I was on a flight to visit my grandmother, who had been in and out of the hospital. She raised me, encouraged me to pursue graphic design, and I needed to see her. As a freelance designer, my laptop is my lifeline it’s how I work and stay connected. A middle-aged man sat beside me, barely acknowledged my presence, and ordered a whiskey mid-flight.
Moments later, he accidentally spilled the drink all over my lap and my laptop. I was shocked. The keyboard was soaked, the screen flickering. I asked him to at least apologize. He sneered and said, “What are you gonna do, cry about it?” Then turned back to his phone. I was speechless but stayed calm. I tried to salvage the laptop, but it was ruined.
As frustration boiled inside me, the captain made an announcement: All connecting flights were canceled due to severe weather. The man beside me instantly panicked he had a big meeting to get to and started scrambling. While he freaked out, I connected to in-flight Wi-Fi and rebooked my trip without a fuss. When he noticed, he leaned over and asked if he could use my phone.
I looked him straight in the eyes and replied, “No. Why don’t you go cry about it?” He was stunned, left fumbling while I calmly gathered my things. My laptop was destroyed, but I still felt at peace. I was on my way to someone who truly mattered and karma had done the rest.