Monday, January 26, 2015
Challenging Situation
I didn’t have to understand his French. The man growled and slurred the words as he wobbled towards the woman seated at the table not far from my own. His jacket swung, heavy with grunge, as he steadied himself against her wrought iron table and began to raise his voice, transforming the quaint romantic Paris café into a trap. The woman held her child tight, her eyes on his, even as he became angrier. The child winced. The woman’s body stiffened. She slowly turned her face, lifting her chin, ready to accept any blow. The man yelled, slipped off her table and moved on, past my table, back into the street.
And for years, I have asked myself why. Why didn’t I stand? Why didn’t I stand up and walk over? Why didn’t I put myself between that mother and child, to let her know, to let them both know, that I would not have let any harm come to them, that they were not alone, on that warm spring afternoon, in Paris.
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Each situation like this is different, even though the story may be similar. Observers have their own evaluation of the specific scene, actors, body english, what's going on,etc. The observer has his own experiences, training, wisdom, etc. With what the story conveys, I think it was handled by the woman and the observers properly. If the man from the street had begun to get physically violent, then the response of the observers might have been different. They might have intervened if damage was being done. As it was, so far, so good. It was also best that the observer not interject himself into the situation after the man returned to the street, unless he wanted to leave a note with a phone number for some assistance agency. He might also have told the waiter that he had paid her check. This "support" would most likely be best for all.
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