I was at a bus stop in Streatham. I could see my bus coming. Three teenage lads leaped across the road and with scant regard to those around them, walked directly in front of me - pushing-in, without the actual 'pushing'. Inwardly I tutted and sighed - they were confirming my prejudices about teenage boys.
Then they stopped, and waited for a woman with a buggy, and three elderly people to board before them. They didn't take any of the available seats downstairs, yet they didn't obstruct the gangway by huddling in the aisle.
A woman with a buggy was coming out of the shop. The aisle is narrow, so I stood aside to let her pass. She did not look at me. I commented to the newsagent that it would be nice to get some thanks - nothing major, a slight tilt of the head, or a flicker of the eyelids, or a twitch of the mouth muscles. I don't expect eternal gratitude, or a formal thank you. But just a brief, subtle acknowledgement would be nice.
Sigh
