The buses that I ride to work are nice buses – they have decent seating, lights for reading, and it’s a smooth ride. The seats also recline which is nice when you need a nap. They actually recline a bit more than your typical airline seat. There are also two rows of seats on one side of the buses that have more leg room because they are handicapped rows. Because they are spaced wider, it means the remaining rows on that side of the bus can be a bit cramped.
So this morning on the bus ride in to work two women sat in the row directly behind the handicapped row – this is notorious for being the most cramped row on the entire bus. The woman in the handicapped row was minding her own business when the woman in the cramped row loudly complained to her seatmate, “It’s unbelievable how some people just tip their seat back with no regard to the people behind them.”
I hid a laugh behind my book that I was reading. As any regular rider of the bus knows, that row she sat in is the WORST row on the entire bus. And I know she’s a regular rider because I see her all the time! Well, the woman in the handicapped row turned right around and snapped, “The seat is broken – I can pull it up but the minute the driver accelerates the seat will recline again. And next time you want the seat moved up, just ask – no need to be rude about it.”
Needless to say the cramped seat woman was completely deflated by the comment. Especially since handicapped seat woman made sure to say it loud enough for the entire bus to hear. Sure enough, when the bus driver hit the gas to leave the stop the handicapped seat lurched backwards – in even more recline than before. And the handicapped seat woman left it there.
And again I was much with the laughing.