quatre.

After rushing headlong into the bus minutes ago, an available seat finally revealed itself to me. Letting out a sigh of relief, I sat my weary body down and closed my eyes as I laid my head back in rest. It was when she made herself known.

‘Sorry,’ she replied after lightly bumping me on the knee, waking me up from my light slumber. Obviously this was a tactic to get my attention. It worked. Lifting my head up and opening my eyes I saw in front of me an elderly woman smiling. ‘These old legs seem to have a mind of their own!’ she smiled cordially. Her bumping me was no accident.

After replaying the short event that took place in my head for a couple seconds, it was painfully clear she was signaling me to give up my seat to her so she didn’t have to stand. It seemed that she was using social etiquette against me in hopes of scoring a seat. Though she knew I had every right to my seat and by law didn’t have to give it to her, an unwritten rule said I had to since she was elderly.

But gentleman, I tell you, today was not a day I wanted to be chivalrous! Especially to a manipulative woman! I had worked an entire day sans break and was not about to give my seat to a woman who relied on social etiquette to get what she wanted. If she wanted a seat, I decided, she’d have to ask me for it. Ignoring her, by pretending to be too tired to understand her, I returned to my former position of rest.

‘My legs aren’t what they used to be,’ she commented to a lady standing beside her. ‘Not since the arthritis began, you know.’

Still pretending to be asleep, I continued to ignore her. Five minutes passed before she continued her indirect plea to me.

‘My poor legs… I’m not sure how long I can do this.’ She continued not speaking to anyone specifically, but hoping someone specific would hear. I could feel the eyes of everyone on the bus set their disapproving gaze upon me.

‘Would you like a seat, ma’am?’ I asked, getting up finally. I had grown tired of her lofty presence over me.

‘That would be great,’ she rejoined. ‘My legs aren’t what they used to be, you know,’ She said for the fiftieth fucking time. ‘You’re such a gentleman,’ she smiled, taking my seat. I smiled back scornfully.

‘It’s nothing. It’s my stop now anyways.’

Getting off the bus, the disapproving gaze of the other passengers followed me as I walked in the opposite direction as if studying my face for the next time they saw me.

‘Asshole!’ the old lady yelled out the window as the bus drove off.