Jessica saw how no one in the cabin had any space to stretch their legs. She shuttered, realizing this was going to be a long and uncomfortable flight. But when she found her seat, she became even more unsettled. She had expected some discomfort, but she hadn’t realized how uncomfortable she’d be. But as she prepared to take her seat, a man rushed towards her and refused to let her sit. She had no clue why he was acting this way. But once he spoke, she knew. Then she decided to return the favor.
As a military trainee, Jessica had been prepared for just about any type of situation. But when this guy came at her that way, her training went out the proverbial window. Suddenly, she found herself shaking with emotions. But what else could possibly happen to her on this plane?
Ask any military soldier and they’ll tell you that their family is the first thing they think about when they wake up and the last thing they think about when they go to bed. But sadly, many of them may not see their loved ones for months, or even years, once they’re deployed. So, soldiers always look forward to those rare visits home.
Jessica was heading home for the holidays. She couldn’t wait to see her family again. Her heart grew sadder each day she spent away from them. In fact, it had been quite a while since she’d seen them. But she took comfort in the fact that she was doing something important for her country. She thought about this as she took her passport and walked to the boarding gate. But that day, as she looked around for her seat, she realized something was off.
To accommodate hundreds of passengers on one plane, the amount of space within the cabin is severely limited. So, it’s total mayhem when everyone’s boarding and trying to put their luggage away in the overhead compartments. It’s shocking more passengers don’t have panic attacks.
Some passengers would agree that flights can be overwhelming and scary. It’s not exactly a picnic being confined to a tiny space with very little wiggle room to get comfy in. But statistically speaking, flying is still the best way to travel from one destination to the next. And that’s exactly what Jessica wanted. But the day she boarded, her flight was overbooked, so she knew she wouldn’t have any room to spread her legs. But she had no idea someone was about to give her what she needed.
As part of the military, Jessica’s primary responsibility is to ensure that her country is safe, so she certainly deserves a ton of appreciation for that. And on this day, one man decided to do just that.
Ask any passenger and they’ll tell you they’d rather fly in business class or first class, but those tickets are so darn expensive. It’s why most people stick with economy seats, but they’re extremely uncomfortable some times. But Jessica didn’t realize that on this day, she was not going to be uncomfortable at all.
You might assume that most soldiers would be delighted to trade their military uniforms for more comfortable civilian clothes. But most soldiers enjoy wearing their uniforms with pride because it represents the incredible service they’ve provided to their country.
Jessica was in her uniform and was carrying a bag over her shoulder as she walked to the back of the plane. Her assigned seat was 31-B, and she had some walking to do before she found her seat. But when she entered the plane, she took a peek at the spacious business class seats, which looked so comfortable. If only she’d had enough money to buy one of those seats!
While Jessica waited to find her seat, someone aboard the plane was talking about her to the air hostess. But she was too busy carrying her belongings through the cabin to notice. Then, she arrived at the row of 31 seats… at last.
Jessica started placing her shoulder bag in one of the overhead compartments. But that’s when she noticed a man approaching her and he was smiling. What did he want? She wasn’t sure, and nothing in her training had prepared her for what was to come.
When most people see a soldier in uniform, it’s like seeing a Hollywood celebrity. After all, these officers put their lives on the line to keep us safe. It’s understandable that some people want to walk over to these heroes, shake their hands, and thanked them for their service.
The man had a huge smile as he walked up to her and told her she couldn’t sit in her seat. She was shocked and had no clue why he was telling her this. Then he explained that since she was a hard-working military officer serving her country, she deserved a better place to sit. The man told her he’d be honored if she would take his business class ticket as a way of thanking her for her hard work and sacrifice to keep the world safe.
Jessica was stunned and initially turned the man down, but he insisted. She graciously accepted and headed through the hallway towards business class. On the way there she remained shocked by what the man had done for her. Then she saw the comfortable sofa seats her body was craving so badly. How was she going to thank the man who gave up his seat?
She was a military trainee, so she had been working for days and pushing herself beyond her limits. She was sore, her muscles hurt all over. She knew that all that discomfort would pay off once she finally made it home and allowed herself to rest. But the kind man had given her the gift of relaxation earlier than she’d expected it.
Jessica couldn’t get the man who gave up his seat out of her head. He was broader than she was. She figured if she was uncomfortable in those economy seats, he would probably feel even more confined in that tiny space. She felt guilty, so she came up with an idea that would hopefully make him feel better.
She didn’t know how to repay the man during his flight, so she asked the flight attendant for suggestions. Unfortunately, she wasn’t much help. Jessica wasn’t able to send some of the perks from first class over to the man in the economy section. So, she came up with another solution.
The kind mystery man was undoubtedly uncomfortable in his seat, but Jessica knew that he would refuse if she tried to give him back his first class seat. So instead, she took out a piece of paper and wrote something down. Then she attached a $20 bill and asked the flight attendant to deliver it to the man in economy.
When the man received the note, he took a gander and his eyes widened with surprise. It said: “If everyone treated people the way you treated the servicewoman, the world would be a better place.” She asked him to order some snacks and drinks on her. But the man declined.
Jessica assumed that her flight would be stressful, but never imagined it would turn out this way. She had a lot to be grateful for because of this kind man! The guy was also touched after he had gotten her note. He thanked her but didn’t take her money. Meanwhile, someone on the flight saw the entire exchange and shared the details. Then, it went viral!
The news tends to report all the bad stuff, which can be so depressing. So, it’s nice to see someone taking the time to report the good stuff too. In this case, one person decided to share the story, and it would undoubtedly bring joy to a lot of people.
A woman named Jessica Titus saw the whole thing unfold and decided to share this emotional story of empathy and kindness. An hour after she posted the story, over 4,000 people decided to share it with their friends and loved ones!
Once folks heard about what happened on the plane, they started sharing their own stories. And it wasn’t an isolated incident. A woman named Kate Nixon shared that someone did the same thing for her military husband while they were flying back from California. They too were elated by the kind gesture. Such awesome people!
We rarely see it, but people do have hearts. Once this story was shared on social media, the man received tons of praises for his good deed. But he preferred to remain anonymous because he didn’t do this for the attention. His actions came from his heart and we could certainly use more people like him in the world!