Blank Noise Spectators

Just Another Mommy

My school was a short 10 min walk from my house with a big bus terminus on the way. I’d been groped every now and then when I was going to school. I would never be able to spot the perpetrators, since they’d melt into the crowds. I would just panic and hasten my pace and rush home/school.

One day, when I was about 15 years old, I was going to school with my sister. She was 11 years old at the time and had just moved to my school from her elementary school. When we neared the school, a guy came behind us and groped me. I just grabbed my sister’s hand and hastened my pace. He then groped my sister, who didn’t even understand what happened and gave a huge yelp. That’s when I saw red - I grabbed my lunch basket (Thank God my mom packed a heavy lunch!) and with all my might brought it down on the guy’s back. After that we just ran into the school since we had approached the gates by then.

I saw the guy cross the road and hasten his pace while he walked away. I didn’t feel special/courageous - I was just terrified the entire day wondering if he’d come back with friends and harass us further when we returned home. I told my friends the incident and all the girls who usually walked to school agreed to accompany us when we returned home. I was so grateful to them. I think he was a coward like most perps are, so we didn’t see him again in the evening.
I wish I had the courage/strength to break a bone. Then he might think again before putting his filthy hand on another little girl!