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I ask them if they got their seats mixed up. I show them my ticket and seat number, double-checking it myself. Maybe, in my sleepy state, I got it wrong. But no, the seat was correct. The child’s mother asks me to swap seats and, nodding at the boy, adds that he is a nervous flyer and ‘needs’ the window to stay calm. Looking at him, though, you wouldn’t have thought so. During the entire conversation, the child stares silently at his phone, sometimes frantically tapping the screen with his fingers, completely ignoring the tension radiating from his mother. I refuse, and tell the mother that I understand her perfectly, which is why I booked a comfortable seat in advance and paid extra for it on top of the standard ticket price. But the woman doesn’t let up.”
