Impatient train woman

[Bigtom]

I regularly commute on a train for around an hour each way. There are no reserved seats. I have a type of arthritis that makes sitting (or standing!) quite uncomfortable so I try to get one of the limited seats with extra leg room.

I walked the length of the train to find one today and the only one was a window seat with someone already sitting in the aisle. I duly asked the lady in the aisle if it was free and she said yes and stood up. I then took off my coat and got my coffee cup out of my bag and put my bag and coat in the overhead rack. While I did this a bit of a queue of people built up.

When I sat down, the lady muttered “take your time why don’t you”. AIBU to think she was very rude and should sit on the window seat if she doesn’t want to move? When I said that, she responded that I was keeping other people waiting!

Because we live in a society that says it cares about those less abled. Being rude to them is something we should all challenge.

Actually OP left the thread days ago, until she was likely notified that more arsey comments had appeared.

You have no idea how standing while the OP messed about was affecting the woman who stood up for her or the people waiting in the aisle. Consideration doesn't just go one way.

If standing was an issue for aisle lady, she could have sat in the window seat and thus ensured neither she nor anyone else would have to stand waiting.

@toucheee thank you for your kindness and understanding.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one."

She wasn’t standing around. Why lie?

You’re welcome, OP. You’re fine, please don’t let these comments upset you. They may have some empathy in a few years time when they experience pain and mobility issues.

Update: I timed it just now and it took me precisely 35 seconds 😅

So you still didn't organise yourself by taking your coat off before boarding, getting your mug ready etc??? 🙄

I think you wait until the queue has moved on enough to start getting your belongings out your bag so your not holding everyone up

No I didn’t and there was no problem because the aisle seat was free. As is the case about 99% of the time 🙄

Then what took 35 secs?

Taking off my coat, getting out my coffee cup, putting my bag and coat away. As explained multiple times to be fair.

Why didn't you just let the other passengers past you first and wait a little bit before getting out your cup and putting your jacket up.
That way your not holding anyone up

I’ve already answered this question several times, but I’ll answer it again … I would have had to ask aisle lady to stand up again to do that and I don’t think she would have been any happier with that to be honest. It was her who was rude, not the other passengers.

If she had been sitting in the window seat and I could have taken the aisle seat, I could easily have let people past and in fact this is what happens on about 99% of the journeys I do.

OP at this stage there's no real point keeping on because people won't bother to read all your posts and you'll just repeat yourself to questions already answered. You've explained exactly why you momentarily held people up, why none of them lost out on a seat because of it and why you needed to sort out your things before sitting down. You're honestly fine to do as you did given what you've explained and I'd leave it now. Perhaps new posters might like to avail themselves of the "see all" option before wading in.