She froze as a creepy man bothered her in a cafe. A random stranger used a clever trick to protect her
He consistently kept distracting her by tapping on the window, but Nevill knew he meant trouble.
Trigger Warning: This story contains themes of harassment that some readers might find disturbing.
In many cases, it doesn’t take a great deal of strength to help a person in need. What it really takes is unwavering humanity and kindness. A woman named Olivia Nevill (@livlivinlife__) recalled a harrowing experience with a creepy man on December 11. The woman was in a café when the ruthless guy kept staring and even went as far as to approach her inside the café. Despite ignoring him, the guy wouldn’t leave. In that feeling of discomfort and helplessness, a stranger arrived to her defense in the smoothest and simplest way, and it shows that it really doesn’t take much, just a good heart.
Nevill captured how she was at a café alone, journaling. She noticed a man standing outside trying to get her attention by tapping the window. He consistently kept distracting her, but Nevill knew he might mean trouble. She decided to trust her gut, and so she ignored him. The relentless creep crossed his limits, entered the café, and made his way to harass Nevill further. Scared, she felt uncomfortable and had no idea how to respond, so she decided to pull her focus to her journal. However, the man didn't quit and deliberately called out to her. Trying to give him as little attention as possible, she found herself helpless.
The man told her he was a gangster and went on about some other pointless conversation. “I was scared, I felt on edge, I felt threatened. He would not leave me alone, and my mind was racing at a million miles per hour for what was going to happen next,” Nevill wrote. The barista was trying to get him to leave, but in vain. A café, loads of people, a pleasant setting — it all turned into a nightmare for Nevill, who felt like she was dealing with it all alone. When the man went on and didn't show any signs of leaving, an observant and kind stranger stepped into the picture. He just walked in from behind Nevill and struck up a conversation pretending that he knew her.
Knowing this was her saving grace, the woman played along, and the duo stayed focused on the exchange, ignoring the man. He stuck around for a bit, still hovering to see if the stranger left. However, the gentleman stayed with the woman and kept talking till the man finally walked out and was nowhere near the café. The woman thanked him, and the stranger left, as though he had just arrived to do what he was supposed to. Experiences like these have unfortunately become the norm for many women. According to Girls for Gender Equity, 65% of women experienced street harassment. Out of these 20% even reported being followed.
The BBC shared statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which revealed that one in eight women has been a victim of domestic abuse, stalking, and harassment. It was also reported that 8.4% of men were subject to such crimes, whereas for women, the number was nearly double (12.8%). “I can't describe how many instances this has happened to me and so many other women before, I just happened to be recording at the time,” Nevill remarked. She was grateful for the kind stranger who approached her that day and hopes others, too, will avoid being bystanders.
“It serves as a prime example of how you can help women feel safe in these situations. Thank you to the man who helped me. He made me feel so safe and suddenly so much less alone. This is a message to any man watching this: please, please know a small action like this can help diffuse what could’ve escalated into a really horrible situation,” Nevill said. @sunfwer said, “That guy who stood up was a hero.” @bobbiella_ added, “This is terrifying and the man who came to stay with you — lovely!” @vivwilmer remarked, “The fact that this is such a shared experience is beyond me. So happy to see others, especially other men, take action!”
If you are being subjected to harassment or sexual assault, please call the helpline on 855-897-5910 or visit the online hotline to receive help over secure, anonymous IM chat.
You can follow Olivia Nevill (@livlivinlife__) on Instagram for more content on lifestyle.
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