Chivalry

Riding the bus to and from work is now a very "normal" thing for me. The stares, overhearing people talking about me, having no personal space, checking my pockets and bag at every stop to make sure no one stole any of my things...It's all become routine.
This bus ride had two anomalies. First, it was not very crowded. I mean, every seat was full and the aisles had folks standing, but there wasn't full body contact on all sides with strangers, so I was enjoying the extra space.
One thing that often gets on my nerves as an American who grew up under the influence of the culture of the South, is that men never give up their seats on the bus. On a rare occasion, if there's a really elderly lady they will, but I take the buses all the time and I can count the number of times I have seen this happen on one hand. Able-bodied young men chilling in a seat while grannies, ladies with kids, and elderly men standing in the aisles...it just makes me roll my eyes.
An American girl commented the other day that "chivalry somehow didn't make it to China." Normally I agree, but it showed up on Friday. Back to the bus...not so crowded but every seat taken...I make my way to the back and grab on to the rail. I see this man stand up, tap me on the shoulder and very politely motion to his seat. I couldn't believe it. I stood there in shock for a moment, but wanting to honor this rare moment in history I inched toward the chair. Too late. An elementary school boy about 8 years old had just squeezed in from the guy's other side and sat in the chair. The gentlemen and I both just glanced at each other and smiled, and continued standing in the aisle.