I am overweight.

I’m headed across the country to spend Christmas with my brother and his husband. Knowing that comfort is important, especially considering my size, I decided to book an extra seat for the journey. It’s not the most pleasant thing to pay extra, but it is what it is.

Things went smoothly during check-in, security, and boarding initially. However, a bit of a situation arose when a woman approached my row with her approximately 18-month-old son. She insisted that I squeeze into one seat so her son could have the other. Instead of asking, she told me to do so. I politely declined, explaining that I paid for the extra seat for my own comfort.

This caught the attention of the flight attendant as the woman made a fuss, claiming I was taking the seat from her son. I showed my boarding passes to prove that I had indeed paid for the extra space. The flight attendant asked if I could try to make room, but I firmly asserted my right to the seat I paid for.

The flight attendant eventually instructed the woman to have her son sit on her lap, as is common for children of his age during flights. Throughout the journey, I endured dirty looks and passive-aggressive remarks from the woman, but I stood my ground in prioritizing the comfort I paid for.