Girl's Behavior

I was sexually harassed yesterday

Disclaimer, this a very personal story, and these are my personal opinions. You may kindly state your own, but I will be disappointed in any aggressive or hateful comments.

I'm new to small city surrounding a lake. I'm 17. Yesterday I was wearing a short black skirt with a long sleeved black top and heeled sandals. My clothes were tasteful not tight, and a little sexy, not vulgar. Yesterday it was 3pm and I was roaming the lake front where there was a small fair and lots of ice cream.

I was sexually harassed yesterday

I sat down on a bench along the lake front for a short rest and watched the sun sparkling over mountains in the distance. There was a busy street behind me, full of people eating ice cream and sunbathing on the grass.

A man sat next to me on the bench, had to be in his mid twenties, he asked me for my name, and kissed my hand. I did not really want to talk to him, sometimes, a person gives you a bad feeling based on your initial impression of them. He was definitely attractive but smelled strongly of tobacco, and was sat a little too close for comfort. I edged away from him, but he grabbed my leg.

He was leaning over me, with a hand on my thigh and breathing down my neck, I was plastered to the bench I was completely frozen. I had no idea what to do. He took my sunglasses off my face and said I was really beautiful. I found my voice at this point, and I shouting for him to get off of me and let go, I was wriggling and trying to get away.

By this point I was smothered against the bench, I couldn't move, and he was gripping my hair one hand and trying to kiss my neck. At was definitely crying at this point. He squeezed a boob and I was trying to kick him.

Luckily I had an angel. An angel in the form of a 19 year old guy, yanked the guy of me and punched him in the face. He must have scared the other man, because he ran away really fast. He's my hero.

It's not the act itself that scared me. It was the feeling of helplessness. That someone could do this to me on a bench on a crowded street on a busy Saturday afternoon, and there was not a thing I could do about it. I was shaking, trembling and I had no idea what to do, I was completely frozen, I couldn't even find my voice to scream with.

My dad would always warn me of strangers, and I would say no it's okay, I can scream and shout and claw out their eyeballs, but I didn't. I was completely defenceless, powerless and useless.

This event has not changed my life, but I won't forget it either.

I'm not going to go out dressed like a nun incase it ever happens again, and I refuse to join movements such as the metoo, because I refuse to let such a small event influence me or exist in my life for a second longer. Pressing charges, or joining me too is just opening up wounds again and again. It happened, I was upset, that's it now. Done. Over. Closed.

I was sexually harassed yesterday

In my opinion, there will always be bad people everywhere, and truthfully, there's not much we can do about it, if you believe otherwise, you probably live in the marvel universe where there's good and evil people. In the real world, things are not so black and white, people do good and bad things.

I'm not saying I forgive him, or that you should forgive anyone who forces themselves on you. But I personally find metoo a difficult concept. If I replay the scene over and over in my head, and tell others the story, and think about it enough, I can hate anyone. I don't want to do that to myself. I don't want to be damaged person who is full of hate. (I understand that some people do have situations that are more extreme and fragile than mine, in which case it is necessary for them to talk about it, and to press charges. rape for example, or when the offender is a close family member)

So my day ended wonderfully yesterday, I was introduced to all his friends, they had to do some grocery shopping, so they did that, and then dropped me off at my house. By dropped off I mean he drove up the mountain at breakneck speed in a convertible and it was awesome to say the least. This somehow became a full on party at my house, I made dinner as a thank you and we ate in my garden by the pool. So it was a lovely summer evening.

My saviour stopped by this morning to talk a little bit about it and check on me. In an hour, he's going to pick me up to go on a date, and I'm really looking forward to it.

I was sexually harassed yesterday

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Please not, my story is unique to others. Everyone feels differently in different situations. Some people may think my reaction to the man was weak... yeah that's point. I had no clue what to do. Some people may believe that metoo is very important, and I do not disagree, sexual harassment must stop. But for me personally, I need to move on with my life as soon as possible and leave it in the past. It is not a skeleton in the closet, but memory that is over.

I was sexually harassed yesterday
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