a British friend once commented, "English men are gentlemen."
recently, on an amtrak trip i took from eureka to san francisco, there sat an English bloke in front of the bus near the driver's side. in the conversation he made with fellow travellers, i learned and overheard that he was getting married soon to an American lady.
i never realized the truth of what my Brit friend said until this soon-to-be-married chap began chatting up with elderly folks. before long, he had to tansfer towards the middle of the bus to give way to a disabled passenger. his new seatmate happened to be a pessimistic, opinionated guy who monopolized the conversation, and yet, he still actively listened and participated. and finally, on the last stretch of our trip (bus-train-bus), the connecting ride from emeryville to san francisco was a full-house. one eccentric lady almost had to wait and catch another bus. without even thinking, this same bloke immediately offered his seat to the lady. that meant, he had to stand or half-sit on someone's arm rest throughout the entire ride.
he didn't even exert any extra effort. he just exuded "gentlemanliness".
i think i'm beginning to believe my friend.
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