I Offended A Stranger When I Didn’t Return His ‘Hello’ – Here’s What I’m Begging Every Man To Understand

“More than a year later, I still replay the interaction with the man at the dark, rainy intersection.”

Nighttime rain obscures the man who is attached to the voice. I’ve just walked up to the crosswalk. A sharp glance suggests the man could be my age, possibly older. In a flash, I note his beard, jacket and cap.

I nod and turn away. No smile. I don’t look at him again. My body tenses, ready.

When the small, white image of a figure walking lights up, I dart across the street, his footsteps loud behind mine. I’m aware of the rain, of the dark corridor before me, of a choice I must make when the crosswalk ends. Do I walk the well-lit street to the apartment complex parking lot, or chance the brush-lined, secluded sidewalk?

I choose the streetlights, and my footsteps feel lighter as I reach the curb. I’m ahead of him, and there are lights on in nearby windows, a fire station and plenty of potential safe spaces should I need them.

But the man is clearly miffed that I didn’t respond to his “friendliness.”

“Have a good evening!” he shouts sarcastically at my rapidly receding form.

I recalled this incident recently when I saw an Instagram post from dating coach Erika Ettin that featured a dating site conversation where a man was offended when a woman didn’t want to come to his house for a first date.

“You can trust me,” he told her. When she responded that she did not feel comfortable going to a complete stranger’s home for........

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