Take my seat. TAKE IT!

I'm a pretty courteous (some might even say chivalrous, ladies ;)) person in real life, even if I come off like a bitter whiner here. I hold doors open for people if I'm going in first, I let people in front of me in lines if they don't have many items, I smile at people who look sad (overcoming my social anxiety, I might add), and I give up my seats for the elderly, the pregnant and people holding heavy stuff on public transport.

Just a few weeks ago, in fact, I was on the Delhi metro (woohoo, progress!), and there was this elderly lady, say about 70 or 80, who was walking pretty stiffly and kept tripping over herself and swaying precariously with every lurch of the train.

So, being the lovely person I am, I got up and gestured for her to take my seat. She looked at me blankly. I looked back at her even more blankly. Was my meaning unclear?

I said clearly, "I'm fine, have a seat". She shook her head and looked confused. I smiled uncertainly, and she lost her head.

She started  scolding me (in Hindi), and I only got bits of it, but the gist was this;
"Sit down! I don't want your stupid seat! Are you saying I'm old?! Do you think I cannot stand on my own two feet?! SIT DOWN!"

Well, I never!

I stormed off in a huff, eager to get away from the crazy old bat who was OBVIOUSLY in deep denial about her arthritic limbs and patchwork of wrinkles. From a few feet away, I noticed her sliding sneakily into the seat I vacated (and probably warmed)! Making herself cozy!

The freakin' nerve!

So listen, old people. You're old, okay? Just accept it. You know it, we know it, and you know that we know it. You're not fooling anyone. There's nothing wrong with it. And you have so few things to be happy about. You can't walk right anymore, you probably have a weak bladder, your knees probably hurt in the winter, your pension isn't enough, you're sick to death of your partner and are counting the day until he/she expires... so just count your blessings and TAKE THE PRIVILEGED SEATING.