“Daddy in Seat 16C” Is from the Jersey Shore

The viral item du jour is a letter one woman published on her blog, thanking an anonymous guy in a suit for being such a sweet airplane neighbor to her three-year-old daughter, who has autism. The letter, which has been republished on the Huffington Post (hence the virality), reads, in part:

You could have shifted uncomfortably in your seat. You could have ignored her. You could have given me that “smile” that I despise because it means; “manage your child please.” You did none of that. You engaged Kate in conversation and you asked her questions about her turtles. She could never really answer your questions but she was so enamored with you that she kept eye contact and joint attention on the items you were asking her about. I watched and smiled. I made a few polite offers to distract her, but you would have none of it.

Turns out that guy, Eric Kunkel, is from the Jersey Shore. From Yahoo:

Luckily, Kate’s seatmate was Eric Kunkel — a businessman and married father of one from Villas, N.J. — who for the duration of the flight, entertained Kate by allowing her to fiddle with his iPad and playing a video game with her. The pair talked about dogs (Kate will be getting a service dog soon) and Kate’s experience meeting Winnie the Pooh and the Disney princesses at the theme park.

Somewhere in that little perforated-line area, people, lives a hero to a little girl.