What happens when an introvert is bothered by someone at a café?

They fight back!

A woman shares how she refused to give away her table to two women who tried to bully her into letting them take it while she was trying to study.

But after talking to her friend and her sister, she was left wondering if she should have ceded the table.

Let’s analyze the story.

AITA for refusing to give up my table in a coffee shop for a woman who supposedly was recovering from back surgery?

On Saturday mornings I study at a café.

It is always crowded (coffee shop noise helps me focus), so I show up at opening time (8 AM), order some food and a drink, and stay for 2-3 hours.

The layout is mostly 2 person tables that can be pushed together, with some larger tables as well as counter seating.

Even though I go on my own, I always sit at a 2 person table, as the counters are uncomfortable for me and they do not have much space.

I also like sitting against the wall so that people walking by can’t see my computer screen.

She had a routine, but it was about to be disrupted.

Yesterday at 9 AM, I was getting some work done at a table when a random woman sat across from me.

This ticked me off because I don’t like my personal space being invaded.

I would have appreciated it if she had asked me before sitting down, but I ignored it.

I was near the counter that day, so she might have just been waiting for her food.

As I looked up, I noticed she was talking to another woman in the line to order (we’ll call the first woman Beatrice and the second woman Suzy).

Suzy was saying how they might have to take their food to go because no tables were available.

Beatrice didn’t address me directly, but she gestured to me, as if planning to take over my table.

This ticked me off more because it was like I was an object that could be moved, but I knew when the time came I would ask them not to sit at my table.

She was ready for the confrontation.

Sure enough, Suzy got the order in and brought her number to my table.

She then asked if I wouldn’t mind moving to the counters so that her friend could sit here, saying her friend had recently had back surgery and the counters would be too uncomfortable for her.

I told her no–the counters are uncomfortable for me too, and there would not be enough space for all of my books and notebooks.

She called me rude and inconsiderate and said I shouldn’t even be there because I wasn’t eating anything.

Table wars!

I said I had bought breakfast and a drink, not that it was their business, and that they could take things to go.

Eventually, one of the workers came over and asked if they were bothering me.

I said they were, and Beatrice and Suzy were asked to leave.

When I got home, I recounted the story to my roommate.

I thought she would be as horrified as I was by their behavior, but she was hesitant to take a side.

She said their behavior was rude and entitled, but at the same time I was taking up a table at a notoriously busy cafe for a long time and I could have moved.

She started questioning if she was in the wrong for how she responded.

Later, my sister likened it to not giving up a seat to a disabled person on public transit.

This I don’t agree with because transportation is a NEED for a lot of people, and these people didn’t NEED to sit down at this café.

Also, maybe this is wrong of me, but I think a lot of people say they have back issues or some other mild condition just to get things they want.

Both my sister and my roommate said it was a “they had to BE there” kind of situation for them to decide.

AITA?

I think she was being bullied to the back of the bus and she stood up for herself quite well.

Let’s see what Reddit has to say.

A reader voices their opinion.

This commenter shares their point of view.

Someone vents a frustration.

Another commenter chimes in.

This person thinks she is in the wrong.

This is a very valid point.

The responses are very mixed on this one.

I guess we had to be there.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.