Fantasy novel with 40 year old protagonist

Chapter 1

"If you don't like it, you can just stand, sweetie," he gritted quietly, pushing her even more with his knee.

Then, some would take advantage of their more robust, more imposing physique, hoping to intimidate the small-framed woman sitting next to them.

Society has evolved, and women's status has changed a lot over the years. Yet, there are still some things a woman cannot and should not do. Ever. Yelling is one of these things. No matter how infuriating some situations are, the moment a woman's voice raises, she is automatically labelled as "hysterical" and loses any sympathies she would have otherwise gained. And while women had to face micro (and macro) aggressions most of their lives, most of them have adapted and developed particular skills to combat precisely these types of situations.

"Please stop touching my leg!" Technically, it was not a lie. This time, her voice was loud enough for the people in the cart to raise their heads from their cell phones, books, or tablets (but mostly cell phones). That's right. Two can play this game.

"What are you talking about?" Somebody was not expecting her to talk back, and that same somebody was now unhappy with the attention they received.

"You're making me really uncomfortable." Words said with a slight inflection in her voice, not enough to sound whiny but sufficient to generate an emotional response.

With enough experience, the world truly becomes a stage. The audience wants to be entertained and drawn in. It wants to clap for you, laugh and cry with you, and it will happily do it if your performance is good. So why not give it exactly what it wants?

"Lady, you're being ridiculous." And just like that, her status was elevated from "sweetie" to "lady." Who said making progress was hard? It was just a matter of seconds now... 1... 2...

"You should be ashamed of yourself! In this day and age, with so many people present, you dare do something like this?" Of course, another woman spoke first because women have known their share of abuse; they recognize it with ease and understand the dangers right away. Is there anything more noble than someone just as helpless as yourself jumping in to help and save you? She wanted to hug her for it.

"Get up right now," A young man this time, taller and fitter than the one sitting next to her. Maybe not a man of many words, but a man of action, already lifting the powerless perpetrator by his right arm.

Another man jumped in and reached for his left arm. Humans are indeed something else, something so beautiful. We don't always react instantaneously; we watch and assess cautiously, making sure we understand a situation and analyze the risk. But when a threat to our kind becomes evident, we are a force to be reckoned with. And she was one of them right now.

More voices joined in, supporting her wholeheartedly.

"I wonder what your wife would have to say about that!" She wondered if they would notice his wedding ring, and this remark came from the perfect person. Because there could not have been anyone better to note a deep character flaw than a woman who looks like a sweet grandmother.

People became enraged. Many asked her if she was okay. A couple asked her if she wanted to press charges.

"No," she declined politely. "I just don't want him sitting next to me."

They clearly did not want him sitting next to anyone anymore because he was being pushed towards the metro doors as they neared a stop. They opened with a whoosh, and, in a second, the guy was out. A few people got in – slightly confused about the apparent uproar. Still, he would stay out because a few men positioned themselves in front of the entrance and guarded it against any uninvited entrance. She wondered if this would make him change his attitude in the future. Yes, he may feel embarrassed and not take the metro around this time for a while, but would he genuinely learn something from it?