seat, folding her hands in her lap. "I am not moving. I paid for this seat.
I am sitting in this seat. If you have an issue with his seating
arrangement, that is between the airline and Mr. Sterling."
"Right, that's it!" Richard yelled. "Call security! I want her off this
plane! She's being disruptive and aggressive!"
The flight attendant, seemingly out of her depth and eager to
appease the angry regular customer, scurried toward the front galley
and picked up the intercom phone. Ten minutes passed in agonizing
tension. Passengers whispered to each other, some pulling out their
phones to record. Maya remained perfectly still, her face an unreadable
mask.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the jet bridge. Two airport security
officers boarded the plane, their expressions grim. The flight attendant
pointed straight at Maya. "That's her. She's refusing crew instructions
and causing a disturbance."
The officers marched down the short aisle of the first-class cabin.
They didn't ask questions. They didn't ask for her side of the story. They
stopped at row 2 and looked down at Maya.
"Ma'am, grab your bags and come with us," the larger of the two
officers ordered. "You're off the flight."
"On what grounds?" Maya asked calmly.
"Refusal to follow crew instructions. You need to leave now, or we
will remove you by force."
Richard crossed his arms, a smug smile playing on his lips. "Good
riddance," he muttered loudly.
The larger officer reached down, his hand hovering just inches from
Maya's shoulder, ready to grab her suit jacket and haul her to her feet.