Nothing. He didn’t even stir.
I nudged him a bit harder.
“You might want to wake up; we’ve landed, and there’s a gate change.”
This time, he mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and turned his head the other way, clearly not ready to wake up. I figured the commotion of people getting off the plane would eventually wake him up, and besides, I had to get to my next gate.
I couldn’t afford to miss my flight. So, I left him there, still fast asleep, and hurried off the plane.
The terminal was packed with people, and I had to weave through the crowd to reach my new gate.
By the time I got there, they were already boarding. I made it just in time, and as I settled into my seat, I finally felt a wave of relief. I was on my way to San Diego, and for the first time that day, I had a moment to breathe.
It wasn’t until I arrived in San Diego and met up with my colleagues that I got the full story.
As we were chatting about our flights, one of my coworkers, Lisa, mentioned that she had seen someone who sounded very familiar.
“I swear, there was this guy at LAX who looked like he’d just woken up from a coma,” Lisa said, laughing. “He was stumbling off the plane, looking completely disoriented. I overheard him arguing with a gate agent because he missed his connection.
Apparently, he was asleep when they announced the gate change, and by the time he woke up, it was too late.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “What did he look like?”
Lisa described him — a man in his early 40s, wearing a slightly wrinkled button-down shirt, slacks, and polished shoes, with an expensive watch that he kept checking as he argued with the gate agent. His hair was a mess, and he looked both frazzled and furious.
There was no doubt in my mind — it was him.
“Oh, that guy!” I said, unable to hide the satisfaction in my voice.
“Yeah, he was sitting next to me. Can you believe he ate my meal while I was in the restroom and then fell asleep? I tried to wake him up, but he didn’t budge.”
Lisa’s eyes widened.
“No way! That’s karma in action right there.”
I couldn’t agree more. As much as I’d been frustrated by the whole ordeal, there was something deeply satisfying about knowing that karma had stepped in.
While I made it to my meeting on time, Mr. Important was stuck in LA, missing his connections and probably regretting his decision to indulge in both meals.
Sometimes, what goes around really does come around. And in this case, karma didn’t let it slide.
