A fat woman of about fifty came into the bus and in an orderly tone told me to take my daughter in my arms and give her a seat.

One case taught me everything. How to put a man in his place. This story happened to me when I was in my first year at Kiev University. After passing the session, I came home to Zhytomyr. Over the weekend with my younger sister, we decided to go to our grandmother, who lived in a nearby village. The bus ran every hour and I had no problem with it.



My sister was 6 years old, but the girl was tall. Keeping her on her lap all the way was difficult, so I bought her a separate ticket. Of course, I could not go empty-handed to my beloved grandmother. We went to the store and bought some sweets. The package was very large. When we got on the bus, the package took up all the space under our feet.



Grandma lived in the beginning of the village, so we always bought tickets at the beginning of the bus. To make it easier to get out and not disturb the other passengers with their bags. The bus was already approaching the city border when a woman appeared on the side of the road with a huge bag. The driver stopped the bus and helped the woman drag her bag into the cabin. Even then, I found it strange that she didn't even thank the driver for helping. Who knew that the adventure didn’t end there.



At the end of the bus there were two more seats. All passengers had already settled in their seats and were preparing for an hour-long trip. Someone put on headphones, someone was already asleep. My sister and I talked quietly and she shared with me how her first year of school was. I didn't even notice the woman hanging over us like a dark rain cloud. “Take your daughter in your arms and give me a seat,” the woman commanded, looking at me point-blank. Such a commanding tone made me speechless.



“I’m sorry, but I specifically bought my sister a separate place so that we could go with her comfortably,” I replied to the rude woman when the speech returned to me. But the woman didn't even seem to hear what I told her. By the way, I was not a timid ten, but I did not want to scandalize with my younger sister. She snuggled up to me with her whole body and she had horror in her eyes. In our family, it is not customary to speak in a command tone. My sister just didn’t know what was going on. “There are empty seats at the end of the bus, and we get off at the beginning of the village,” I continued, hoping that the woman would leave us.



Unpleasant situation on the bus But the rude woman kept hanging over us and breathing loudly. The other passengers did not participate in the scene. I learned to be more assertive, even though my parents always taught me to be polite to my elders. “You can leave your bag in the aisle if you like. It will not interfere with us.” I expected the woman to see the vacant seats and walk down the aisle further away from us. “I’ve seen places, but I’m far away from there, and you can move,” the woman told me in a commanding tone. I could not stand such rudeness.



The bus went to the country road and jumped on each bump. The woman jumped with him, but refused to pass through the cabin. Some passengers have already watched our dialogue with interest. The man across the aisle from us could not stand and asked the woman to pass and not block the passage. A few more passengers connected to him and the bus began to roar. The woman managed to answer everyone in one breath. Then the bus braked abruptly.



How to put a man in the place The bag of a woman smoothly drove forward to the exit. The driver got up from his seat, opened the door and put the bag outside. He then asked the woman to leave the vehicle. He handed her the fare. The woman looked at him with a sizzling look, but silently got off the bus. The bus door closed and we continued the route. There was silence in the cabin. Everyone involved in the process has considered this situation. The driver said loudly to hear the entire cabin: “She goes every week with her huge bag and always finds a victim with whom to argue.” I'll never take her on my bus again, so I'll let her complain to the boss.



This situation taught me that you can never be rude. In any situation, it is very important what tone you turn to the other person. And there are people who will always find a reason to argue with someone. They just need negative energy. As we got off the bus, my sister and I thanked the driver and wished him more adequate passengers on his flights. He smiled back and said, "Always stand up for your boundaries." No one can tell you if you did the right thing.”