It’s one of the few things I remember off by heart from secondary school. My otherwise uninspiring physics teacher told us to think of it as ‘the bus seat rule’. Electrons like to have their own private orbital if possible and people like their own private seat on the bus. I think of it every time I climb the steps on the usually crowded number twenty three as I make my weary way home from work each evening.
But what really drives me crazy is people who put their bags next to them on the bus seat so no one will sit there.
Whenever I see it happen, and I see it happen a lot, I always ask them to move their stuff and plonk my bum down in the newly emptied space.
They don’t like it. Especially when the bus is otherwise empty. Now and again I’ll meet a brave one who’ll say ‘Just sit somewhere else man, there’s loads of empty ones.’
But most people are too timid to say that. They cast furtive glances around, start silently praying to God. Hoping I am not a mass murderer.
Or worse still, a chatterer.
Photo by Autri Taheri on Unsplash
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