Being squashed on a packed bus is never pleasant, but one woman’s experience took an uncomfortable turn when she felt someone encroaching on her personal space, prompting her to exact “petty revenge”. She noted there was “plenty of space” to stand on the bus and was irked when another passenger chose to stand right beside her.
“After a few moments, she started leaning her shoulder against mine,” she recounted.
The woman said she “politely” requested the stranger to “move a little” bit away as it made her feel “uncomfortable”. She was incensed by the lack of “basic manners” shown when the individual returned to lean on her like a “human pillar,” especially in the “hot and sticky” weather.
She vented: “I can’t even tell how p***** off I was. So I decided to take my petty revenge. Once she got ‘comfortable’ using me as her support again, I suddenly took a step back without warning. So she lost her balance and fell down right away.”
The lady reported the woman “stood up,” glanced at her, “didn’t say a word,” and then “stood well away” from her for the remainder of the journey.
In the comments section, some speculated the woman might have had a hidden reason for standing so close.
One commenter shared: “On a bus in Delhi one time, a woman came and stood too close to me, and stretched her arm across my front to hold the same seat that I was holding.”
A woman recounted a startling incident on public transport, saying: “Her shawl was draped over my handbag, so I put my hand in my handbag and found her hand in there! I shouted and she didn’t move away, so then I stood firmly on her sandaled foot. Then she moved away. Nothing was missing yet, so it was okay.”
Another individual immediately suspected the close-standing woman of attempting theft, stating it was their “first thought” that she was trying to “rob” her.
One person expressed outrage at the invasion of personal space, exclaiming: “It’s amazing how some people think their comfort trumps others’ space,” questioning why the woman needed to stand so near.
Highlighting the lack of personal boundaries, a Redditor commented: “The fact that she fell down when you moved back a bit just shows how much she was leaning on you. Some people have no manners or boundaries.”
Sharing his own encounter with an intrusive stranger, a man wrote about his experience on a packed subway: “I was in a relatively crowded subway some years ago on my way to work. I had managed to get a seat, and the aisle was filling up.”
He continued: “This guy came in, stood right in front of a woman and started a similar routine of trying to lean on her until she protested. As soon as I noticed what was going on, I gave her my seat, and I stood in front of the guy, who was half asleep and had turned around at this point.”
His story concluded with a twist: “Well, he decided to give it another go, turned around and was shocked to see a 6’6 bearded, angry-looking man staring down on him. All of a sudden, he was fully awake and was able to behave.”
A woman praised the assertive action taken, writing: “She didn’t have consent, and you did what you did. Good job! I can’t fathom doing this in public at all.”