Fraility Thy Name is 'not' Woman

Finest Blog of October 2009 - Winner!

I have wanted to write about this incident but procrastinating for reasons unknown to me. This incident took place in the year 2007 while flying to Dubai to join my husband. I was excited to the core for more reasons than one. I was joining hubby after a month or so and then, this was my first air travel. The anxiety coupled with excitement was quite thrilling. I boarded the aircraft, settled down on my seat, a window seat. As I was traveling alone, had no idea who occupied the seat beside me but soon forgot about it as I wanted to savour every minute of my new experience. A woman in her early forties (my assumption) took the seat beside me. She had a pleasant countenance coupled with a calm demeanor. After exchanging pleasantries, I started watching a movie and soon the stewardess started serving dinner. There was a big mouth sitting behind us and I could hear distinctly whatever he was ordering from the stewardess. He was more interested in the alcohol than his food and I guess he did have more than what he could take. He was one of those lousy fellows who think they can go on having drinks in the flight without any restrictions. I hoped he would not create any scenes after losing his senses. In an hour’s time, most of the passengers were sleeping as it was past midnight and I resumed watching the movie.
After sometime, I felt something poking at my elbow through the cushion that I had placed behind my back. I thought it was a figment of my imagination at first so I let it pass by. After sometime I saw something moving towards the lady’s arm who was sitting next to me. I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was a hand, slowly making its way through the gap between the seats towards the lady who was fast asleep. I was dumbstruck and did not have a faintest idea as to what was going to happen and how was I going to react towards it. The hand slowly started gliding over the lady’s arm, the fingers faintly drumming her arm. I was shocked at what I was seeing and soon started moving in my seat to distract that hand that was most welcome on that lady’s arm. It soon withdrew in a lightning speed as if it was caught red handed. I knew I had to act so I prodded the lady who, was oblivious to this entire sinister incident; or so I believed then. She woke up and I told her what I saw and her reply shocked me even more and made me feel like an idiot. She said something incoherent and then she said “What to do, such people never know how to behave’. That is it; this is all she had to say! And then she went back to her sleep.

It was so disgusting to endure the entire drama but then what could I do. The victim itself did not want to react, encouraging the moron who would have considered himself lucky to get a positive response for his cheap advances. I got up and walked towards the washroom and thus broke the bliss he was in. On my return, tried looking over the seat to see the bloke but to no avail as he was reading newspaper or pretending that he was. After sometime, I felt something trying to grope me and this time I knew what was coming. The dunce was trying his luck with me and before I could turn around to give him a piece of my mind, it was announced that all were to put on the seatbelt as the flight was beginning to land. That moment I saw a stewardess walking towards one of the passenger, I beckoned her to seek help. I told her the cause of my uneasiness and she said she will call the right person who can deal with problem. Again, I was dumbstruck. Wasn’t it her responsibility to soothe an irate passenger but it looked like I was asking for too much. So I turned sideways as much as I could as the seatbelt was restricting my movement and did something I never dared do in life-I created a stir in the passengers by creating a fuss. The goon hid behind the newspaper and his fumbling hands gave away the fright he was experiencing. He never in his wildest dreams would have thought that he will be facing a retaliation. By this time, the plane was descending, so I settled down till it taxied and came to a halt. Before the doors opened, the people had already lined up in queues to get out and the goon got away in that crowd. I lost him; did I expect him to stand apart from others and wait to hear himself being questioned by the authorities? How naïve or foolish could I get? But again this was my first ever flight journey. He vanished as I stood there feeling utterly helpless.

As I walked towards the exit, I found the airhostess conversing with some of her colleagues and the instant she saw me, she said-‘This is our senior officer and you can complain to him’. I just looked at her for one long minute before I turned my back towards her and walked away. In half an hour’s time I was with my husband and few family friends who had come to receive me. The excitement of joining my husband and seeing all friends drowned the incident for the moment and it was only when we got home that I told my husband what had happened. Apparently if I had complained to the airport police the time I got out, they would have tracked him down. The rules are very stringent in this country particularly when it is a case of dishonoring a woman. The implication would be rather severe. However we decided to forgive him as well the airline staff for not taking appropriate action.

Hopefully the klutz for sure will think twice before making advances towards any other woman in the future, as this experience would have given him enough fodder to think that not all woman keep numb and act dumb under such situations, this thought brings solace to my heart. What irked me more was the response that I got from the air hostess. Was her duty restricted only to ‘serve’ the customers on board? She didn’t offer any help nor showed any interest in my complaint. One of my friend who works for the same airline informed me that the customers can complain about the air hostess if their service was unsatisfactory. They can be sacked depending on the degree of irresponsibility on their part. How many people would be aware about this? If I would have known either one of the information beforehand, the guy would have had the toughest time in his life and the air hostess for sure would have been suspended. To be frank, I was angrier with the woman who didn’t react and raise voice against that guy. Obviously he felt encouraged and tried his luck. If she would have responded, he would not have tried for sure. We have to take a stand and stop such idiots from making cheap advances towards woman. Lets stop being a silent spectator .Once women stand up and raise their voice against eve teasing instead of keeping quiet and bearing the humiliation, every guy will think twice before making any kind of advances towards a woman.
Now if someone tries his luck with me next time in flight, I know exactly what I have to do and he better beware because he wouldn’t in his wildest dreams know what is in store for him.

 

Dear Megh,

Thats such a disgusting act on the part of that pervert, its sad that inspite of taking an action, no one comes forward to help. Atleast you can be at peace with yourself that you did act and not kept your mouth shut. We need more girls like you dear:thumbsup