Tarry

Getting on a train on at 8am on a Sunday morning to go to work, a man 20 years my senior follows me to my chosen seat to tell me how “Beautiful” I am and to ask me for my number. He was drinking from a concealed bottle of wine the entire time. He seemed like a pleasant enough person in the end and he did accept my refusal to give him my number graciously (Although I did use the line “I don’t think my boyfriend would like that”, as though I need anyone’s permission to give out my own number) but I could have done without the whole experience. I spent 20 anxious minutes wondering if it was going to escalate into something hostile when I refused to give my number.

Also, he mentioned about how he believes that men should “respect women always; we come from them after all! I can’t imagine the pain of bringing a child into the world”. Fair enough right? Seems like a decent fellow. Until I nonchalantly reply something like “Yeah, I’ve been through it. It’s incredibly painfu-…”. He shushed me immediately. He looked embarrassed, as though my commenting on how painful childbirth is was somehow akin to me giving a graphic description of my vagina during the event to a strange man, while surrounded by more strangers. He shushed me like you would a child and said there was no need to tell him, only to agree with him. Jesus fucking Christ that women still have to put up with such silly bullshit!