I was heading home. My travels took me from a small airport to a larger hub, then a flight to my city. I was mentally prepared for a whole day of travel which included a two hour time change, where I was on the losing side. I’ve flown this route before, so I was not expecting any surprises. My only wish was to avoid chatty seat mates so I could relax and read.

It was time to board, and I proceed down the tiny aisle to discover row 22, a rear of the plane, aisle seat. It was a single, only one seat, so happily I buckled up, no other seat next to me. Across the small aisle were to be the other passengers of row 22, seats for two. We would be taking off shortly, as most all passengers were seated and ready to go.

I didn’t see the women come down the aisle, but noticed she seemed to make a crash landing into her seat directly across from me, at row 22. What happened next was shocking.