I was groped on the bike when I tried to slow down and not cut off the man cycling behind me. He thought that this was the perfect opportunity to slap my ass and cycle away in a hurry with his hood obscuring his face. I don’t know why, but for a full second, I was somehow convinced that I probably knew this person as I could not imagine anyone feeling free to do this to a person they didn’t know. Of course, I realized that this wasn’t the case and I cursed and yelled after him while he drove away. I quickly sprinted my way to my friend’s house where I shakily told her what happened. She was obviously sympathetic but also gave me the harsh truth that sadly this happens to all women. I was able to shake it off for a little while and only really started crying when I told my dad about it later in the evening. I had been catcalled before, but I had never been touched like this without my consent. It hit me harder than I expected it to because let’s be real, we all expect it to happen.
