When I Was Accosted By A Man In The Bus, But Also Treated With Respect By Another

A man’s behaviour can make you hate all men, but at the same time, another man can also make you feel safe to be around him. 

I was in my first year of my college, travelling alone for the first time. The bus in which I was travelling had 3 seats on the right side and two seats on the left side. I was seating at the window seat on the right side.

Everything was okay until a guy came aboard at the next stop. He was constantly looking at me. I was feeling uncomfortable but thankful that the other two seats next to me were already filled (at least he was not near me). But after two stops one of the them alighted from the bus and then that guy came and sat on the outer most seat.

I moved closer to the window, as close as it could be possible. I was facing the window but I could hear the movements of the starer, I could feel that he was coming near me. I could also feel his hand when I leaned my head behind. I became restless, then I turned towards him, and was disgusted by what I saw…

He was not only trying to come close to me, he had turned himself completely towards me, and had kept his both arms at the back and front of the seat (it was like he had covered me). He was staring me with that evil grin I can never forget. I felt so disgusted when I saw him so close to me, I immediately stood up from my seat and shouted at him “Bhaiya! ”

He was startled and everybody started looking at us. He immediately moved away from me. And then I said “side hatiye”, and then I got myself out from that miserable situation and sat on another seat.

Now sometimes when I think back, I realise that I could have said more, I could have taught him a lesson… Hmm.

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This time I sat on the left side, the only vacant seat at that time, where a guy was sitting at the window seat. After sometime, he asked me “Are you okay?” I said yes. Then he again started looking out of the window. After few minutes he said to me, “hey listen, I don’t want to disturb you, but you are looking like a scared rat. You can sit properly and if you want I can shift a bit.”

I immediately felt better. I told him about the other guy, and he said that he noticed him when I had shouted, and that he understood.

We started talking. I told him that I was studying engineering, he told me that he was doing his PhD, and that he had came Srinagar (Uttarakhand) for an exam. He told me that he has a little sister like me, and she was also doing engineering. He said he felt bad about women not being able to travel alone safely if such guys were be around.

When the bus stopped at Teendhara for lunch, he came with me even when he was not feeling hungry so that the other guy wouldn’t follow me. He also helped me take out my luggage when we reached Rishikesh and bid me goodbye.

I had met a guy who made me feel so horrible, but on the same day I also met a guy who treated an unknown girl like his own sister…

Image source: shutterstock

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