The Friendship Wheel On The Bus Goes Round And Round

(Normally I drive. Unfortunately, having to take the bus this morning I am sitting next to two young women in their early twenties. I overhear the following:)

Woman #1: “How things going with your step-dad?”

Woman #2: “He is so irritating; he keeps trying to be the man of the house.”

Woman #1: “Oh, really?”

Woman #2: “Yeah, like putting up pictures and opening jars.”

Woman #1: *gently* “Well, it must be nice for your mum. She was always having to pay someone to come on.”

Woman #2: “No, we don’t need him.”

Woman #1: “Didn’t he decorate the front room; that looked really nice.”

Woman #2: “No, he’s an idiot. I don’t know why he stays around.”

Woman #1: “Well, that’s a shame. He seems really nice.”

Woman #2: “Whose side are you on? I’m going to hit him one day.”

(This carries on for several more stops. Some passengers have moved away. I don’t normally interrupt but feel like I have to say something.)

Me: “So, someone has accepted you as one of their own. From what I can tell he seems like a decent guy just trying to get you to like him. You’re a grown woman. Why don’t you act like it?”

(She gets up to argue but her friend quickly chimes in.)

Woman #1: “He’s right and you know it, I don’t know why you don’t give the guy a chance. Your mum seems really happy, and you acting like a child is going to ruin everything.”

Woman #2: “Whatever!” *storms off the bus*

(I ended up having a long chat with her friend and was told the whole story of how much he has had to put up with. I remained friends with her for years afterwards.)