Tags: cautionary tale // water // published

This happened about 15 years ago, I was around 35 y.o. female, the designated driver for my similarly aged female friend. We went to a popular Seafood restaurant that had a large bar on the entire top floor with an outside deck that wrapped around the whole large building literally right on the ocean in New England. It was summer I remember because we went out on the deck several times with no coats because my friend needed to go to the "Designated Smoking Area" which was at the furthest end of the outside deck.

When we arrived my friend started drinking heavily while I had only 1 drink the entire night because I was driving. We happened to run into a guy she knew casually that happened to be there with a group of approximately 8 Male Friends we had never met. Even the Male friend was more of an acquaintance, she had only chatted with him a few times at another bar we frequented in those days. We ended up sort of hanging around with this group a good part of the night, which made me uncomfortable. Twice while in the crowded line to get to the smoking area, the Male Friend's supposed Uncle had pressed his entire body against me while in line, and did not stop doing it even after I elbowed him and told him to stop. I had to remove myself from the line to get him to stop. My friend was already drunk by then so didn't care.

The largest member of the guy's group (who was huge and muscular) had a perpetual scowl on his face and said something super rude to me with no provocation, it was so long ago I don't remember exactly what it was, I just remembered thinking "Gee just having seen how large, hulking and sour looking this guy was, I assumed he was mean, and now I have confirmation since no normal person would say that to a woman he just met." It was not a pleasant night to say the least, I basically stood around nursing my 1 drink, waiting for it to be over so I could drive us home.

Closing time finally rolled around, either 1am or 2am, I had tried getting my friend to leave earlier but she was too caught up in chatting up her Male acquaintance, who did I mention had a girlfriend he was living with? Yeah. Which she knew, I think she had a thing for unavailable men, but anyway. He claimed he hated his girlfriend and wanted to break up with her, blah blah blah. The Male friend wanted the 2 of us to go on his boat with him and his 7 male Friends, it was moored out front and they wanted to continue the party at sea, yes you heard that right, they weren't even cunning enough to lie and tell us the boat would stay docked. A chill went up my spine hearing this.

I said " absolutely not" from the get go, I saw it as at best a poor idea, at worst a possible fatal mistake. My drunk friend whined, begged and pleaded with me to go on the boat.....out to the middle of the ocean.....at 2am..... with a bunch of drunk men who had already touched me against my will and been rude. That was not happening. She even told me to just let her go and pick her up the next day (we came in her car). I considered it but was afraid something bad might happen to her so said that wasn't happening either. She was incredibly angry with me for ruining the rest of her fun night. We left and got home safely but I still shudder to think what might have happened to us had I caved and gone on the boat with her that night.

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