sorter

So I was on a relatively empty metro carriage - multiple rows empty, so I decided to put my bag next to me, as opposed to on the floor or on my lap. This lady stands next to me, waiting for me to take off my bag instead of choosing an empty seat. So, I decided to move to the two empty seats in front of ours, so I could put my bag there.

She starts insulting me in front of the whole silent carriage, saying that if it was up to her I could f*ck off to the other side of the carriage. I tried to explain, very calmly, that I just wanted space for my bag, and she dismissed it completely, saying she "knew what I was doing".

I apologised and said "Listen, I am serious, I just didn't want to have my bag on my lap", to which she replied "and can't people sit down?!", to which I said "Of course they can. But it's very empty now, if someone does need a seat I will of course take my bag off of the seat", to which she just told me to shut up and that the conversation was over.

Now, I don't know if this woman thought I was being disrespectful or racist - my friends seem to think that she might have experienced actual racism before and took it personally. And I do get that, so I didn't want her to leave thinking she had been discriminated like that, hence me trying to calmly explain. But on the outside, all the other passengers saw was a black lady insulting me saying she knew what I was doing, so it was very uncomfortable.

I don't know. Maybe I will refrain from moving seats from now on, because this is the sort of situation that makes me very anxious.