A young girl was being yelled at by an elderly woman on the bus, who even insulted her parents. However, the kid then did something unexpected.
As usual, I was exhausted as I rode the bus home from work. It was nighttime. Like me, the passengers were worn out and sat quietly in the dim light, staring at their phones.
A woman, who appeared to be around 60 years old, boarded at one stop. She was well-groomed, wearing stylish clothing, a tight ponytail, and a sophisticated handbag. No seats were free, of course. She let out a deep breath, massaged her lower back, and glanced at the seated passengers critically. Nobody made a move.
A young girl with a big rucksack, a phone, and untidy hair was sleeping in the back of the bus. With her head thrown back and her mouth open, she was actually asleep.
A woman walked up to her and muttered something. The girl remained silent. The woman then began to yell while yanking her hair:
She yelled for everyone to hear, “Have you not been taught to respect your elders?”
Confused, the girl woke up, looked up, and looked around.
I was sleeping. “You could have simply asked,” she responded quietly and calmly.
Quiet. The bus’ atmosphere grew strained. Her composure must have been interpreted as weakness by the woman.
How impolite! “What a horrible upbringing!” she said again, raising her voice.
It became awkward. The girl remained motionless, but her eyes remained fixed.
Calmly, she continued, “You had no right to touch me.” If you had asked politely, I would have offered you my seat. However, you choose to yell and insult me instead.
She became even more irate and began disparaging the girl’s parents, claiming that they needed to be re-trained, that they were careless, that they hadn’t taught their kid manners, etc.
The girl then made a move that stunned every passenger and silenced the woman.
The youngster carefully took out her water bottle and dumped it over the woman, clearly intending to do so rather than acting hysterically.
“Don’t talk about my parents,” she murmured quietly, but strongly enough to silence the entire bus.
The woman remained silent. Someone murmured “wow,” and another person laughed nervously.
That’s sufficient, isn’t it? — a man’s voice from behind said.
Others raised their voices:
She was simply dozing off.
— How is it related to her parents?
Stunned, the woman sat. Her makeup was ruined and her face was dripping wet. Instead of gloating, the girl calmly got up and straightened her rucksack.
I would have relinquished my seat, frankly. “But nobody was nice to me,” she continued, before getting off at the next stop.
The ensuing quiet was oppressive. Nobody was certain who was correct. In silence, everyone questioned, “And me? How would I have responded?
The woman used a tissue to clean her face. Perhaps she was truly hurting, perhaps she was carrying a lot of grief. Or perhaps she was simply sick of being unseen.
After turning around, the driver uttered:
— I’m going to knock everyone off after one more scenario like that. That’s sufficient. I’m more weary of life than you guys together.
“And whose side would you be on if it happened to you?”
