Sonia Ulrich, Monica Kenyon and Marla Saltzer are everyday women, but what makes them amazing, were their simple but courageous actions to step up and protect a fellow individual. Just a few days ago, on May 26th, the three friends were enjoying each other's company at an upscale Santa Monica bar, minding their own business and having a relaxing time via happy hour. Kenyon, however, naturally noticed that the man at the table near her and her friends, was acting suspicious once the woman at his table got up to go to the bathroom. He had roofied her drink.
Ulrich noticed Kenyon's worried look, and said this:
"I was going on about something, and saw Monica staring behind me and making a funny face. After a few seconds she said 'That guy just put something in her drink'. After a few 'Oh god. What do we do's?, I got up to find her in the bathroom to warn her. Tell her to get up and leave this creep. Make him drink it. Something".
Their instinct was to let the woman in the bathroom know that the man she was with, had put something sketchy in her drink (which was obviously drugs) Ulrich said that the situation was probably a bit weird, but she had to let her know regardless.
I think that what the women did was awesome, and even though the situation wasn't a positive one - a scary one to say the least - I believe that the silver-lining was that the woman who could have been violated, was saved by such a lucky chance, and by three strangers. I learned that not all superheroes wear capes, and what they did helped this woman not become a statistic. Most people wouldn't have done anything, but most likely would have awkwardly attempted to ignore the situation, or sit there feeling uncomfortable about confronting the whole thing. It's nice to know that there are some good people out there, and I applaud Sonia, Monica and Maria for doing the right thing and protecting a fellow sister. Just the act of going to find that woman might have saved her so much pain - psychologically and physically.
What's terrifying though, is that the woman claimed that the man was one of her very good friends, which makes me kind of double check my own surroundings, and to not be so naive to the world. It's sad and quite unfortunate that even your good friends can turn around and do cruel and terrible things, just as this man had tried to take advantage of this innocent woman. It makes me more cautious of my surroundings, and I don't think that's how the world should be. I hear tons of stories like this every other day, and it's a shame that these events that you hear about, only further your fear about going out and having to be that much more wary about the atmosphere. We shouldn't have to worry about leaving a drink somewhere with someone that we think we can trust - or with anyone for that matter. Taking advantage of someone, such as drugging them, is a disgrace. What's different about this story, however, is that there is that shining beacon of hope within. There are good people out there, and if some who are in danger are lucky, they'll experience that good.
What I got out of this, was that women should be like this all of the time - we should look out after each other, and we shouldn't compete with one another and be hateful towards each other. If we don't, then bad things are just going to keep escalating and things will result in the worst. The world is so messed up in lots of ways, that there's nothing left but to lean on one another until this all changes. We're supposed to bring each other up, and protect each other. In the end, we need to stick out for one another, just like these three superhero women did for this woman who they didn't even know.
Even if it's awkward or strange, you should always tell someone if you see a person drugging another, or attempting a sketchy looking plan - even if you're not one hundred percent sure, it's good to still stand up for someone in danger. It's a step towards ending this terrible epidemic, and I applaud the three women who dismantled that horrid rape attempt.
