Being nice sucks, officially
Today my naivety and trusting nature proved to be quite a disadvantage.
I went out with some work colleagues for somebody's birthday and had a few drinks (a lot actually). That was fine and dandy but the walk home presented itself with a problem.
I found a man staggered, I guessed him drunk, 'You don't care do you?' he mumbled at me.
I always considered myself a caring person, and was always willing to help so I hazarded 'I care about a lot of things' hoping to lighten his mood, and continued on my way. The man jogged up to me and said, 'But you don't care do you?'
And my reply was simple,'I just said I care about lot of people'
He punched me in the face.
'You don't care though do you?'
'Why did you do that?!?' I exclaimed, his rebuttal was a kick to the chest. Which, despite how drunk I was, I caught, though not wishing to exacerbate things I let go.
'You got a girl don't you?' he continued.
'No, I don't have a 'girl'' I continued walking, naively hoping he would leave it at that.
'You'd better have one then.' he punched me in the face again.
'What? Why would that matter? I don't even have a girl!' I tried to walk off a little faster.
He caught up at a jog, and repeated, 'You'd better have one then.' and he punched me in the face yet again.
I was quite at a loss of how to deal with someone who was completely without reason, though thankfully he started to walk off down a different road to mine.
At about this juncture a guy nervously crossed the road and asked me, 'Are you alright?'. Given how much I'd had to drink I didn't feel a thing from his assault, so I replied 'Fine thanks, I guess he just had a little too much to drink.'
As I sit here typing with an aching jaw and a slightly swollen lip, it pains me that even after his assault I defended his actions and said he was 'only' drunk. Was I wrong to offer a kind word to somebody in anguish? Was there a way I should have handled that differently? Because for the life of me I can't see fault in it and I would do the same again.
I went out with some work colleagues for somebody's birthday and had a few drinks (a lot actually). That was fine and dandy but the walk home presented itself with a problem.
I found a man staggered, I guessed him drunk, 'You don't care do you?' he mumbled at me.
I always considered myself a caring person, and was always willing to help so I hazarded 'I care about a lot of things' hoping to lighten his mood, and continued on my way. The man jogged up to me and said, 'But you don't care do you?'
And my reply was simple,'I just said I care about lot of people'
He punched me in the face.
'You don't care though do you?'
'Why did you do that?!?' I exclaimed, his rebuttal was a kick to the chest. Which, despite how drunk I was, I caught, though not wishing to exacerbate things I let go.
'You got a girl don't you?' he continued.
'No, I don't have a 'girl'' I continued walking, naively hoping he would leave it at that.
'You'd better have one then.' he punched me in the face again.
'What? Why would that matter? I don't even have a girl!' I tried to walk off a little faster.
He caught up at a jog, and repeated, 'You'd better have one then.' and he punched me in the face yet again.
I was quite at a loss of how to deal with someone who was completely without reason, though thankfully he started to walk off down a different road to mine.
At about this juncture a guy nervously crossed the road and asked me, 'Are you alright?'. Given how much I'd had to drink I didn't feel a thing from his assault, so I replied 'Fine thanks, I guess he just had a little too much to drink.'
As I sit here typing with an aching jaw and a slightly swollen lip, it pains me that even after his assault I defended his actions and said he was 'only' drunk. Was I wrong to offer a kind word to somebody in anguish? Was there a way I should have handled that differently? Because for the life of me I can't see fault in it and I would do the same again.