Man Refuses to Give Up His Seat to Pregnant Woman, Boy Teaches Him a Lesson – Story of the Day

A rude man refuses to give up his seat to a pregnant woman on the bus, but a clever boy teaches him a lesson.

It was the end of a hot humid day in San Francisco and George Fields was tired, irritable, and eager to get home. He boarded the bus and immediately sank down into an empty seat right at the front with a sigh.

Over the next three stops, the bus slowly filled, until it was standing room only. George congratulated himself on his luck in landing a seat and settled himself in more comfortably.

Then at the next stop a heavily pregnant woman got on. The bus pulled away from the stop, and the woman took a step forward. George looked out of the window and pretended he hadn't seen her. He wasn't going to get up, no way!

The woman was having difficulties holding on, and she shyly approached George. "I'm so sorry to be asking you this, but would you mind giving up your seat for me?"

George looked at her insolently. "Now why would I do that?"

The woman blushed. "I wouldn't ask, but...I'm going to be a mom in a few days..."

George laughed. "Well, lady, I'm going to be a father one day too, and then I'll get up for my wife."

The other passengers were listening in and a few voiced their opinions.

"Young man," said an older woman, "Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

George grinned. "Yeah...She told me to look out for myself. Besides, she's pregnant, not sick."

Another man was indignant. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself? This woman..."

The boy's cleverness ended up forcing the arrogant and stubborn George to do the right thing.

George snapped back: "This woman is pregnant because she wants to be! It's her problem. Besides, don't women want to be equal? I'm treating her as an equal."

A young teen who'd been listening to the whole conversation from the back of the bus decided to turn the tables on George and teach him a lesson. He reached into his backpack and pulled out his dark glasses.

He started making his way to the front slowly, with his hands held out as if he were blind. He eased his way past the pregnant woman and addressed the driver: "Excuse me, Sir? Could you tell me when we get to Market St? I'm going to the LightHouse but it's my first time."

The driver nodded. "Sure, buddy, there's a bus stop right in front, I'll tell you when to get off."

The boy thanked the driver and hung on to the strap, standing next to the pregnant woman, and obviously having trouble keeping his balance. George watched and felt a pricking in his conscience.

The boy was blind, and after all, it was a condition he couldn't help...George stood up. "Hey, blind boy, you can sit here."

The boy moved over awkwardly and took George's seat. "Thank you," he smiled, "that was very kind of you..." then reached up and took off his dark glasses and revealed dark sparkling eyes full of mischief.

"But I know someone who needs the seat more than I do!" and the boy stood up and offered George's treasured seat to the pregnant woman who sat down gratefully.

George was furious. How dare this little upstart trick him! George was a big man, young, strong, and muscular. He'd show the pip-squeak who he was messing with.

"Come here you brat!" he cried to the laughing boy, "Come here and I'll show you what's what! Think you can trick me?"

The boy grinned. "I don't think I can, I DID trick you, and you fell for it hook line and sinker."

George reached for the boy, determined to teach him a painful lesson, but the older woman stepped in front of him.

"You stop that right now, young man. Don't you touch that boy!" she said, "He only made you do what you should have done in the first place: behave like a gentleman!"

The other passengers started speaking up, defending the boy, and the driver slowed down and asked George if he wanted to get off right there. George shut up, and hung on to the strap, fuming.

All the way home he was aware of the boy's big grin, and the watchful passengers all around him, silently enjoying his discomfort.

What can we learn from this story?

1. Do the right thing. If George had done the right thing, he wouldn't have been humiliated by having a teenager show him up as a boor with no manners.

2. Show consideration for the more vulnerable. George knew that the pregnant woman needed the seat more than he did, but he was comfortable and made up excuses for his wrong-headedness.

3.

. The boy's cleverness ended up forcing the arrogant and stubborn George to do the right thing, and made him look like a fool in front of the other passengers,

Share this story with your friends. It might inspire people to share their own stories or to help someone else.

Any resemblance in this story to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who mistreated a disabled waiter and learned a life lesson.