So the oddest thing happened to me while I was in New York City. Thorsten and I were waiting for the Staten Island Ferry when I overheard a woman talking to her male companion.

She was getting on the phone and was making an observation about how there were more security guards and asked a rhetorical questions about why would there be so many.

She also made eye contact with me as she asked this question.

I assumed she was talking to me….you know…..since she made eye contact with me at the moment of posing a question.

But before I could get a response out she leaned in and asked, “Excuse me, why are you looking at me?”

I was completely in shock. What the hell just happened? Didn’t she just look me in the face and asked a question?

Then she turned around because she had been also dialing on her phone as this event occurred and then she turned her back to me.

I didn’t know what to do so I said the first thing that came to my mind.

“I don’t know, I thought you were pretty!” I yelled it pretty loudly to make my point.

At this point her companion decided to speak up and say, “Shit, she’s just looking at you for the same reason why I do. What’s your problem?”

I was still in shock over such a confusing situation. But after the fact, I came to appreciate that not only a stranger but the companion to this confusing woman stood up for me in saying “hey, you’re in her line of sight….you’re gonna get looked at…..so get over it. There’s no need to be rude.”

Thank you, random dude!

Thank you for restoring a little hope for humanity. Thank you for telling your friend that she was being rude for not reason.

I wish I could have come up with some other clever thing. Or even just called her on looking at me first and that I actually thought she was asking me a question. Or perhaps I could have come up with an even crazier response like the ones listed on the Everywhereist post on a similar situation “You remind me of a hamster I had once. It’s dead now.” But in the end, I shouldn’t dwell on it and just be happy that I managed to respond at all and it was probably something she did not even expect. She was pretty: she dressed well and had an air of confidence. She’s not my type (I like the manly men folk) but at least I didn’t stoop to her level of rudeness and said something mean. I tried to say something nice…..even if it was awkward.

What about you guys? Do you have any fun and witty responses to that lady? I would love to read them!