| Renshai |
12-10-2008 05:58 AM |
I would help in a heartbeat. Doesn't matter if there's six of them - no one should have to take shit from some fucking lowlife. Scrawny guy, lone girl, old man, whatever - I don't understand how you can sit idly by and watch someone be in danger if you're able to do something about it. I'm on the small side of average - 5'10", 170 lbs - but it doesn't matter. Both in my eyes, and from what I understand, in the eyes of the law, if I put myself out there to help someone, I'm doing the right thing.
One night I was riding the L home in Chicago, around 2 am or so. I'm sitting, listening to my iPod, when this women comes, in a hurry, through the far door, walking towards the front of the train. As she hits the opposite door, a stumbling drunk man comes through the rear door, obviously following her. I pause my music. She says "No, leave me the fuck alone." He keeps on coming, and follows her into the next cart. I get up and follow him. As I'm walking, I put my iPod into my pocket, and go through the door. We're now in the lead car, and can't go anywhere further. She's sitting, pushing him away, saying shit like leave me alone, fuck off, etc. He's leaning over her, not doing anything yet, but I don't want to give him the chance. I walked up, and said loudly and clearly while looking at him, "Ma'am, are you okay? Do you need help?" He looks up at me with that "who the fuck is you, nigga?" glance, and I take a step towards him. He stumbles backwards, and sits down. I ask her again, "Are you okay? Do you need me to walk you home?" She says thank you, you're sweet, and it turns out they're boyfriend and girlfriend, just having a little lover's quarrel. She assures me she wasn't in any danger, but I sit at the end of the car facing them until they get off.
Also, a funny story. Some guy was obsessed with my girlfriend when we started dating - this was in high school. She was a national level track and field athlete (which is awesome because I was one of those kids who spent my time being a little punk with my friends - picking fights, breaking into old buildings, lighting shit on fire, etc.), and he was also in T&F, though he was a junior. One night, she calls me all worried. She's home alone, and the guy is calling her, driving by her house drunk with his friends. They're saying they're going to break into her house, blah blah blah blah blah. So I say, "okay, give me this fuck's phone number." I call him, and after about 20 minutes of him being a drunk and me trying to talk to him, I tell him, "Look, here's the deal. You can meet me, with all of your friends, at a park near the school, and we can deal with this. Or, you can cut this shit out, go home, and forget the whole thing happened." So him and his 3 friends agree to meet my friends and I at the park. We were over at my buddy Johnny's apartment, which was about 3 blocks away from the park. So, we're just walking around, looking casual, waiting for them to show, when 2 cop cars pull around the corner. They drive by us slowly, but we're walking in groups of two, just smile at them and keep on walking. The little fuck called the cops! So the next day I drive to his house around dinner time, and have him write an apology note to my girlfriend in his living room. He was too ashamed to ever call her again :)
Back from the tangent though, yes. I think if you can help someone, you should, whether it be through confrontation, or through being clever and acting like you know them, they're late for work, etc. I'm blessed for having friends who feel the same way.
And if you get to trash some bozos in the line of duty, all the better.
On a side note, I'm 22. I wasn't really brought up into that mindset (my parents were both addicts, so they liked the whole "pretend this isn't happening" thing), but I'm not an idiot. The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.
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