[Tadao]

Originally Posted by Zhukov

So I'm on the bus sitting opposite an old woman - her seat facing the front of the bus, mine facing backwards to the rear. Not having the best day, but it can't really get any worse on my last bus ride home.

As I stare out a window I see the old woman out of the corner of my eye struggling with the bus window; she's not tall enough to reach it properly, or strong enough to open what must be a stuck clasp, and she gives up and sits back down with a sigh.

Being the smug gentleman that I am, I stand up and proceed to open it for her, and, not content with the bare minimum of helpfulness, the adjacent window as well. Just to prove what a charming and helpful young man I am I sit back down with a smile in her direction... while she frowns at me.

I hear tutting from some other people on the bus, and a few shakings of the head to boot, which is just confusing me. What are they directed at? Me?

It's my stop next, and as I collect my bag and start to get off, a man nearby stands and leans over me to shut the windows that I opened, and scowls at me. I get off the bus, puzzled and I hear the old woman say "thank you dear" to the man that closed the windows.

Took me a few steps to realise that I had immediately opened the window that the old woman had taken such effort to close - then smiled mockingly at her as if daring her to defy my will.

Reminds me of that Douglas Adams story.

http://samuelcooney.wordpress.com/20...douglas-adams/