Chivalry

Yesterday I stopped in to the same convenience store that I have been frequenting for months, to pick up my farvorite little snack. While in the store that is quite popular, I noticed a nice looking woman browsing through a rack of greeting cards, totally oblivious to anything happening around her, engrossed in choosing a card to buy.

Unbeknownst to her she was the object of attention of a middle aged man, who was staring at her, all but salivating down the front of his shirt.

It took me but a moment to pick up my snack, and when I approached the check out line at the check out counter, the nice looking young woman was at the counter, another man was in front of me and from out of nowhere the man whom I had observed staring at the girl cut in front of the man in front of me which placed him immediately behind the girl.

This irritated me but not desiring a confrontation allowed him to do so. As the girl was attempting to pay for her card, the man who was standing directly behind her interrupted the girl while she was speaking to the check out clerk saying: "That is a beautiful card." The girl shocked and nervously said, "Thank you.", and continued speaking with the clerk. The man interrupted her again as she counting her money preparing to give it to the clerk saying, "Would you help me pick out a card"? The girl by this time was obviously nervous, because he had his body almost against her and she was pinned up against the counter in front of her. She hurriedly gave the clerk her money, squeezed herself around the offensive man, and started out the door.

Instead of paying for his purchase the man began to follow her out of the store. The girl, now with a terrified look on her face and looking over her shoulder, was almost panicing to get away and the man began to follow her out the door. I reached up and placed my left hand on the right shoulder of his shirt grabbed a handfull of cloth, and tugging forcefully brought the man to a halt.

The girl seemed frozen in place where she stood, and so with my right hand I motioned to her to leave and she ran out of the front door.

I politely told the man that he was acting badly and the girl was frightened of him. He had a startled look on his face, but I then released my grip on his shirt and he suddenly remembered why he was at the counter and paid for his purchase. I paid for mine and as I did so I watched the man leave the store, get in his car and leave the parking lot in a hurry.

When I went to my car in the parking lot another car drove up beside me and I saw that the driver was the same girl I had rescued in the store. She thanked me several times for what I had done, stating that the man had frightened her badly and that she was terrified he would follow her out of the store.

Perhaps this man's intentions were honorable, but he gave a clear sign that he was pursuing this girl and she wanted nothing to do with him. Should I have intefered? You be the judge.