Dear Angry Agony Aunt,
This morning I got on the bus with a ton of books, and was lucky to actually get a seat for once. I was trying to study, so I put my books in a pile next to me, ready to pick up should someone need to sit down. The bus was pretty empty the entire trip, so I kept the books there.
Just before a woman gets off, she comes over and starts telling me off saying a man with a leg brace and a man with two kids got on the bus and it was full. She starts carrying on about how I'm a horrible person for having my books down. I look at her blankly and apologise saying I didn't realise the bus was full- thinking, if it was it must have been for all of 2 minutes. She continues to carry on and yell at me in a patronising fashion, saying I didn't pay for two seats and it's really rude. I look over and realise she is ALSO sitting in a front seat, with noone next to her.
When I ask her who was sitting next to her, she doesn't respond and continues to tell me how horrible I am. I am so mortified I apologise to the bus driver. He looks at me blankly and says the bus wasn't full, but someone had stood up for the man in the leg brace.
What was this womans problem (other than the obvious) and how do you advise I handle these kinds of situations? I sincerely apologised and said I hadn't noticed, and she continues to carry on. What does she expect me to do? It's not even her job to tell off passengers- its the driver's! Nevermind she held up the bus for 5mins to tell me off.
From, Stupid Kids these Days
Dear SKTD,
The first thing you need to learn is that the word count for your questions must not exceed the word count of my answer. I spent over fifteen minutes trying to edit and peel back at least 100 words. I went from angry to livid and gave up. The grammar and spelling was fine but my eye balls were about to drop off after reading your war and peace problem.
So now that’s out of the way, let’s get to your problem.
Let me start at the end. This was your first mistake. You need to know that when you’re on the receiving end of a full blown verbal assault with plenty of saliva spray, the absolute last thing you should do is question the person having the hissy fit. This is because when you’re full of rage and hatred, logic and reason are in the back of the bus trying to smash down the emergency exit window. Therefore never, ever, question “Mrs Haven't-Had-A-Lay-In-A-While” and the empty chair next to her. As you know, doing that cost you the extra five minutes (and the extra 22 words of your question).
So, next time this happens - and yes, there will be a next time - this is what you should do. While someone is mid verbal assault, silently stand and walk up to the bus driver. Buy another ticket and return to your seat. Slide the ticket into one of your books. This means you've not only paid for your seat, but you’ve paid for your book's seat as well. Even though the extra ticket cost you $3.20, the smirk on your face is priceless.
Send your question to me - angryauntis@gmail.com
