The subway hummed like a beehive full of indifferent faces. A young mother with a baby in her arms barely squeezed into the crowded carriage. The child slept peacefully, pressed against her chest, and the woman herself could barely stay on her feet – she was holding the baby with one hand, and with the other she couldn’t even grab the handrail.
She looked around the carriage in silence. Young men and women sat with their eyes downcast, looking at their phones; some pretended not to notice her at all. Someone glanced sideways and then turned away again. The woman swayed with the train, straining her arms more and more, trying to hold on. Someone glanced at her briefly, but looked away again.
But then, an elderly woman of about seventy years old did something unexpected, after which all the passengers looked at her with respect, blushing with shame. Continued…
“Darling,” the elderly woman said loudly and clearly, “come here and I’ll give you my seat.”
Everyone turned around. The woman stood up with difficulty, leaning on a cane. Her hair was neatly gathered in a bun, her face wrinkled and tired. She gestured to the young mother.
“My knees hurt, but your hands are more important. And your child is more important than my joints,” she said with a kind but stern smile.
Mom came up to me in confusion and whispered quietly:
– Thank you very much…
And at that moment something happened that no one expected.
One of the guys, who had been sitting with his head buried in his headphones the whole time, suddenly stood up and said loudly:
– Excuse me. I’m ashamed. Please sit down. – He gestured to his seat and turned to the old woman. – And you, please, don’t stand. Sit down. It’s my business to give in, not yours.
There was silence.
One by one, other passengers began to get up. Several free seats appeared at once. Someone offered to help Mom hold her bag. The old lady only sighed:
– There you go. And I thought that I had completely lost my humanity…
And when the train stopped, she slowly got out without turning around. Only a slight smile flashed across her face.
