A Boston, Massachusetts, Train Ride Taught an Important Lesson About Men and Women
The other day I took in an afternoon Red Sox game at Fenway. And while I mentioned I accidentally covered some woman in mustard, one thing I didn't mention was an important lesson I learned that involves something men need to take into account more when walking near women.
I ended up taking the commuter rail into North Station to eventually get to Fenway, which put me at the mercy of the MBTA schedule for my return trip. By the time I got back to the Bradford, Massachusetts commuter rail stop, it was getting close to dusk. I happened to be one of the last people off the train, and as I was walking away from the platform, I noticed there was a woman in front of me.
And as I started getting closer, I started noticing something.
By nature, I tend to walk quickly. It's just how I've always walked. So, not thinking of anything else but wanting to get back to my truck and start the drive home, I walked at my normal pace. But the more I walked, the quicker I was closing the gap between myself and the woman in front of me. And as I started getting closer, I started noticing something.
She would slightly glance back in my direction. The first time I didn't think anything of it. Then it happened a second time. And by the third time, it almost looked like she put a pep in her step, and that's when it hit me -- there wasn't anyone remotely near us, the sky was darkening, and all this woman noticed was there was a man walking quickly behind her and narrowing the gap of distance between us.
And there's been enough true crime podcasts launched where in this situation, the worst-case scenario has happened.
So that's when I almost came to a full stop and changed my walking pace to a relative crawl, letting the woman get far ahead of me. Because unfortunately, we live in a world where terrible things happen. And while I know I would've done nothing but walk by that woman had I eventually caught up to her and walked in stride with her momentarily, she didn't know that. And there's been enough true crime podcasts launched where in this situation, the worst-case scenario has happened.
So, let this be a note to men and a reminder -- if you find yourself in a similar situation as the one I just described above, slow your walking pace and keep a decent distance between you and the woman you're walking near. Better yet, if you can move to a complete opposite area of sidewalk or road while you're walking, do that.
It may seem like an annoyance to you, but it's nowhere near the annoyance and fear for safety that women possibly feel just walking down the street every single day. And that minor annoyance could mean a massive sigh of relief for someone else.