Some guys are heroes; others are predators. Redditor Aphrodite_whities wrote about both kinds of guys in a Reddit thread she titled, “When I was 14, a random guy saved me from a potential kidnapping by pretending to be my boyfriend. I never got to thank him. Reddit, what random act of kindness motivated you to ‘pay it forward’?” Of course, the title is very descriptive of the event. She was 14 years old and went to a movie that started at 10 p.m. After the movie was over, the two female friends she was with went to the restroom while she waited outside. This movie theater lacked sufficient staff so often people snuck into the theater through a side door as people left. A man did this on this night — a man she described as “an extremely large, homeless/cracked-out-looking 40+ year old black man (only relevant because I’m pale as f[**]k and he could not pass as my dad). He was built like a truck.” He was aggressive, he kept asking for cigarettes, and she backed into a corner as he tried to make her leave with him through the side door. Her friends came out of the women’s bathroom and did nothing. Aphrodite_whities wrote, “Understandably, they later said they were confused as to what was happening and didn’t know what to do.” A movie let out, and most people passed by her and the threatening man without doing anything. Then a group of three boys around 16 or 17 years old came out of a movie, and one of the boys mouthed to her, “Do you need help?” She nodded yes, and the boy came over to her, put his arms around her shoulders and said some things like, “Thanks for waiting, babe. You ready to go? That was a great movie, huh? I’m glad we went in the end. Who’s this guy?” The threatening man let go of Aphrodite_whities’ hand and ran. Aphrodite_whities wrote, “My guy escorted me outside, and I was in such a state of shock that I think I just hugged him and ran away to my mom who had been waiting in the parking lot. I had been so sure that no one was going to help me, not even my friends, and in such a moment of panic I was really not thinking straight enough to follow the steps I should have (i.e. yell for help). Ever since, I’ve made an effort to make sure I’m aware of my surroundings just in case someone needs help but can’t ask. Haven’t ‘saved’ anyone yet, but only time will tell! The extent of my ‘paying it forward’ is saving girls from bad situations at the bar, nothing heroic yet, but hopefully I’ll be able to help someone out when they really need it.” She also wrote, “(I also just want to add, in case this guy is a redditor and remembers saving some girl that one time, a sincere thank you. It has haunted me since that night that I never thanked you for what you did. Thank you.)”
For Further Information: Aphrodite_whities, “When I was 14, a random guy saved me from a potential kidnapping by pretending to be my boyfriend. I never got to thank him. Reddit, what random act of kindness motivated you to ‘pay it forward’?” Reddit. Accessed 7 April 2013.
Note: Reddit is a wonderful source of stories of good deeds.
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