Girl Power

I stood in line outside an ATM on Friday night. It was about 7:15. After a minute or so of waiting I became the second in line. In front of me was a young man, maybe 23 or 24, long sleeve white shirt complimented with a red tie. Apparently he was on his way from work. He was engaged in conversation with a male friend (I presume) via his flip phone.

About a minute later, a young lady (22-25 y/o) came rushing toward the ATM. She was short, petite, clad in a bright yellow sleeveless shirt, tattoos visible, and a very short and tight pair of jeans. She was well made up, long (false or natural) hair all in one flowing down her back, large loop earrings and subtle red lipstick. She was a cute girl, and when she began speaking her pretty smile emerged.

I had spotted her from the time she was about 15 metres from the ATM. I knew what she wanted instantly. And my first instinct was, "Well, I'm in a rush too... How can I tell her 'no' nicely?" The problem with that question is that I assumed I was the one in control.

"Goodnight. Would you gentlemen mind if I go ahead of you? I have no money and I'm running late for work." "I wonder where she works?" I wondered. Back on point... Like I said, I was not the one in control. There was a gentleman in front of me who was supposed to enter the ATM next. "What incentive do I have to let you ahead?" Mr. Man asked. Apparently, his friend on the phone thought he was talking to him. "No, not you. This sexy young lady in a tight shorts wants to go into the ATM ahead of me," he said, as he stared the young lady down, head-to-toe. She faced him, wry smile on her face. He made another such comment which I'm pissed at myself for not remembering. Anyway, at that point the person in the ATM came out, and Mr. Man allowed her in. I couldn't help but think at that point, maybe if I'd turned up at the ATM in a pair of tight shorts, then I'd have gotten to bypass the line... But I won't try it.

She was quick, and when she got out she smiled and said "Thank you" to us both. He asked, as she walked away, "Can I get your name?" She smiled and shook her head. "Can you at least tell me where you work?" "Platinum," she responded. "I'll look out for you" were his closing words. "How pathetic" was my closing thought.

Why the long story? It stems from an issue I have with R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I'll tell you what it means to me- it means that a guy should not believe it's OK to see a perfect stranger, comment on her body, not even to her, but to a friend on the phone, doing it all right in front of her. Now I'm using this case only as an example, but I've seen too many situations where men on the street have felt it's their duty to make open, intrusive, and downright rude comments about a woman they don't even know. Now we may say that some women call for that type of attention (based on attire, etc.), but that's for another discussion. Now that I think about it, even today my girlfriend related a story of an encounter she had in Half Way Tree this afternoon when a man told her, in the most colourful terms, how he'd enjoy sexual interactions with her and how 'hard' he would be. Just thinking about it...

Anyway, I just think that this disrespect is too common and too accepted. Now, as it relates to Mr. Man and his situation, I take it (based on the fact that he asked for her number) that he's a young man looking to get some... of something, and maybe his remarks to his friend were just his creative way of getting his point across. So fine. In any case, I'm sure Ms. Platinum went to the front of the line conscious of the fact that she was gonna use her female suave to get what she wanted. So, maybe the comments of Mr. Man were just the cost of her request... his 'incentive', as he put it.

Fair trade?