Offensive Chivalry !

I take the bus to work, and back home. Every day of the week. Each week of the month. Each month of the year. If I go to work on national holidays, I take the cab, simply because my company reimburses that expense.

Now there are many features of bus travel. One of them being "offensive chivalry". To most of us, these two words generally wont jive together, but for me, that aint true.

As a kid, I didnt care being chivalrous, because that was cool. All the cool dudes in school behaved that way with the girls(which in turn made them more popular among the girls), and I tried my best to imitate them and be placed in that "cool" category. That actually never happened, but let me not digress.

Adulthood, and so called good-mannered office professionalism was successful in hiding the animal beneath my skin, and I impressed(tried to) the ladies by being chivalrous at times (although the childhood inertia ensured that I faltered from time to time). But as with all other good gestures, my noble-hearted chivalry was misunderstood recently.

It was yesterday. I boarded a bus back home, and considering that it's peak hours, the bus was pretty full. I was travelling with a colleague and we indulged in usual non-sensical, company-cursing trash talk. Somewhere after a few bus-stops, I found a seat, and shamelessly sat down, while my colleague kept standing(he is very forgiving you see). As bad luck would have it, a middle aged (read: 40ish) lady boarded the bus at the very next bus stop, walked a little towards me, and soon enough, was standing in the aisle right next to my seat. The chivalry lightning struck, and I got up and offered her my seat. Surprisingly, she shaked her head as vigorously as JLo shakes her behind, indicating a denial of acceptance (and in turn reminding me of my various bschool dings). Poker faced, I sat down. It was then that my colleague remarked, that I just might have offended her - by indicating that she is old, and she didnt take the seat to prove a point. Remarkable like Jeeves, isnt it.

But as I regurgitate the incident, I am not sure if he(my colleague) was actually correct ? My question goes out to all you ladies who will be 40 one day (undesired as that might be, destiny cant be altered. You can try and postpone it by celebrating your birthday every 3 years, but that's the most you can do. Sorry!) - what will your reaction be to such a gesture? (the question is also open to all men who know that they are the Sigmund Freuds of the female world)

Please be reminded that I somehow cant buy into the following explanations:
1) the lady wasnt tired at all, and I probably looked tired enough to need that seat more. Even if this is true, why would you refuse a free seat, instead standing all the way - kindness or foolishness?
2) the lady just wanted to stand because she was sitting all day. I believe this is a very plausible clause, but given her facial expressions, I dont think she was at all happy at being offered a seat.

As I close this post, I realise the human nature is hugely complex, and there may have been a hundred other factors which could have evoked that response from her, and hence this discussion might be a waste, but I am still curious to know your views. Let me know what you think.