A man has sparked a debate after ousting a pregnant woman from his reserved seat on a train following an exhausting day of travel.
He explained on Reddit that he had embarked on a five-hour journey across the country and had purposely pre-booked his seat for each segment of the trip to ensure maximum comfort.
Yet, upon boarding one of his connections, he discovered a pregnant woman occupying his spot. He courteously informed her she was in his pre-booked seat – but she simply recognised she ‘must be in the wrong seat’ before returning to her previous activities.
Venting his frustration online, he recalled telling her: “I say that it’s my seat and could I please sit in it. At this point her partner sitting opposite her starts speaking at me in what I perceive to be an aggressive tone. He suggests I find another seat (which there are none because it’s busy) and I say but I booked that seat and there are no other available seats in the carriage.
“He then raises his voice and says well someone else is in our seats and that his missus is pregnant.” In response, the man, who suffers from a heart defect, pointed out that everyone has their own health issues and reasons that make standing for extended periods difficult.
He said: “I ask him to not speak to me in an aggressive tone, and that I will make a complaint. He then starts swearing at me and I ask him to stop. Eventually the woman gets up and allows me to sit there and he continues to berate me saying he hopes I feel good for myself and that I’m quiet now I have my seat, when really I just stopped engaging as I felt there was no point.”
The situation escalated until another passenger intervened, offering his seats around a table to the pregnant woman and her partner. The man added, “He sits his partner down and then laughs at me and points in my face. Eventually when the ticket inspector comes around they are asked to move to their assigned seats and she asks if I’m ok as another passenger had made a complaint on my behalf.”
Seeking validation for his actions, the man turned to social media for opinions. One user responded, “There’s no reason why the husband, as the healthy one, should have stayed in his seat. It’s ridiculous that after hearing that you have a heart defect he didn’t get out of his seat and give it to his wife, allowing you to take yours.
“Even if they couldn’t sit in their seats there was no reason for her to have yours. The husband was being a selfish a**.” Another user chimed in: “You mean kicking a pregnant woman out of your seat. Obviously not in the wrong, don’t let some obnoxious bullies get to you. A third user questioned: “Why didn’t the man get up to give “his” seat to his pregnant partner. It’s his responsibility to ensure her comfort, not yours.”