Take a Seat

A few years ago, John and I went to a movie with my dad. As we walked into the theater, there was no one in the seats, but we noticed soft drinks at two of them. My dad proceeded to walk to those seats.

"What are you doing, John?" John Gentry asked John Taylor.

"I want to sit there," my dad said.

"I'm sure those people are coming back to their seats," my John said.

"Those drinks are probably from the last movie, and I want to sit there," my dad said. John and I were not sure whether to yell or laugh at my dad.

As my dad was moving those two drinks down a few seats and John and I were starting to sit in those seats, we noticed a couple enter the theater.

They came up to our row. They picked up their drinks. The man asked my dad, "I guess you couldn't find any other seats that you liked in the theater?"

To this day, I wonder if the man and woman tell the story of the rude people who took their seats.

A few years later, Mark and I were at the pediatrician's office, in an otherwise empty waiting area. Mark popped out of his seat and went to the restroom, and after a couple minutes I checked on him.

In the short time I was gone, a boy came in and sat where Mark had been and moved my purse down a couple seats. I guess he couldn’t find any other seats he liked in the waiting area.

Mark walked over to the boy and started pulling him gently up to a standing position. Looking back, I can see how that was a logical way for a person who wasn’t conversational to implement a change.

"Mark, we don't do that. Let go of him,” I said to Mark in that moment. “I'm sorry!" I said to the boy.

When Mark kept pulling the boy’s arms, I took his hand and directed him to another seat.

It never dawned on me to translate my son’s gesture or advocate for him by saying, "We were sitting there. It’s important to my son to keep sitting there. May we have our seats back?”

I wonder if Mark will someday tell the story of the rude boy who took his seat and how neither of the moms in the room stood up for him.