Unpleasant situation on the bus with a woman escalates: she just yells at him.

The woman had already taken the bus in a foul mood. Being a mother of two young children, the stickers on her coat clearly indicated she had the right to the seat occupied by the teenager. Irritated beyond measure, she screamed at the teenager, loudly enough for all the others on the bus to hear. “I have two young children! ” she yelled unnecessarily loudly.

A Mistake

The teenager remained silent. Unhesitantly but very awkwardly, he rose from his seat without a word. He looked the woman directly in the eye as he did so. Only when he was standing upright, unsteady and swaying, did he bend down again. His jeans had ridden up when he rose. Muted mumbling filled the air now that the bus riders had seen what had been exposed by the raised pants. The woman was quiet again. She hoped she would be able to bury herself in the ground at this moment. Thomas Scott was a diligent store clerk in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Minutes Before the Argument

Today was not any different from any other, anxious to get home after a long 10-hour shift. He attempted to shake off the annoyance of working with unwelcoming customers as he took the familiar walk to the bus stop. He arrived just in time and greeted the bus driver as he boarded. The bus was fuller than normal at this time of day. He needed to head to the rear to locate one of the remaining empty seats.

Few Free Seats

The bus engine growled, though it crawled ridiculously along the road. Thomas was glad he could sit for the first time in 11 hours. He adjusted and took in the scene. Looking around, his gaze fell on a stranger’s face. A few seats ahead of him, there was a teenager sitting. He was accustomed to people typically riding the bus at the same hour that he does, but he had never noticed this boy riding his bus before.

Unknown Teenager

He saw the boy was sitting in one of the seats reserved for individuals with special needs. The stickers alongside such seats indicated that they were reserved for the disabled, pregnant females, and females with children. As the bus, which was already full, made its next stop, a few more individuals got in, among them a mother of two small children. The kids were crying, and the woman also seemed quite irritable. No wonder because the USA is a car-centered nation.

People Should Buy Cars

During the 1970s, the automobile companies had acquired the bus companies. If anyone could, they purchased a car. Only the ones who did not have the means to purchase a car, i.e., the poorer ones, tolerated the discomfort, stress, noise, and stink of the buses. Thomas observed when the lady’s eyes fell upon the teenager in the reserved seat. She was openly disgusted that he occupied it. He appeared absolutely normal, so why was he sitting there? She now scowled at him.

Impatient

As she looked at him, the boy continued looking forward, paying no attention to her clear stare. He instead opted to gaze outside through the window. Thomas’s eyes shifted from the teenager to the irritated woman. He was unsettled at seeing how upset she was at this moment. She was annoyed that the teenager was giving her no heed. The irritated woman was now getting very impatient. But the teenager was not shaken by her intimidatory gaze.

Direct Confrontation

Thomas held his breath and prepared himself for whatever the woman would do next. When the woman finally recognized that her spiteful stares were unable to compel the teenager to give up his seat, she opted for a more assertive tactic. She approached the teen. Thomas prepared himself mentally for a fight to erupt, as if he hadn’t witnessed enough of those over his working hours at the supermarket. Why were all these people in such a foul mood nowadays?

Making a Scene

The woman halted before the teenager and bent down. She then shouted fiercely, loudly enough to be heard by everyone on the bus. Everyone turned to glance at her and the boy. He was unmoved by her. Based on experience, Thomas was certain the boy’s unflappable attitude would anger the woman further. And so it did. The woman launched into an actual tirade and her face turned red.

Escalation

She shrieked at the teen, “Don’t you know you are sitting in a seat for needy people? Can’t you see the stickers? If you have any manners, you will give the seat to someone who needs it!” She crossed her arms and stood there waiting for the teen to answer. She was anticipating an apology and for him to get up and leave the seat at once. However, the teenager said nothing and did nothing.

Seeking Attention

The lady then wanted to give him a lesson and grew all the more furious. She could not yet foresee her plan would spectacularly go wrong in the very next second. She shouted in fury: “I have two small children! You ought to have given me that seat when you noticed me board the bus, young man! ” If anyone hadn’t realized that there was a disagreement up to this point, now the entire bus was staring at the two of them.

Today’s Youth

Thomas saw that the driver was keeping an eye on things through his front mirror. The kid raised his head and directly looked at all who were looking fixedly at him. Some shook their heads disapprovingly, others, such as Thomas, were utterly absorbed in his response. Thomas could never imagine what would follow. He wasn’t sure if a fight was going to break out. The boy appeared completely tranquil, but he had frequently witnessed tranquil people suddenly explode.

Confrontation

Thomas took hold of his phone, prepared to call for assistance if needed. At that moment, the boy stood up with no word. The woman began to smile, believing she had conquered this struggle, but she made a very, very big error. The boy took hold of a bus stop pole and hung on. “You think you merit this seat just because you are a mother? ” he asked the woman.

A Calm Response

Thomas saw that he was dealing with a steady boy. He still had one earplug in his ear. Thomas had moved forward, up to the arm of his chair, nervously waiting to see what would be done next. This boy had the guts to stand up to the angry and stubborn lady while everyone witnessed him doing it. The whole bus, the whole bunch of passengers, was on the side of the woman against the boy. He had to mind his manners, otherwise, an entire busload of people could simply turn on him.

Hiding Something

But his gestures did not seem threatening; they were uncertain instead. He leaned as he clung to the handrail. The woman’s smile was quickly displaced by rage. “Yes, I surely deserve it more than you do! ” she yelled uselessly in the boy’s face. The boy laughed sarcastically and then bent down to pull up his jeans. He gazed directly at the eyes of all who observed him as he struggled to get something out of his jeans.

He rummaged about and pulled at the bottom ends of his jeans until the fabric was released.

Prosthetic Leg

Thomas was in alarm mode. He was aware of the risk of the Texas gun laws. He had an instant fear of the worst possible outcome: a weapon. His heart raced violently as his gaze concentrated on the teenager’s hands. A shiver went down his spine. The kid pulled up his jeans to expose his prosthetic leg. Gasps could be heard on the bus. In an instant, everyone was appalled that this kid was compelled to expose his disability.

Compassionate

Thomas observed the mother’s face redden with embarrassment and discomfort. She was struck silent. Now that everyone’s attention had turned to her, all she could manage to do was stutter. The boy glanced at everybody before settling down once more and tucking his jeans over his prosthetic. Thomas couldn’t believe what had occurred. In an instant, he was flooded with a powerful feeling. He felt awful for the boy. The boy was required to demonstrate his disability in a bus full of other people.

Encouragement

Then he spotted his brother, who was amputated too and lost a leg during the war. Picturing his brother enduring what the young man had just endured made his heart seethe with shame. He did not want to be ashamed, so he came up with an idea. Thomas yelled, “Buddy, that leg is so awesome! Shame on you, ma’am! ” His words of encouragement motivated other passengers to do the same.

A Smile

Suddenly, there was an eruption of encouragement and support for the boy in the air. The woman, rather than screaming initially and involving the entire bus, would have been best simply asking in the usual manner. It did not take long for the young man, who had previously been sad and embarrassed, to begin smiling once again. He now became much more assured of his disability. Individuals patted him on the back and apologized for what had transpired.

Whoever Yells is Wrong

Naturally, some did not have any limits and questioned him about why he needed to use a prosthetic. But the boy simply smiled but never replied. But most importantly, Thomas learned something that day. It’s always wrong to meet a conflict with yelling and accusations. It doesn’t matter if you are annoyed or angry. If we treated people the way we want to be treated, there would always be respect involved at the start. Thomas considered this each and every day when his irate customers were being rude to him.

An Incredible Mentor

Thomas shared his number with the boy and told him to call him if he ever needed to meet a person like him. Maybe they could share something that no one else would comprehend. The boy’s eyes lit up. His face sparkled. He said to Thomas that he had never met someone like him and would want to speak to him. Eventually, the two did meet and commiserated with each other. Now the boy has someone who knows what he’s experiencing!