My boyfriend and I were on a date to see a movie. We had time to kill so we went to check out a Barnes and Nobles bookstore. We were together for most of the time walking the aisles. We stopped into the store’s Starbucks, sat at a table, and everything seemed perfectly normal. He wasn’t finished with his coffee yet so I decided to go back to looking at books and I told him to catch up when he was done.
I went to the language section in the far back left corner of the store near the bathrooms. I looked over and there were some women in the far aisles. I was so into the books that I hadn’t noticed a guy come up beside me until he spoke. “Can I ask you a question?” He was tall with curly hair and glasses and his voice had some kind of accent I didn’t recognize. “Sure, what’s up?”
“Where can I take you to f**k the shit out of you?”
My mind just completely stopped working. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Um, no.”
“Why not?” He seemed to actually be aggravated by my answer.
“Because no.”
“That’s not a reason, why not?”
“I have a boyfriend.”
“I don’t see him, where is he? I insist.”
“No.”
My stomach dropped when I turned my back on him and no one was in the aisle with me. We were right next to the bathrooms, in the far back of the store. It would have been nothing for him to pick me up. But he let me go.
I told the manager on duty and pointed him out. The manager didn’t do anything, but he kept an eye on him. I guess he really couldn’t take my word against his. I coaxed my boyfriend to leave with me but only told him what happened once we were at the theater. I didn’t need him to go to jail over one jerk with no manners.
It was crazy, I’ve never experienced that kind of aggression before. I attract quiet, sweet, soft-spoken guys. I had no idea how to react to him, he broke my brain. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about what I would or should do in that situation. This kind of thing always felt like something that happened far away, to other people.
Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?
It’s like the schools that send girls home for unacceptable clothing. It’s not the place, the clothes, or the outside variables. Boys need to be taught to respect women.
– R.B.
Location: Tyler, TX
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