This has been bugging me since it happened.
I was in John Lewis cafe earlier today, doing a bit of work on my generic portable device. I am sat near the back of the cafe, with no-one else around apart from a young Asian* girl, about 20-ish sat behind me.
So I am tapping away on the keyboard, and I hear:
“It’s only water, now shut your ***ing face”
I turn around, and I see an Asian* guy has joined her. About the same age. smartly dressed. I think it must have been a joke or something.
…but no.
Over the next few minutes….*shut your ****ing face”….”you want me to slap you?”….”I’ll punch you in the face right here”.
I should add, I was about to leave just before this started, but as I was the only one about, I figured I should hang about for a bit just in case he did start lamping her. On the punching the face bit, I just turned round and stared at the guy. Didn’t say anything, just stared at him. Not trying to be a tough guy, mind, just didn’t really know what else to do.
After this it was:
“Look what you’ve done, causing people to stare” etc.
Her reaction to this sadly conveyed this was not the first time this has happened, and she had slipped/been forced into the victim role by this ****.
Anyway, at this point, I had to book. As to be honest, The threats seemed to have stopped since I kept looking at the prick, and I had resigned myself to the fact no good could come from me intervening. Figured I would give the security a word on my way out just to keep an eye on the situation. As it goes, I couldn’t find any, and staff didn’t know where they were. So just left my morals at he door, and pissed off.
Now, I’ve never really been in a situation like this, and it’s doing my nut that I didn’t do anything more. Even though I know exactly why I didn’t, and a million reasons to back this course of action up.
You walk over and punch him in the throat = you’re going to have a bad time.
You tell him to stop = you’re going to have a bad time
…not to mention whatever you do to him, is probably going to be relayed tenfold on her behind closed doors.
The oddest thing, was this was occurring in the genteel surroundings of JL cafe, and put me right off my Bakewell tart.
I really didn’t need this shit on my birthday 🙁 ….I’m off for a pint.
*I mention this as they were Asian, well Pakistani, so they may even have been brother/sister, and she had incurred the wrath of the family somehow. Stand down, Liberals.