Peter could not believe what was happening, the child behind him kept kicking his seat! At first, he thought it would stop but minutes have gone by now and it seemed that the child wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon.
After having enough, he finally turned to the child’s mom to ask her nicely to make the kid stop. What she said made his blood boil…
The Audacity
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“Mind your own business,” the woman told Peter after he asked her politely to stop her child. Anger immediately surged through his body. How could she say that when her son was clearly bothering him?
Peter turned to Sarah, his fiance, silently asking if she heard it too. Sarah just nodded, but was telling him to let it go.
Keeping it Together
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Since the kid’s mom didn’t stop him, the kid just kept going—kicking the back of Peter’s seat. It started with light thumps, something Peter thought he could at least bear for most of their 5-hour flight from Maine to LA.
But then, the kicks grew stronger…
Diversion
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Trying to avoid any confrontations early into the flight, Peter tried to do everything he could to distract himself and ignore the kicks coming from the back of his seat.
Since the kid seemed to have sensed his frustration and made the kicks stronger, Peter’s seat was now practically shaking! It doesn’t help that he doesn’t do well with flights himself!
Attempt of Comfort
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Sensing his frustrations, Sarah attempted to comfort Peter by holding onto his arm. 10 minutes into the game, the kid seemed to have packed all the energy he could get because the kicks had not stopped at all!
Summoning his courage, Peter turned back once again.
Provoking
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Before he could even utter a word, Peter caught sight of the kid’s eye. He gritted his teeth at what he saw. Bad thoughts were already running through his mind, like how ill-mannered this kid’s mom was that’s why he seems to have adopted the same attitude.
The kid was taunting him, smiling teasingly while kicking his seat and even sticking his tongue out to Peter!
Had Enough
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Having had enough of the kid’s attitude, Peter once again reached out to the kid’s mom, but not before taking in a few breaths to calm his nerves.
If he hadn’t done that, he was sure he would have shouted a bit at the kid and the kid’s mom! The least he wanted to do was draw attention to them. After all, unlike these unkind people, he has issues bothering other people.
Snapping Out
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After calming his nerves, Peter once again talked to the lady beside the kid.
“Ma’am, could you tell your child to stop his kicks, please?” Peter asked quietly, getting the attention of the kid’s mom. The lady stared at him, and Peter could already see how the lady was growing pissed. Between them, he should be the one pissed! Not her!
Talking to a Wall
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“Why can’t you mind your own business? My kid can do whatever he wants!” The lady’s voice, though not too loud for the whole plane to hear, caught a few nearby passengers’ attention.
Peter was too tempted to say something sharp, but he felt Sarah’s hold tighten in his arm, clearing saying to keep it together. So Peter turned back to the front again, but not after slightly calming down that the mother tried to stop her kid from kicking which effectively stopped it. And then it happened again!
How Long?
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The peace seemingly lasted for just a few seconds. The kicks started again! Peter thought that this might be the worst child he’d ever encountered in his life. How could he be so unaware of his surroundings… and his mom too?!
Is this going to last the whole five hours?!
Blocking it Out
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To preserve some peace, Peter put on his headphones in an attempt to just sleep it off. But as he closed his eyes and tried to block out the annoying thumps coming from the back of his seat, his anger seemed to just have grown exponentially.
He sighed loudly, trying to discreetly air his irritation out in the open with hopes of the mom hearing it. But no, the kicks still kept going!
Plotting Ways
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Peter even made it a point to make his movements of discomfort big, big enough to make a sound and for his chair to shake a bit. None of these attempts were effective too.
Was the kid ever going to stop?! Peter leaned forward to avoid the shaking back of his seat, finding solace in the leaned-over position. He thought of ways how to get the kid to stop…
An Attempt
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An idea came to his head. Peter immediately rummaged his carry-on for the thing that could stop the child. After a few seconds, he finally found it!
Turning back slightly, Peter made sure that the kid’s mom was a bit preoccupied before focusing on the kid himself. He pushed back the surge of anger that went through him after seeing the kid’s expression—all smug.
Bribery
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Peter raised an eyebrow at the annoying kid. He smirked at him, showing how he wasn’t annoyed at all even if he already was. He subtly showed the kid what was in his hand.
Lo and behold, it caught the kid’s attention! Peter thought he was going to jump for joy when the kid’s legs stopped swinging, effectively pausing the kicks.
Desperate Wants
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The kid was staring intensely at what he was holding, obviously tempted to snatch it out of Peter’s hand.
Peter had to admit, that having this power seemed to be so satisfying. The kicks are finally going to stop for good! He just had to make it clear to the kid that that is the payment he needs for him to give the kid what he’s holding.
Signs
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Peter made a sign that in order for the kid to get what he was holding, he had to stop with the kicking. He made sure to repeat it a couple of times, not trusting a kid to get nonverbal cues the first time.
The kid frowned at first, and Peter was silently wishing for him to take the bait. He’s willing to give anything just for the kicks to stop, and for the rest of the flight to be peaceful!
Silent Agreement
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The kid finally nodded, going ahead to snatch the chocolate bar Peter had been holding. Peter finally turned to lean on his back, sighing contently at the unmoving chair. Finally, peace.
He went to hold Sarah’s hand, soaking in the relaxation of having no kicks bothering him. He closed his eyes to get the much-needed sleep he needed. But just when he was about to finally drift off, he almost snapped and yelled.
Wake Up Alarm
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There was a thump at the back of his seat! Peter opened his eyes, sleep still had a bit of hold over his body. When he opened his eyes, there were no kicks happening. He thought it was just a residual thing from a while ago, so he closed his eyes again.
Only for the kicks to come in full force, effectively waking Peter up and making his anger 10x worse!
Caught Up
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What’s even more alarming, the kid’s loud kicks already caught the attention of a few passengers. Of course, it included Sarah’s attention, who was also wearing a frown on her face.
When Peter turned back, the kid was indeed kicking with all his might… and his mother was acting as if nothing was happening, reading the plane magazine that was obviously uninteresting at all!
The Others
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Before Peter could burst and call out the lady over her kid’s actions, a voice came out from one of the aisle passengers.
“Hey Lady, calm your kid!” A few murmurs of agreement resounded in the plane, making the woman turn to them. Peter could not see the expression she was wearing, but judging by her words, she was pissed off as well.
Dense
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“Why not pick someone your own size, old man? Let the kid be a kid!” The mom exclaimed. Obviously knowing that she’s the type of person who cannot be talked some sense to, the man seemed to have chosen not to respond back.
But Peter couldn’t help but notice that some of the passengers had their phones out and had obviously captured the woman’s comment. Things are about to go down after this flight!
Kept Going
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Despite the altercation, of course, the kid still kept his kicks at a constant phase. It’s ever annoying, and Peter’s patience was going too thin.
He was surprised when even Sarah, who’s the least confrontational person he’s ever met, suddenly spoke up. “Hey kid, would you please stop the kickings? It’s disturbing us.”
Teasing
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Instead of saying “No,” the kid just stuck out his tongue and made the kicking faster. But that was it for Peter. Frankly, he’s going dizzy with all the movements happening behind him, and they’re not even halfway through the flight!
So he finally confronted the mom. “Hey, can you tell your kid to stop the kicking? It’s honestly disrespectful. We’re trying to sleep here.”
Confrontation
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As expected, the lady just glared at him. “You’re basically harassing us at this point!” The woman exclaimed, shocking Peter down to the core. How is politely asking to stop harassment?
“If anyone’s being harassed here, it’s us! Your kid won’t stop kicking my seat!” Peter snapped out, earning the other passengers’ attention. Some pulled out their cameras… great, so this lady could embarrass herself!
Bad Exchanges
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“What can’t you understand about minding your own business? Can’t you understand? He’s a kid!” Peter could not believe how the woman couldn’t see she was not making any sense.
“Drake, go on. Keep kicking that seat.” As if the spawn of the devil himself, “Drake” made the kicking stronger and more intense. How could a family be this dense and annoying?!
Non-stop
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“You know, you’re just embarrassing yourself. You can’t discipline your kid!” Peter knows he struck a nerve with how red the woman turned. He can’t help but feel the satisfaction after saying that out loud to the woman.
The woman screeched, effectively making a scene and catching everyone’s attention, including the attendants.
A Resolution?
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The sound the woman made was honestly laughable for Peter, but that’s what she deserves for being so uncaring towards others during the flight. Her kid was being a nuisance!
One of the attendants was walking towards them and Peter thought that this was what he was avoiding. But he knows he’s in the right here, so he prepared what he was going to say to the attendant…
Turning the Tables
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The flight attendant asked what the commotion was all about. Before Peter could say anything, the woman launched into this tale of Peter harassing her and her kid! Peter was so stunned at the audacity of the woman.
He couldn’t believe that she would even dare to turn the tables on him! But he was so sure that other passengers would vouch for him.
A Saving Grace
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“Oh no, you’re not doing that!” Peter was shocked that Sarah spoke up. “Look at her kid, he’s kicking my fiance’s seat. We tried politely telling them to stop but they kept shutting us down!”
Unfortunately for the woman, her kid was so uncontrollable and unaware that he was still kicking the seat! He wasn’t helping their case at all!
Admonished
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Other passengers were obviously not having it, vouching for Peter and Sarah. The flight attendant threatened the mom that if they kept going, they would be forced to put on restraints and certain fines would be charged upon landing.
Peter and Sarah enjoyed the rest of the flight after, grateful that there were no kicks felt at all until they landed.
