Willie Sutton
Member
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2013
- Messages
- 2,025
Sitting on the shoulder of a road in a small tourist town yesterday waiting for my teenage daughter to run into our motel room to grab something she had forgotten to bring. Road is zero traffic, I'm just sitting there when a "youth" of about 25 rides up behind the van on a bike. He stops behind the van, straddles the bike, and walks up along the passenger side and taps the window. Naturally I'm bemused but I roll the window down a bit to see what he wants. He's obviously lightly drunk or stoned, and he begins: "hey, man... You're sitting in a really bad place for bicycles... I can't get past you..." Noting that we are on a country road with zero traffic, but also that I am sitting on the shoulder, I shrug my shoulders, drop the van in gear, and drive forwards ten feet and sort of sideways into the driveway of the motel. I see my daughter walking out of our room as towards me as the second chapter starts. The guy on the bike walks up again, signals me to roll down my window and starts again "hey man, the law says I have the right to be able to bike past you without needing to go around you". At this time my daughter (in her usual condition white) is walking towards us about 50 feet away with her head down oblivious to the scene. I foresee her getting to the van at *exactly* the wrong time. I put my left hand palm forward in the universal "stop" body language position and say "I'll be happy to call a cop if you want me to, otherwise BACK OFF". The "youth" (described now for your edification as a filthy white Rastafarian wanna-be) looks at me and doesn't quit. By now my daughter is 25 feet away and closing. He reaches for the door handle so he can open it to continue his harangue and is met by my words "I'm telling you for the last time, BACK THE F... OFF RIGHT NOW" as the left hand goes to the "Stop" signal position and the right is on the M9 that's never far away (sits in a milk crate that is bolted down between he front seats of my van). Full eye contact, body language, all non verbal cues given. He looks at me and slowly walks off. He has no clue that I'm armed, but took the cues. Kid gets in "Dad who was that guy!" And we drive off.
Non verbal and verbal show of command of situation usually works. Always best if there's a pistol handy though.
Willie
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Non verbal and verbal show of command of situation usually works. Always best if there's a pistol handy though.
Willie
.