What's Wrong with People?

Here comes a mini-rant.  I was at the clinic today, having blood and blood pressure tests.  I hate dealing with a coat, so my husband dropped me off at the clinic door and offered to pick me up at the door  I know walking is good for me, but the wind was biting today.

An elderly woman was sitting across from me at the entrance waiting for a ride.  She looked frail, had a large bruise on one side of her face, and was using a walker.  One man asked her if she was waiting for a shuttle.  She said, no, she was waiting for a taxi.  She seemed to have a little difficulty comprehending, either from a hearing or other problem.

The taxi arrived and she struggled out of the love seat the clinic provided for people to wait in, and moved very slowly toward the outer door, leaning heavily on her walker.  I noticed her feet did not align forward and back, but were bent to the left.

This is a small city (22,000) and the taxi service will handle more than one passenger per vehicle.  In this taxi, a woman who looked to be in her 50s or so, but very thin and spry looking, opened her door and asked if the older woman was waiting for the taxi.

The older lady had trouble with that question, but kept moving toward the taxi.  Then the woman in the front passenger seat asked if the lady needed to ride in the front.  It didn't seem the question was comprehended.

The taxi driver, a man, walked around the back of the car, opened the back door, and took the lady's walker when she handed it to him.  She had a great deal of difficulty getting into the car.

Finally, she sat on the seat with her legs outside, then very slowly and (it looked) painfully began the process of pulling her legs and feet into the car.  I could see there was little room to do that, and she had to do it slowly, one foot at a time, leaning way over on the seat to be able to make the bend needed.

The taxi driver stood by until her feet were inside, then closed the door, got in, and off they went.

It just irritated me that the woman in the front didn't just get out and let this poor old lady have the front seat.  Was she a passenger or just riding along with the driver?  It seemed like she was a ridealong from her manner.  I have ridden in taxis with other fares and if it was two people, we were both in the back seat.  I have never had a taxi driver invite me to sit in front, but maybe some do.  I have also seen our city cab drivers go out of the way to assist elderly or disabled people in and out of the cab.  Guess this driver wasn't one of those.

Admittedly, I don't have all the facts.  But from what I saw, I felt like what was the matter with that woman that she couldn't see what bad shape the elderly woman was in and just let her have the front seat?

And, what was wrong with me that I didn't get up, go outside, and help this lady get into the cab? 

I don't have the answer, but I think next time, I will try harder to be helpful to someone struggling to manage on their own in difficult circumstances.