GNER weren't the problem this morning, it was another passenger! I caught my usual 07:20 only to find some guy sat in my reserved seat. As it was a Monday morning the train was busyier than usual so I had no option but to ask him to move.
As I approached the seat I could see the fella was wearing earphones and staring straight ahead. This is the usual sign of somebody hoping against hope that the person whose reserved the seat doesn't turn up. I got to the table and leant behind the bloke in the aisle seat and said, 'Excuse me mate, I'm sorry but that seat is Reserved.' Probably , though not certainly, he duidn't hear me becasue of his music so I tapped him on the shoulder and said it again when he took his phones outta his lugs.
It is at this point where I started getting a little bit nervous about what he was going to do next. Slowly and deliberately he turned to look at me. He stared straight into my eyes and said 'I know it is. I've been sitting in it since York'. A quick 'So what' flashed through my mind as he sat there for what seemed like an age but I just stared straight back and didn't say anything. There then followed about 20 seconds of silence and staring.
I stood there thinking what the fuck is this guy going to do. As I see it he had 4 options. 1. Refuse to move, 2. Move or 3, Try and Intimidate me to give up and find another seat or 4. Smack me. I beleived and hoped he was trying option 3 and I wasn't in a mood to take intimidation too well. However I sensed from his manor and the look on his face that he was going to take the last option and by the smell of the alcohol in the area, I thought this was a realistic possibility. My fellow commuter Steve obviously thought the same as me as he started readying himself to help out. Eventyually matey boy looked at his mate opposite, looked at me again, turned and said nothing more than 'I'll move.' in a reluctant tone.
The bloke in the aisle seat let him out, me in and I sat opposite his mate who was cracking up laughing at his mate. By this time there were no spare seats at all and matey boy went to stand in the vestibule. Eventualy his mate got up and joined him.
Firstly I hate being put in the position where I have to ask somebody to move because an individual feels they have a right to do (or in this case sit) what they want regardless of everybody else. Secondly I hate intimidation whether it be real or imagined. It took me a good 10 minutes for my heart beat to return to normal and another 20 before I could get the event out of my mind and settle down for the journey.
All in all an experience I don't want to repeat too soon.