The man was about 40 years old, tall, strong, and wearing an expensive coat. He was sitting in the middle of a three-seater bench, his knees so far apart that the two women next to him could barely stand. Two stops earlier, a young woman had asked him to make some room. He had told her to move if she wasn’t happy. The woman had gotten off without a word.
Now it was the old lady who had sat in her place.
She was a small woman with white hair, wearing an elegant coat and carrying a wooden cane. She looked tired, and her hands trembled slightly when she tried to lean on it.
— Please, sir. I have knee problems. I can’t stand for long periods.
The man started laughing.
— Then you should have taken a taxi, Grandma!
I closed my book.
— Sir, no one is asking you to stand up. You are simply being asked to occupy one seat.
