Draw de France

After setting up my tent in the campsite, I went about finding someone to charge my battery pack (I’ve given up charging my battery pack in the showers after having it stolen on two occasions, for reasons I still don’t understand).
My neighbour agreed to charge my phone, but he also suggested I sleep on his covered porch (not a euphemism), as it was due to rain overnight, and it would save my tent getting wet. I agreed, and we chatted a little as I organised my things.

At some point I introduced myself and extended a hand to shake. However, instead of shaking my hand, the man grabbed my penis. I was a little stunned and didn’t really know what to make of this. I went back to my tent to take it down (it was dark at this point). Of course I’d have enjoyed nothing more than to get in my tent and enjoy a peaceful night, rain or no rain (after all, it’s explicitly designed to keep you dry when it rains). However a deal is a deal and I had already agreed to accept his hospitality, and I was too polite / cowardly to refuse it now. Besides, I thought, perhaps it was a good opportunity to learn some new French phrases I never thought I’d need (I wonder what’s the French for “get the fuck away from me you creep”).

After having taken down my tent, I returned, at which point he said I might as well take his spare room rather than the porch. This felt like going deeper into the lions den and something I definitely did not want to do. However out of a mixture of politeness / lacking the expressiveness of French language to decline, I reluctantly accepted. I checked that the room had a window that opened, and was large enough to escape from. I convinced myself that as long as I didn’t accept any food or drink from this man I should be relatively safe.

At some point in the proceedings he grabbed my penis a second time, again I was too polite with words to tell him not to, but luckily my body had a visceral response and grabbed his hand violently, and pulled it away from me. Then I pushed him away from me. I just wanted this disgusting man away from me. I’m very glad my body knew what was good for it, when my brain was kind of frozen. He sort of got the idea after this, and I had a peaceful night.

It’s not the first time I’ve had experiences like this with men. But I think it’s an important reminder that women fear, and/or go through worse probably more regularly… and that’s pretty shit.Read more