Okay, so I just need to get this off my chest because I’m really feeling like I got picked on, and I want to know if I’m seeing this wrong. It happened yesterday at the park, and honestly, I’m still a bit shaken up.
It was a really nice day, you know? Sunny, but not too hot, just perfect for sitting outside. I decided to head down to the big park near my place. I like going there because it’s usually pretty chill, and I can just relax and watch people, or sometimes I bring my sketchbook to draw, though I didn’t really plan on drawing yesterday. I just wanted to chill.
I found this perfect bench. It was under a big oak tree, so it had some nice shade, and it was far enough from the playground that it wasn’t super noisy. Like, it was just the right spot. I had my big backpack with me, you know, because I carry a lot of stuff usually, like snacks, a water bottle, a book, and my sketchbook just in case. And I also had my jacket because it started a bit cool in the morning.
So, I sat down right in the middle of the bench. It was a long bench, probably could fit three or four people comfortably. I put my backpack on one side of me, and my jacket on the other. Not like I was spreading out crazy, but I just had my things next to me. It felt natural. I wasn’t hogging the whole thing, there was still plenty of space for someone else to sit if they really wanted to, like on the other end. I was just making myself comfortable, you know? I wasn’t doing anything loud or messy or bothering anyone.
I was just sitting there, enjoying the quiet, listening to the birds, kind of just staring off. Then this lady walks up. She looked like she was in her 50s, maybe. She stops near my bench and kind of looks at me, then at my stuff. I didn’t think much of it, figured she was just looking for a bench and would move on if this one wasn’t for her.
But then she says, “Excuse me.”
I looked up. “Yeah?” I said, trying to be polite.
She points at my jacket and backpack. “Could you move your things? I’d like to sit down.”
Now, this is where I might have been wrong, but I really don’t think so. Like I said, there was still space. And there were other benches in the park. Maybe not this exact spot under this exact tree, but still, plenty of benches. It’s a big park. So I said, “Oh, I’m just using that for my stuff right now. There are other benches around.”
She looks at me like I just grew another head. Her face got all tight. “This is a public bench,” she says, like I didn’t know that. “You can’t just hog it with your belongings.”
I felt my face get a little hot. I wasn’t hogging it! I was just using the space next to me. I wasn’t even taking up two full spots, just a little extra room for my stuff. “I’m not hogging it,” I told her. “I’m just comfortable. I was here first.”
And that’s when she started getting really loud. “Being here first doesn’t give you the right to take up multiple seats on a public bench!” she practically yelled. Some people walking by started looking over. I felt so embarrassed, but also really mad. Like, why was she making such a big deal out of nothing?
I just wanted to enjoy my day. I wasn’t hurting anyone. My stuff wasn’t hurting anyone. It was neat. I wasn’t sprawled out like I was sleeping or anything. I was just having a nice, peaceful time. And she just had to come and ruin it.
I just looked at her. I didn’t say anything back because I didn’t want to make it worse, but I also wasn’t going to move my stuff. Why should I? I was there first, I was being quiet, I was just relaxing. If she wanted that specific spot so bad, she could have waited for me to leave, or found another bench.
She just stood there for a second, huffing and puffing, then she mumbled something under her breath that I didn’t quite catch, but it sounded mean. Then she stomped off and went to another bench further away. She kept looking back at me, too, like I was some kind of criminal.
It really ruined my whole afternoon. I couldn’t relax after that. I just felt like everyone was looking at me, even though they probably weren’t. I ended up packing up my stuff and leaving a little while later because I just couldn’t enjoy it anymore.
I just don’t understand why people have to be so confrontational. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just using a bench how I wanted to use it, minding my own business. She’s the one who came up and started a whole thing. She could have just gone to another bench. There were plenty. I feel like she just wanted to pick a fight.
Was I Wrong? Tell me what you think. I really thought I was just doing my own thing and this lady just had to make a scene for no good reason. I just want to know if I’m crazy for thinking she was the rude one here.
