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Mikael got on the bus after work. He was very tired. The bus was full of people. He looked around for a seat. He saw an empty seat near the back. He walked to it slowly. Next to the empty seat sat an old woman. She had a big bag on her lap. She also had a smaller bag on the seat next to her. Mikael smiled at her. He pointed to the empty seat. "Excuse me," he said. "Can I sit here?" The woman looked at him. She did not smile back. She moved her bag slowly. Mikael sat down and said "Thank you" quietly.
He felt happy to have a seat. The bus moved through the streets. Mikael noticed the woman looked . She held her bags . She moved a little away from him. Mikael felt . He did not understand why she was . He only wanted a seat to rest. A young man stood near them. He watched Mikael and the old woman. Then the young man spoke. "She was that seat," he said. "Her friend is getting on at the next stop." Mikael's face went red. He felt very . Mikael stood up right away. "I'm so sorry," he said to the woman.
"I didn't know." The woman's face changed. She looked surprised. Then she smiled a little. "It's okay," she said softly. "You didn't know." The bus stopped. An older man got on. He saw Mikael standing. He saw the woman smiling. He sat down next to her. Mikael held the and stood for the rest of the . He felt a little silly. But he also felt good. He had done the right thing in the end. Sometimes a kind action can look wrong at first. But saying sorry quickly always helps.
something you do to show a feeling or intention, often with your body or actions
"Giving up his seat was a kind gesture from Mikael."
feeling uncomfortable or ashamed because of something you did
"Mikael felt embarrassed when he understood his mistake."
not able to understand something clearly
"Mikael was confused because the woman looked upset."
feeling unhappy or worried about something
"The old woman looked upset when Mikael sat down."
keeping something for someone else to use later
"She was saving the seat for her friend."
in a firm or strong way, holding something hard
"She held her bags tightly because she was worried."
a bar you hold to keep your balance, for example on a bus or stairs
"Mikael held the handrail while standing on the moving bus."
a trip from one place to another
"Mikael stood for the rest of the journey on the bus."
looked around
turned your eyes in different directions to see what is there
"Mikael looked around the bus for an empty seat."
right away
immediately, without waiting
"When he understood his mistake, Mikael stood up right away."
went red
the face became red because of embarrassment or shame
"Mikael's face went red when he heard what the young man said."
in the end
finally, after everything that happened
"In the end, Mikael did the right thing by saying sorry."
I didn't know
used to explain that you had no information about something
""I'm so sorry, I didn't know," said Mikael to the woman."
at first
in the beginning, before things changed
"At first, the woman looked very upset with Mikael."
moved away from
shifted your body to create distance from someone or something
"The woman moved a little away from Mikael on the seat."
Can I sit here?
a polite way to ask permission to take a seat
"Mikael pointed to the seat and asked, "Can I sit here?""
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