| from: | ST | ||
| to: | cj@thiscrazytrain.com | ||
| date: | Thu, Sep 10, 2015 at 9:15 AM | ||
| subject: | Seat saver last night - Kitchener 17:50 |
Hi CJ,
Long time fan of your site. A quick story for you. The chaos caused by the bomb hoax last night left many of us Kitchener Line riders stranded. I have to say, despite the chaos and long wait for any news on when or if our train would ever leave, everyone in the concourse was surprisingly calm and courteous to each other (where I was standing anyway). This even extended to when we were all shuffled up onto platforms 9 and 10 around 7pm when we were told our train would indeed be finally arriving and we ended up being sandwiched onto the platform like sardines while one train teased us by running straight through union without stopping, before we finally got a train.
All these warm and fuzzies… except for ONE lady. I’ve seen her before, she is a part of a group of 4 ladies who regularly take either the 16.20 or 16.50 out of Union. They ALWAYS sit in the Quiet Zone and ALWAYS talk and laugh loudly. I stopped sitting in that carriage as they were exceptionally rude to anyone who tried to ask them to turn the volume down on their conversation. Anyway, back to last night – so once our train finally arrives, there was very little jostling and generally we all patiently tried to just get onto the train. I managed to snag a seat upstairs, sat down, only for chaos to erupt in the quad in front of me. The lady in question had decided that despite all of us waiting upward of 2 hours for a train, she was going to reserve a seat for her friend.
A young lady saw this, went over and asked her politely to move her bag so she could sit down. The seat saving lady then erupted into a flurry of ‘rude girl’ and less polite phrases. The younger lady (aka my hero) loudly pronounced ‘I paid my fare, did your bag? NO! So I am sitting down’. Seat saving lady replies with ‘I was here first’. Younger lady doesn’t let it go though and stands her ground. Seat saving lady ends up leaving to go downstairs in a huff but not before yelling some more at the younger lady.
I could not BELIEVE that after waiting so long for a train to come, this lady felt it was acceptable to reserve a seat for her friend. But totally applaud the younger lady – hopefully she reads this blog. I should have plucked up the courage to say ‘well done’.
Here’s to hoping tonight’s commute is a little smoother.
3 comments:
I'm surprised everyone didn't burst into a (quiet) round of applause for younger lady. However, I'm not getting why seat-saving "lady" (what true lady speaks like this one did to someone?) thought that "I was here first" was an appropriate response to being asked to move her bag so someone could sit down? Unless younger lady was demanding to sit in the actual seat the other woman was already IN, that response is ridiculous.
But then again, what about this entire exchange wasn't?
So glad the 4:30 all-stops to Oshawa was on the platform and many of us just elected to take it and be done with the delay crap!
I also congratulate the young lady for handling things so well. I wish I was that diplomatic. I've said it before that the one time I was on a crowded train on the LSW there was a lady with her purse on the seat beside her. I politely asked her to move her bag so I could sit down. She said she was saving it. I then politely thanked her for saving me a seat and then promptly moved the bag and sat down. She was not happy but didn't say anything to me. Must be my scary troll face that intimidated her.
Anyway when her friend got there she had to stand beside the seat and they talked that way. I couldn't hear them talking so I have no idea if I was the subject. Then to make it a little odder, they got off at Mimico.
It amazed me that nobody else tried for that seat as there were plenty of standees.
We have a few of these women on the 4:18 Stouffville train who sit at the very front. Save seats all the time for their friends and if they are questioned they'll erupt in a tantrum.
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