It was last Thursday and I was perched in my usual spot - on the hand rail above the humans in the back of the bus where nobody stands. Nobody ever stood anywhere in this bus as far as I knew. It was an express bus and it would drive the freeway from downtown to the park-and-ride near our colony so it wasn't usually that crowded. The bus had thirty-four seats and, today, each had a human in it. The bus began to pull away from the station but stopped short. The door flew open and an elderly woman stepped gingerly onto the single step and into the cabin. Her eyes scanned the large vehicle for a place to sit. Her first pass revealed nothing but before she could make a second, a younger man stood up beside her and bade her sit in his spot. She gracefully thanked the man and accepted the seat as the bus jerked forward. The bus would stop twice more before entering the freeway for the ten mile trip to the parking lot. At each stop, at least one male offered his seat to a female until there were six males standing and swaying with the bus. Each male had shown the honor and chivalry that I thought was lost among these creatures. Each female gracefully accepted the offer as is the polite thing to do so the male may be seen by the others as the strong and benevolent man he hopes to be. These sacrifices were made by men who would receive nothing more than the thank you offered by the women who received the gift of a place to rest. When the bus stopped they would be the first off so others who admired their sacrifice would not be able to express it to them personally. I, being a fairy, could not show my respect and without breaking the "no human contact" rule for non-approved fairies. So, instead, I will write here and hope they get the message.
Chivalry is alive.
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