The world is full of wolves – not the ones who growl in dark nights, but the ones who are found in sheep clothing, pretending to be ‘nice’ to you.
Thankfully, there are some heroes too, who are brave enough to risk everything just for the sake of someone else, even it be a total stranger. Brandon Gale is one such hero.
Gale, who’s an Uber driver, recently shared online a story about one of his clients who pleaded with him to pretend to be her boyfriend just after booking a ride.
The young woman was fearing for her safety from a ‘nice’ guy who couldn’t stop being pushy toward her.
When he reached the location, the woman acted like she was waiting for him – and Gale played along.
After getting in the car, she explained how she feared for her safety from a “very forward” guy who “wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
She was thankful to Gale for rescuing her in time.
Gale concluded his Facebook post by sharing a piece of advice for all the men out there, asking them to “learn to accept the word ‘no’ as a response.”
He also advised other women to use the messaging system of ride-hailing apps as an exit strategy, when needed.
Gale’s daring gesture soon went viral on social media, though he wasn’t expecting so.
“I wasn’t really prepared for the attention that this would bring, but I’m trying to ‘go with the flow,’ for the most part,” he told Bored Panda.
“I think the overall message was clear: more people need to know that there are more ‘escape routes’ out there than most people know and I feel like we can do better.”
“It was the week of the yearly fair in our area,” Gale recalled the incident.
“A lot of people were out riding the rides, eating fair food (corn dogs, deep-fried everything, and generally all the food that is bad for your heart) and watching the bands play.
“It was later in the evening but the weather was beautiful, giving everyone more reason to be out. My phone showed that I had a ride request, so I accepted.
“About a minute later, I got a message through the app that just said: ‘When you get here, can you pretend to be my boyfriend?’ It sounded easy enough and I like being helpful.
“When I got there, my fare seemed very calm and collected. Her body language towards the guy gave off a very ‘stay right where you are, and I’ll be over here’ vibe.
“I rolled down the window, and she greeted me as if we were in a very familiar relationship, and I responded in kind.
“The guy seemed less than thrilled that I was there. Once she was in the car, and we pulled away, she let out a huge sigh of relief and tried to come across the center console to give me a hug.
“Still driving, I tried to confirm to her that everything was OK, and asked what happened. That’s when she told me her story, all while still trembling and trying to catch her breath.”
Gale’s wife, who couldn’t be more proud of her husband, said in a message:
Sharing some advice for women on how to be safe from aggressive guys, the Uber driver said: “I think men and women can benefit from traveling in groups or staying in well-lit and/or heavily populated areas. Communication seems to still be a huge issue.
“No matter what side you’re on, some people are going to blame someone for not being direct enough or tiptoeing around the issue.
“It seems like everyone who isn’t in the situation seems to have all the right answers, when in reality, there are a lot of factors at stake. Fear. Adrenaline. Past experiences in a similar situation. Never having dealt with something like this ever before.”