Laundromat Adventures: Punch a Stranger
I have to go to the laundromat once a week. This allows me some encounters with strange people. Tonight's was by far the oddest. I was getting some clothes out of the dryer and I caught a glimpse of a guy smoking a cigarette, looking at me from outside. I finished unloading my clothes and sat down to continue reading my book. Not 5 minutes later he opens the door to the laundromat, and says, "Hey, can I talk to you outside about something?" and I said, "Sure, what?" and he says, "Outside." and I go outside. In the back of my head I thought he wanted to fight. Turns out, that's exactly what he wanted.
I step outside and he looks me up and down. He says, I've got a proposition for you. He holds out a $100 bill. He says, "I will pay you $100 if you beat me in a fight." to which I laugh. I thought he was joking. I said no thanks. He says, Come on! It's $100. I say no again, and he says, "Ok, I'll give you $100 just to fight me. Even if you lose". After I keep saying no, he tries harder. "I will give you $100 just to hit me 3 times. I won't even hit you back." again I say no, laughing the whole time and asking him why he wants to fight.
We start up a small conversation (interrupted every little bit by him, double, triple, quadruple checking that I won't fight him) and he tells me about how he really wants to fight tonight. He's a local contractor/plumber. He has tattoos too and we compare. He's 33. He says, on his best day he's fought 8 cops and been to jail. There's a bar across the street - I tell him to go there. He says he's been there and nobody would fight him. I ask him why he's mad? He says, I'm not mad. I got married last week. I said, "Oh, so that's why you're mad." and he says, "No! I just want to fight tonight. Look, I'll even go get more money." I assure him that no amount of money he would pay me would make me hit him.
I know if someone before tonight asked me, "Would you hit a complete stranger in the face for $100?" my answer would be a resounding, "Sure, why not?!" but after tonight I would answer differently. I'm a peaceful person in the first place, and also paranoid. Not only did I not want to cause him harm, but I immediately thought of legal consequences if I hurt him. Although my adrenaline was going the whole time, I wasn't scared of being hurt. He even said he wouldn't hit me back. I dunno, I guess I just couldn't punch a complete stranger in the face for no reason. Could you?
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Originally Posted by Thelemonsong
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