Carl is sitting on a plane, waiting for the flight to end. When the doors close, he feels a jolt. He turns around and sees a seven-year-old boy in line behind him. The boy kicks Carl in the chair.

A few hours earlier, Carl had been relaxed. He had arrived at the airport shortly after a business trip to Boston. It had been flooded for two days.

The trip was important because it involved business, which could affect the quarterly goals.

Carl feels like he did something, even though he was tired. Through hard work and perseverance, he had secured a promising contract.

He sits in his seat at the airport, looking at the clock. Boarding in ten minutes. He breathes a sigh of relief.

After a stressful trip, he paid extra for a business class.

The gate agent announces that business class passengers are boarding. Carl stands up and walks to the front of the line. A few more steps, and he can relax.

But when he gets to the ticket counter, the agent looks contrite. “Sir, there is a problem with your seat.” “The flight is overbooked. “We’ve run out of business class seats.”

“Sorry for the inconvenience, but we’ll upgrade to economy on this flight.”

Carl clenches his jaw and tries to calm down.

He thinks of the broad, comfortable seats and the attentive business class stewards.

He sighs and heads for the economy line. He has to sit in a narrow seat for five hours without comfort.

Carl walks down the aisle. He tries to put his bag in the overhead bin, but it’s complete. He manages to put his bag in the overhead bin, but he cuts his fingers. He takes a deep breath and sits up.

Carl feels a sharp pain in his back. He turns around and sees a boy of about seven kicking the back of Carl’s seat.

The boy’s mother is reading a magazine, ignoring her son.

Carl closes his eyes and tries to stay positive.

But the child’s kicks are preventing her from finding peace.

Carl’s smile fades as he looks at the boy. “Stop kicking my seat,” he says. “This is a little uncomfortable,” he said, hoping his tone would be friendly.

The kicks continued. The woman looked up from her magazine. “Kids will be kids,” she said. “I’m trying to keep busy.”

Her response angered Carl. Their voices were raised.

The flight attendants tried to calm the situation down.

Carl decided to stay away. He wanted to forget and be an adult. When he relaxed, a blow to the back ruined everything. The kick woke him up.

After a few minutes, he devised a plan to contact the mother and son. He asked for water.

“Yes, sir,” the flight attendant replied, heading toward the kitchen. Carl waited, his plan taking shape. The hostess brought him ice water. Carl thanked him and handed him a cup. Just then, another kick landed on the back of his seat. Carl acted surprised and knocked over the glass of water. The water spilled out of the glass and onto his mother. She screamed and dropped the magazine. The boy was surprised, too. He said, “I’m sorry!” – I didn’t mean to spill the water.

The boy was silent and wide-eyed. He knew what he had done, and his smile disappeared. He was surprised and full of regret.

The stewardess arrived, handing out napkins and apologies. “One of them asks, ‘Are you okay?’” Before the woman can answer, Carl says that everything is fine. “It was an accident.” “I spilled the water.” She looks at the boy and his mother to make sure they understand.

The mother, drying her clothes with a towel, looks away from Carl. The boy sits quietly.

The seat behind Carl remains still for the rest of the flight – there are no more kicks. Mother and son sit in silence. Carl smiles. He thinks about how he tried to stay calm, but now he is nervous. But he forgot. They started! He finished. He said, “Next time, I’ll fly first class.”