No matter where you’re from, women today are raised to be constantly vigilant of where they are. And of course what company they keep. Something simple as walking home can be scary. When venturing out at night we’ve all had a parent or a friend ask us to ‘text me when you get home.’

Let’s face it, there a low lives who like to target women alone walking at night. Walking alone is never advised, and no matter how much you try to convince yourself that your neighborhood is safe enough, there are always risks that you, as a woman, or simply a vulnerable person should take into consideration. If you do not have a choice but to walk alone, always be aware of any escape routes if you notice something suspicious.

Hugged by a Stranger

One late evening in New York, a good samaritan named Dane Weeks was walking home. He was taking his usual route home, but that day something unusual happened. A random woman came running up to him and threw her arm around him in a tight embrace. He stood frozen -he had never met her before. She held him for a second and then whispered in his ear rather hastily; “Please act as you know me, three guys have been following me for a while”.

I'm walking to the train a few minutes ago and a woman walked right up to me and gave me a tight hug and whispered quickly, "please act like you know me 3 guys are following me for a while" I played along then walked her 3 blocks home. What an experience for the both of us.

— 👑 Mr. Weeks 👑 (@WonderKing82) February 8, 2020

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Dane was suddenly on high alert, this was a cry for help, and no woman should ever be made to feel so terrified that they feel the need to hug a stranger. The strange, but scared woman took his hand, and together they continued walking down the street. He was to be her guardian for the rest of their journey to her home, where your young son was waiting for her inside. After the incident was over, and the woman felt safer for being much closer to her home, he asked her what had happened, to which she explained.

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Earlier that Evening

The woman had been on her way home from work that day. When she got off the train she noticed a group of three men walking not too far behind her. They made all the turns that she did which put up her red flag sensors. Like a lot of women, she feared that she was being paranoid, or overreacting. So she ducked into a shop along her way to lose the men whom she thought were following her. She spent quite some time inside the shop browsing for no reason, but when she came out, there they were. Sitting at a restaurant across the road. When she started walking, they got up and followed suit. This made her feel quite scared, what was she meant to do?

Eventually, she saw another man walking in the streets, and she took her chance. She ran right up to him and gave him the biggest hug, pretending that she knew him. She hoped this would deter the men from thinking she was vulnerable and they might stop following her. This man was the hero of this story, Dane Weeks. He ended up walking her home three blocks, till she was safely inside her building.

My Hero, She Said

“Please accept being my hero that night, I thought my son would’ve been motherless & my mother daughterless,” said the woman to Dane. But this man was also grateful to her because without her, he would not have realized the extent of the fear and trauma that women face daily. He said; “I also thank her for bringing me into the world of women.”

He made a post on Twitter in honor of all the women in this world who were ever made to feel like the woman he walked home with that day. The post read as follows. “I’m walking to the train a few minutes ago and a woman walked right up to me and gave me a tight hug and whispered quickly: ‘Please act like you know me three guys are following me for a while”.

The woman said to Dane; “Please accept being my hero that night, I really thought my son would’ve been motherless & my mother daughterless.” Dane was made to realize the impact of the toxic environment created by men. So, this woman lived to be grateful towards another man who probably saved her life. 

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