I would not ask for the seat back. I am actually a fan of the notion that seats on crowded buses, subways, etc should be relinquished by able-bodied men to any elderly, women and especially elderly women. So I would hope that my boyfriend or husband would not even think about asking for his seat back upon his return from the bathroom. In fact, I would hope that he would give up his seat regardless of whether he needed to visit the restroom, once he sees that there is an elderly woman being forced to stand.

If my husband were so uncaring and selfish that he was upset that I let an elderly lady take his seat, I'd probably clean his clock with an iron skillet. Hopefully I would never have married that kind of man in the first place (and I didn't).

No, I wouldn't ask for my husband's seat back. Honestly, the elderly person would probably need it more than he did. If my husband's upset over something like this, that's his problem -- and it really is a problem, because the minor inconvenience he'd face by not being able to sit down for a few minutes when he can stand perfectly well is more than offset by the major inconvenience the woman would face.

Heck no!

If anything, I'd be upset with my husband if there was an elderly woman in the lobby without a seat and he was sitting there like a schlub all ungentlemanly. He knows better.

If he got back and found out I kicked out an old lady, he'd probably look at me like a heartless fiend, and then insist the lady take the seat back anyway. It would embarrass him if I "held" his seat for him.

There should still be a sense of chivalry and honor left in this world. You know, when I went to the last "Harry Potter launch party" at a Borders store around midnight, I was 8-1/2 months pregnant. I stood in line for 2 hours ON MY FEET staring at two teen boys sitting in armchairs right in front of me. They never once offered a seat. And when the line started moving, a couple guys in their 30s SHOVED past me to get ahead in line. I will never, never treat anyone else that way.

When I am old and frail, smelling like mothballs, purse full of butterscotch candies, I hope that someone will give up their seat for me in a crowded lobby.