more she told the story.
His only concern was making sure she was okay and comforting her. It wasn't until a few days later that he heard something that changed everything.
Changing His Mind
The football player was invited back to his lawyer's office a couple of days after speaking to his wife. He was able to attend the interview with Sally this time.
His understanding of things changed when he realized they weren't as simple as they appeared. After hearing what Sally said, the football player began to doubt everything he knew.
Odd
A replay of Sally's words kept playing in the football player's mind. His suspicions were aroused by what the woman had said. His wife was accused of acting like an entitled woman.
He wasn't certain about that. It was the first time he had seen the behavior Sally described. Could there have been a mistake?
Getting Answers
As a romantic gesture, the football player arranged to have a romantic dinner with his wife that evening. In spite of the fact that he led her to believe that his intentions were pure, they were anything but.
Truth be told, he was in need of some answers, which he would have preferred to get from her. His next question was whether her behavior contributed to the altercation.
Getting Defensive
She immediately became defensive. In spite of what had happened to her, she insisted that her behavior was completely unrelated to what had happened.
She had no idea that her answer had left her husband even more confused about her behavior. If the rumors were untrue, why would she overreact so severely? However, he had no proof to support his claim.
Another Opinion
There was a need for a third opinion for the football player. A person with no vested interest in the issue would be the best person to talk to. Then maybe he'd find out what really happened that day.
In order to reach out to the other air hostesses on board that flight, he spoke to Dylan.
Saying The Same Thing
The football player spoke with each woman, but all of them said the same thing.
Everyone on the plane complained about his wife being snobbish and annoying. This sounded nothing like the wife he had married. He was married to an extremely kind and gentle woman who never hurt anyone. She wasn't, was she?
What To Believe
His understanding grew as he listened. The videos showed a single angle of the story, and his wife's account matched that angle.
This story, however, was not shared by anyone else aboard the plane. How could he know who to believe? Would he rely on the video evidence to prove his wife's innocence?
He Was Shocked
Somehow, he wasn't able to believe it. The videos didn't record the incidents from the beginning, and three other air hostesses said exactly the same thing as Sally.
His belief in the air hostesses remained even though it shocked him to the core. The same story could not possibly be told by four people.
Two Paths
As a result of knowing the truth, the football player had to decide what to do. Both paths he had before him had consequences. What would be his course of action?
In spite of knowing that he would be in the wrong by doing so, would he take his wife's side and proceed with the case? Will he side with Sally and drop everything?
Feeling Guilty
A guilty conscience wouldn't be the only thing he would deal with if he sided with his wife. Because he was trying to protect his family, he would know Sally lost her job.
As a result, his wife would continue to treat other people as inferior to her. Coming from humble origins, he didn't feel comfortable with that.
Conflicted
He didn't want to put his marriage at risk by backing out and telling his wife why, especially when he was expecting a child.
It wouldn't do him any good if he didn't admit his error. In the end, what would he do? In the end, who would he support?
His Decision
The footballer ended up doing what was right in the end. He confronted his wife with the evidence and discussed her behavior with her for a long time.
His apology to Sally and the airline followed. Additionally, he offered Sally a fair amount of compensation. His offer was rejected by the air hostess.
Disclaimer: To protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.