I want to share with you a recent experience that happened to me—an unsettling one that taught me a lot.
That night, I went to a club by myself. Being a single woman and going out alone, I was very conscious about staying alert. I only had one shot and a glass of water, just to make sure I remained clear-headed and safe.
I left the club early—around 10 PM—because I thought it was a safe hour to head home. On my way back, I decided to stop by a nearby liquor store to grab a bottle of Voodoo Ranger. My original plan was simple: go in, grab my drink, and call an Uber from there since it was close to home.
There were three store owners inside, managing the place. As I was checking out at the register, a group of men started walking in. One of them came straight up to me and tried to talk. I politely declined, but he wouldn’t back off. He was so persistent and aggressive that the cashier noticed and signaled the others in the store.
The cashier stepped out from behind the counter and physically placed himself between me and the man. He said, “Hey man, she’s not interested—grab your stuff and go.” But the guy completely ignored him and kept trying to get around him to reach me.
Eventually, when that man finally gave up, another one came up to me. I still couldn’t move from my spot—they were standing too close. This second guy kept trying to convince me even after seeing me reject the first guy. He said things like I just “hadn’t been treated right” and that he wanted to take me out.
At this point, the store owners started lowering the metal shutters. And then, a third man walked into the store, and both him and the second guy kept trying to talk to me. I just stood there, frozen. They seemed to have been drinking, and I didn’t want to trigger anything by reacting too strongly.
Thankfully, one of the store owners stepped in again and said, “You guys need to leave—she’s not interested.” But it wasn’t easy to get them out. They didn’t really leave; the owners just stood next to me until the men stopped talking and finally walked out.
Once they were gone, the owners fully closed the shutters and locked the gate. I was incredibly grateful they let me stay inside the closed store while I waited for my Uber. I was there for about 15 minutes, with my Uber ETA bouncing between 17 minutes... then another 17... then again 17.
Finally, when the app said my ride was 1 minute away, I decided to step outside because I saw a cop car nearby. But the moment I stepped out, all three of those men came out too, right behind me. At first, no one was around, but suddenly a black car pulled up, full of men. It felt like they had been waiting for me to leave the store. Thankfully, the store owners were still with me. If they hadn’t been there, I would’ve had to face that situation alone.
This experience proves something I’ve always said—as a woman, I can’t even go into a store, buy something, and get home safely without being harassed. I don’t believe all men are bad, but the probability of a woman being in danger around a man is alarmingly high—way higher than being near a bear.
When a bear realizes you're not prey, it walks away. But many men don’t accept rejection—they won’t take “no” for an answer. I don’t want to live in fear that if I don’t give out my number, I might get punched or attacked—just because I said no.
That’s why, when someone asks, “As a woman, would you rather be stuck in the woods with a bear or with a man?”—my answer is immediate: I’ll take the bear.
