She got last-minute tickets, and they couldn’t sit together. I gave her my seat in the middle of the last row and took hers.
An hour later, she came back angrily, worried because her daughter seemed nervous. I calmly reassured her, explaining that her daughter was doing fine, and attendants had already checked on her.
She apologized, saying traveling alone with her child was stressful and that her nerves got the best of her. I told her I understood — any parent would worry in her place.
What mattered to me wasn’t my cramped seat, but that her daughter felt safe. Later she returned with a grateful smile and a small snack, thanking me for switching seats and being patient when she reacted out of anxiety.
By the time we landed, she was calm and her daughter cheerful. As we disembarked, she told me that my small act of kindness reminded her that strangers can really help—even on the hardest days. I realized too that you don’t need grand gestures: just giving up your seat and offering kindness can make a big difference.