On the plane, a woman reclined her seat and crushed my legs: I decided to teach her a lesson in manners 

I was flying peacefully, window seat, thinking — an hour and a half flight, everything will be fine. In front of me sat a somewhat heavyset woman in a colorful sweater. As soon as the plane took off, she abruptly leaned her seat back without even looking.

Me — ah! — because my knees were pressed against the seat.

“Excuse me,” I said politely, leaning forward, “could you lift your seat back a little? I’m really cramped.”

She didn’t even turn her head:

“I’m more comfortable this way.”

I took a few seconds to process her answer and tried to move my legs — no chance. I decided I wasn’t going to let it go. I pressed the button to call the flight attendant.

A young woman in uniform approached:

“How can I help?”

“You see,” I explained, “the passenger in front of me has reclined her seat so that my legs are stuck. I can’t even move.”

The flight attendant politely leaned toward the woman:

“Excuse me, but could you please lift your seat back a little so your neighbor is more comfortable?”

The woman turned around with a look as if I had personally ruined her vacation:

“My back hurts. I paid for my seat, so I can sit however I want.”

The flight attendant clearly held back from rolling her eyes:

“We ask that you consider the comfort of all passengers.”

The woman sighed slowly and lifted the seat back a few centimeters.

“Happy now?” — she tossed at me over her shoulder.

“Well, my legs haven’t regrown yet, but it’s better, thanks” — I smiled.

She snorted, and the flight attendant gave me a barely noticeable wink and walked on.

About thirty minutes after the first “attack,” I was almost relaxed. And then — bam! — her seat flew back again. My knees were under pressure once more.

“Seriously?” I said out loud, but she didn’t even flinch.

That’s when I realized — diplomacy no longer works. I decided to act and get revenge on this rude, impudent woman. Here’s what I did. Continuation in the first comment  

Slowly, with an innocent look, I lowered the tray table, grabbed the plastic cup of tomato juice (they were serving drinks at that moment), and placed it on the edge, right under her seatback.

We sit. Five minutes of silence. Then she moves slightly — and… splash! The juice lands on her white bag that was beside her, and a little on her sweater.

She jumps up abruptly and turns around:

“What is this?!”

“Oh!” — I make big eyes. — “Sorry, you moved so suddenly… The tray is small, you see, I warned you — it’s cramped.”

She gets up, waving her arms indignantly:

“Flight attendant! You’ve spilled everything!”

The same young woman approaches:

“What happened?”

“I was just sitting, drinking juice, and the seat in front of me… well, it went back on its own, and…” — I gesture to the stain. — “Apparently, physics.”

The flight attendant clearly understands, but with a stone face says:

“Come, I’ll give you some napkins. And please make sure the seatback is locked.”

The woman silently wipes her bag, and the seat… stayed upright for the rest of the flight.