Source: Reddit
I’m 20F. Usually since I was young I felt an overwhelming need to be polite and nice to everyone even if they made me uncomfortable.
Well yesterday I was sitting at the bus stop with my headphones in and reading a book waiting to head home. Then all of a sudden a middle aged man sits down right next to me despite there being plenty of space on the bench. I thought it was annoying but continued to ignore him.
He said something but since my headphones were in I didn’t hear him so I had to take him out and he repeated his question.
He asked me, “what time is it do you know?” (We are at a transit station. Theres a kind of billboard thing that always displays the time.)
I checked the time and told him what it was.
“Well where are you from? What’s your name?” He asked.
Usually when strangers just ask me questions that I don’t want to answer I would just answer them. But this time I said, “Why do you want to know?”
He stammered and said, “I’m just being friendly.”
I said, “Okay.” Then I put my headphones in and got up and moved somewhere else to sit. I continued reading. I was kind of scared he would get mad or something bit he just stayed where he was.
I know I was rude but I feel happy in a sense. I know that no one is entitled to my time or that I don’t owe anyone conversation but usually I felt I had to be polite and nice to everyone. In the past I’ve been so meek I would give my number to strangers if they were pushy enough. But now I was rude and it felt great.
