Today I witnessed a woman being verbally abused outside the coffee shop. The man shouting the expletives and curses that brought her to tears was drunk. It was harmless (yet random at 11.30 this morning) at first - he was swaying and slurring and offering everyone a bite of his sausage roll. I kept my head down and tried to get half an hour of writing done. The woman was sitting at the same table as me. I was 3 feet away as I watched her slowly retreat. It was heart breaking. And not solely because of the drunk man. But because of the twenty or so other people around us; the only other woman got up and quickly disappeared. All eyes were on the woman opposite me as she was teased for her weight. It then escalated to ridiculous insults I won't repeat. Everyone around us sat and watched. Some laughed. No one tried to pacify the drunk, put him in his place or look away to find help. The poor woman sat with her head down and took everything he said to her until he got bored, laughed it off and asked me if I would bet £5 on him winning an arm wrestle. I politely told him where to put his five pound note. I was spared a battering so he could burp and pick up singing 'We Will Rock You' where he left off. 
I've spent all day wishing I'd done something to help her. She was a total stranger but I think I'd rather have taken the abuse than watch her take it. I feel guilty for not doing something. I feel disgusted that one human would even contemplate doing that to another.I am repulsed that people sat with their coffees and found it entertaining. Are we exposed to so much small mindedness and judgement and discrimination that harassing a woman in the street, or at all, is considered normal?Are we conditioned to just sit by and watch it happen?Are we that selfish that we will laugh at another's pain to avoid our own?
I'll be dedicating tonight's glass of Sauvignon to the woman. She was so brave and courageous and awe-inspiring to have put up with shit she didn't deserve when all she wanted was to read her book.The next post tonight will also be dedicated to her. It's something I wrote a while ago and finally have a reason to suck it up and share it. Thank you for reading. ❤️