To My Eldest Daughter's Home in the UK (8) The First Time I Was Offered a Seat

Thank you as always.

The photo above is a priority seating sign I noticed when riding a bus in the UK.

On the train

The day after I arrived in the UK, I went to Richmond Park in London with my eldest daughter and grandchildren.

The natural scenery was lovely, but I had been walking so much that I thought my legs had reached their limit and I was exhausted.

I thought I would be fine and it would be a breeze since I could sit down on the bus and train on the way back, but I was counting my chickens before they hatched.

The moment the train doors opened, I almost let out a "Wow".

Unfortunately, it was Sunday evening, and when I looked around the train, it was crowded with young people.

　　　　　　　　*

I was standing, holding onto the center pole in the car.

A young woman's voice said, "Please have a seat," directed toward me.

Surrounded by young people, it seemed she was telling me to please sit down, so I instinctively replied,

"Thank you very much," and gratefully took the seat.

I felt relieved and relaxed once I was able to sit down.

　　　　　　　　*

A while after being offered the seat, my mind began to spin with thoughts.

Did I look that old?
Did I look like an old woman even to a foreigner?

Well, I suppose it can't be helped, I'm in my 70s with grandchildren.
To anyone, I'm clearly a senior grandmother.

I sat down happily, but felt a slight shock; I found myself asking what I had given up and what I had accepted.

*

Before long, other seats in the carriage opened up, and my eldest daughter sat down next to me with a smile.

“Mom, isn't this the first time someone has offered you a seat? It's good you were offered one, since you would have had to stand on the train for over 20 minutes,”

she said with a grin.

“That's right, it's the first time I've been offered a seat,
let alone by a foreigner in a foreign country; I never expected it.”

Living in the countryside, where life revolves around cars, I rarely take buses or trains, so I've never had the chance to be offered a seat.

*



I had many thoughts about being offered a seat for the first time, but
thank you to the young woman who offered it to me!

This small act of kindness became an unforgettable memory of my trip.

Thank you very much.