Encounters

The following 3 encounters are just the most brutal/obscene of daily street
experiences, the cumulative effects of which have turned me into one of
those angry/blank-faced women you pass on the streets. The sad thing is I'm
not angry or blank! I'm kind and loyal and enthusiastic, but if my intended
soul-mate were to bump into me on the street he would likely pass my by
because the thick skin I've grown out of necessity keeps creeps as well as
would-be-friends at bay.

1st: San Fran (Market & 9th) 2003: Crossing 9th towards my building with a
flock of business people, wearing a knee-length camel-hair skirt - a man
crossing the street towards me suddenly stoops and runs his hand up the
inside of my leg before I know what is happening. And then he's gone, we're
on opposite sides of the street and not a single fellow-street-crosser
stopped or noticed.

2nd: Berkeley, 2002, AC transit bus #15: Semi-full bus, plenty seats
available, and I hadn't yet learned to ALWAYS sit on the isle seat. A
disheveled man sits next to me on a bench seat effectively trapping
me in the window seat. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a furitive
motion in the man's lap. In horror I realize he's jerking off. Not eager to
have to squeeze over his lap in order to escape, I sat there shame-faced
until he left the bus.

3rd: Berkeley 2004, AC transit bus #15: VERY full bus, but this time I'm older
and wiser. Man in tattered sweats sitting in one of the side
bench seats begins masturbating - not at me in particular but at the riders
in general. No one does anything. Everyone scoffs, blushes, gasps and
otherwise looks away. I walked up to the driver informed her that a man was
masturbating on the bus, exited the bus and ran like hell.

I can't wait to add pics to this site. This is empowering.

Submitted by Erica in San Francisco