A woman expected just another regular flight, but a bold action from the passenger next to her changed everything. The journey took an unexpected turn for both of them. Boarding a flight from New York to Los Angeles, I anticipated a calm and uneventful trip. As a 35-year-old marketing consultant, frequent travel was part of my job, and I had learned to handle airports and flights efficiently.This time, I was heading to an important conference in LA, with a tight connection to San Diego for a pre-conference meeting. I had meticulously planned every detail, including choosing an aisle seat for a swift exit. Upon reaching my row, I saw the man in the window seat already settled in.
He appeared to be in his early 40s, exuding an air of importance in his pressed shirt and polished shoes. He frequently checked his expensive watch, seemingly annoyed by my presence when I took my seat. I just wanted a peaceful flight to review my notes. However, my straightforward trip soon turned into a mini-nightmare,
When dinner was served, I realized I hadn’t eaten all day and was starving. The smell of the food made my stomach growl with anticipation. I couldn’t wait to eat, review my notes, and possibly take a short nap before landing. But then I needed to use the restroom. I checked to see how far the food cart was, and since it was still a few rows away, I hurried to the back of the plane, trying not to disturb my seatmate.
To my dismay, I found a long line waiting for the restroom. I anxiously checked my watch as the minutes passed, and I grew increasingly impatient. By the time I finally returned to my seat, my meal tray was gone, and the man next to me was happily devouring his second meal.
I asked if they had served my meal while I was away, but he merely shrugged and smirked, claiming he didn’t want it to go to waste since I was gone too long. Stunned, I couldn’t believe someone would do such a thing.
When I asked the flight attendant if any meals were left, she apologized and offered me a small bag of pretzels instead. I felt defeated, watching as the man polished off both meals and then fell asleep, clearly satisfied. While munching on pretzels, I tried to focus on my work, glancing at the man snoring beside me. My stomach protested, but I reminded myself I had a tight connection to catch.
As we began our descent into LA, the flight attendants made announcements about landing and connecting flights. When the plane landed, I grabbed my bag, eager to rush to my next gate. But just as I stood up, an announcement came: there was a last-minute gate change for my connecting flight.
I glanced at my seatmate, still asleep, and debated whether to wake him. He had eaten my meal, but I couldn’t just leave him to miss his flight. I gently nudged him, but he didn’t stir. I nudged him harder, but he merely mumbled and turned away.
Realizing I had to go, I left him behind and hurried off the plane. The terminal was crowded, and I navigated through the throngs of people to reach my new gate just in time to board. Once I arrived in San Diego and met my colleagues, one of them mentioned seeing someone who looked familiar at LAX. She described a disheveled man who had just woken up and was arguing with a gate agent because he missed his flight.
I couldn’t help but smile when I realized it was my seatmate. I told my colleague how he had eaten my meal while I was in the restroom and had slept through the gate change. She agreed that it was a perfect example of karma in action.
As I settled in for my meeting, I felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that while I made it on time, Mr. Important was stuck in LA, likely regretting his choice to indulge in both meals. Sometimes, what goes around really does come around.
A Taiwanese Artist Creates Short Stories With Unexpected Plot Twists
“Exciting. Funny. With some horror, but bright and charming,” this is how young writer and artist, Edd Lai, describes his work and the comics he’s been publishing for 6 months. His stories instantly catch readers who find his work while they’re in search of something different. In his illustrations, terror mixes with humor, and its main ingredient is a surprising ending, a completely unexpected plot twist. Writing is currently the way Lai makes a living. He has written some novels and scripts that were published in his native Taiwan, as well as 3 series of long-running comics for a Korean company.
In an exclusive interview for Bright Side, Lai commented that his main fount of inspiration is human complexity. He likes exploring the differences in people’s lives and discussing how each person’s point of view is based on what they believe to be true and in how they ignore other’s perspectives. We want to show you a selection of 11 of his comics so you can explore the work of this young artist and his peculiar world vision.
1. Team project
2. Knowledge is power
3. A photo
4. At the dentist
4. At the dentist
6. Surprise
7. With the lights off
8. A cup of coffee
9. A costume party
10. Angel
11. Dad or mom
His comics were originally published in Taiwanese and English, but they’re currently being translated into several languages, something that makes Edd Lai very proud and happy: “I have always felt committed to entertaining people from different cultures. Thanks to everyone who follows my stories.”
Which comic did you like the most? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section!
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