A year or two ago, I was on my way to a concert. I had to travel by train alone for about 40 minutes, which I usually don’t have a problem with. It wasn’t even all that late, about 18:00 and I had a friend waiting for me on another station in which I had to switch trains for the last 20 minutes of the trip. So I was just sitting there, minding my own business, earplugs in my ears, when a young guy came stumbling past where I was sitting. I think I was 20 back then? Maybe even 19, and he was a couple of years older than I was. It was obvious he was drunk and I tensed up immediately. He walked past me though, going to another part of the train. Or, well, until he actually saw me, that is. I was trying to ignore him, feeling umcomfortable by just having him near me and then I noticed that he walked back, all the while staring at me. He stood in front of me and started talking, so I took one of my earplugs out, because I thought he might have a question about the stations or something. He did, so I answered and then went back to my business, thinking he’d move along. See, I wasn’t sitting at one of the chairs, I was standing by the doors and most of the train was empty, so he didn’t have any reason not to go towards the area which had seats. But he stayed at the same place I was, moving next to me and he kept staring at me. Eventually, he started asking questions. I tried to ignore him, even told him I didn’t feel comfortable telling him my name, etc. But he kept insisting and I was starting to increasingly feel scared. The ‘I am about to throw up’ kind of scared. And he started getting really aggressive about me avoiding his questions, etc. So I started answering them. Not truthfully, just making it up as I went along, but I was too scared not to answer them, because he really started sounding like he would resort to violence if I didn’t.
And then I told the dude that was harassing me that I had to get off and he was like ‘Yeah, me too’. And he told me that ‘we’d meet again’ and he’d ‘be waiting for me’. It scared the crap out of me. There were a lot of people there. They were all watching as I was driven close to tears. They all saw me panic. Most of them were guys, grown men. One even looked me straight in the eye as I looked at him pleadingly, even asking him to help me. He quickly turned away and pretended not to have noticed, not to have been watching me. While I was really, really scared.
And when the train hit the tunnel, a woman suddenly touched my shoulder and hooked her arm in mine, whispering ‘Shall we walk to a different exit? I don’t trust him and I’m really worried about you’. And I just nodded and she led me away. After which I started crying because off the stress and just relief of someone stepping up and protecting me. She asked me if anything I had told him had been true. I told her it wasn’t and she told me I was smart for making things up. And then she asked me if I had someone waiting for me here, if not, she would travel with me until I had reached my destination. I had my friend waiting for me, so we parted ways. But not before she gave me a huge hug and some chocolate to calm down. And I kept on thanking her and she just kept saying that it was okay, she couldn’t live with herself if she let me off with that creep. She hadn’t trusted it and had wanted to help me sooner, but thought one of the guys that were there would do it, seeing how they were talking about it. She couldn’t live with herself if she hadn’t helped me. She told me that anybody would’ve done it.
Point is, not anybody would’ve done it. The other people didn’t do it. The person I reached out to hadn’t helped. This woman, who I did not know, might have possible saved me from being assaulted or raped. I don’t know what would’ve happened if she hadn’t stepped up and I will forever be grateful to her for doing this. It’s nice to know there are people watching out for you. Even if you don’t know them.
kianamaiart
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