When I was pregnant and had to travel on public transport, day and night,
Sometimes to get a seat, I had to push through the crowd with all of my might;
Those were days when I used to leave for home from my worksite,
Feeling exhausted each time, as if I were engaged in a fight.
Due to such experience and others, I’ve encouraged my boys to be polite.
That is, they are to always give up their seats to old/pregnant/disabled people, black or white.
They are to always:
Give it up without deliberating,
Give it up with a speed as fast as lightning,
Give it up even if their parent is not looking.
One morning we took the bus and were privileged to get a seat.
Farther along the journey an elderly woman came on – she was petite and neat.
One could even tell that she was comfortably eating hard food and meat
Because her mouth wasn’t void of too many teeth.
Unfortunately though, she walked slowly with shaky hands and feet.
As soon as she embarked on the bus I looked at my younger son, who knew it was time to give her his seat.
He did accordingly and the woman was so pleased that she said, “Thank you son, you’re so nice and sweet”.
It was so heart-warming that I told her thanks; after all, I taught him how to do it.
After my ‘baby’ gave up his seat, I asked him kindly to sit on my lap.
However, he stood for few seconds then looked at me as if to say, “Mom, our position is what we should swap!”.
Despite the thought though, he acted suitably but became too quiet that I had to check to see if he were taking a nap.
He also had his head down but when I held it up, he said something that caused my ‘show to flap’.
He told me that sitting on my lap was embarrassing
And instantly, two ‘nosy-neighbors’ started laughing.
I started laughing too but was only pretending;
Deep down all I could feel was something boiling.
