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My name is Karina, and this time, I'm not just a Lufthansa flight attendant. This time, I'm a passenger on the Munich-Zurich flight, which took off at 8:55 p.m. and is taking me on vacation.
Some may consider me old-fashioned, but I flew to Zurich to see the architectural sights and stroll through the streets of Altstadt. It's no secret that before joining the airline, I studied history and architecture at university. When the opportunity arose to visit Fraumünster and see the works of Marc Chagall and Augusto Giacometti, I didn't hesitate to book a ticket for the evening flight and a room at Holzlager Bed & Breakfast. Besides, I wanted to go shopping on Bahnhofstrasse.
It was an evening flight, and the air over Europe was thick and dark, like real, rich Arabica coffee without sugar. It was quiet and peaceful on board. I closed my eyes for a moment and... before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. I dreamed of walking around Paradeplatz, the large clock face of St. Peter's Church, and the beautiful views from the shore of Zürichsee.
Still half asleep, I heard some movement nearby and quiet conversation. I couldn't understand what they were talking about, but I could make out words and even whole phrases: virginity, Bitcoin Cash, tuition fees, investment in the future...
I opened my eyes and began to look at the passengers with curiosity: an elderly couple with a child, a little further away — an elderly man with a book and a young, focused student with a laptop who had just returned to her seat. Her face glowed with satisfaction. The elderly man with the book looked out the window, hoping in vain to see something in the darkness outside, and then returned to his reading.
Then something happened that surprised me: one of the flight attendants was acting strangely and seemed a little nervous. When she came up to me, I greeted her and whispered my name.
We stood near the rear compartment, in the semi-darkness, where few people could hear us, and talked slowly. Now the tension between us had turned into trust.
Emma asked me awkwardly if she should tell the captain that 10 minutes ago she had caught a student and an older man in the toilet engaged in indecent behavior. She pointed with her eyes toward an older couple with a child.
“I know what they were doing there! His wife and child were nearby, and he was in the bathroom... It looks like he just took his student's virginity in exchange for a passing grade and tuition for the semester...” Emma confessed, who tried to stop them by knocking on the door. Emma can sometimes turn a blind eye to this when there are no children around, but this time it was too much...
I admitted that the influence of altitude, exoticism, a sense of forbiddenness, and the desire to try something new and exciting can prompt passengers to such actions. Especially during night flights. Although I understood perfectly well that the rights and obligations of passengers, like civil rights and obligations, should be equal for everyone, regardless of their financial status. But in practice, the social context can differ significantly from what it should be a priori...
So it was this time. Base human desires prevailed over common sense. Flying with my wife and child to a seminar for research staff and taking a student with me was too much... I have to give credit to the old professor. Payment was made in cryptocurrency — it's harder to track that way.
When I returned home, for some reason, the week of vacation was no longer so enjoyable...