At last, Stella arrived at her business class seat on the aircraft. However, one man told the flight attendant that the older woman belonged in economy class and that he did not want to seat next to her. Stella was allowed to take her seat when the hostess turned down his request. Stella then related the most heartbreaking tale of her life. “That woman is not someone I want to sit next to!” When the flight attendant came with an elderly woman and told Franklin Delaney that she was sitting next to him, he nearly lost his temper.
This is her seat, sir. With a scowl on his face, the stewardess attempted to comfort the businessman, saying, “We can not do anything about it. “That is not possible. The cost of these seats is prohibitive, and she was unable to purchase one! Take a look at her attire! Franklin pointed at the older woman’s clothing and nearly screamed. Stella felt embarrassed. She detested it when people saw her cheaply dressed even though she was wearing her finest attire.
As other business class passengers turned to face them, Stella Taylor, the older woman, cast a downward glance at her feet. The fight went on, and it was taking longer to board the aircraft. When more flight attendants arrived, they made an effort to soothe Franklin. Remarkably, the businessman’s viewpoint was shared by other travelers. They told the woman to go after agreeing that she could not have paid for the seat. Stella eventually gave in after experiencing the most humiliating thing in her life.
“It is okay, Miss. I would remain in economy if you had another seat available. She put a kind hand on the hostess’ arm and said, “I spent all my savings on this seat, but it is best not to inconvenience others.” Stella had already received such kindness from the woman after getting lost at the airport. At the age of 85, she had never taken a trip before. It had therefore been somewhat confusing to navigate the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Ultimately, though, the airline put her in charge of an attendant who helped her every step of the way until they boarded her aircraft, which was headed for New York.
The businessman would not believe Stella was sitting next to him, even after they showed him her boarding pass, but the flight attendant did not want to get into a physical altercation with him. The woman turned and scowled at Stella, but it was not a personal jab at her. “No, ma’am. The flight attendant insisted, “You paid for this seat, and you deserve to sit here, regardless of what anyone says. “She turned around to face the man, threatening to get airport security involved to help him out. The man then conceded defeat and let Stella to take a seat beside him. Stella became so frightened when the plane took off that she dropped her pocketbook. Fortunately, the man assisted her in getting her belongings back and was not totally unreasonable. But the man whistled at her ruby locket when it dropped out. He said, “Wow, this is really something else.”