I am 67 years old; I had forgotten that there were violent creeps in the 1970s as there are today. I guess little has changed in that department. Humans remain the same.
I am glad that you were able to get away; the visceral screams saved you from further harm, though I think of what trauma you suffered. I would have quit, too.
There were a few times my inner voice said do not walk down that street late at night. This was decades ago when I was younger and went to clubs/discos to the wee hours. In the late 1970s and early 80s.
I trust my inner voice. I also trust what my companion animals say or do. They have a special sensitivity to danger that we humans might have lost. Before it was cats. Now it is birds. If say Arya the Cockatiel does not like someone, he will show it. It does not happen often, but it does happen.
Thanks for the story, CJ; it made me think more about trust and our instincts and that of our animal companions.
Gripping and horrific that this happened. The job sounded bad enough, C.J. Certainly no glamour in how you describe it. But the fear. I know you listen now. We have to listen to that warning.
A hard story to tell but you told it so well I was walking through that parking lot with you. Sounds like intuition saved you in the end, coming out as screams. Someone needed to hear this. Thank you.
Thank you for reading, Cori, and for your intuitive thoughts. I agree, there must be someone who needed to read this, maybe to keep safe, or to take a self-defense course.
"To apologize for the delay, the captain ordered us to open the bar, once we were back in the air. As expected, the passengers drank too much and were overly rowdy..."
I suspect it was too many impromptu drinking parties like this that finally caused the airlines to stop serving booze. Now, you just get a small shot of soda or water, and just one...
Aha, you used to be a passenger —a frequent flyer? What passengers and others aren’t aware of is, one drink is like two because of the altitude of the plane. We used to hate open bar because of that.
I’m glad the airlines modified their bar rules, although even with only one drink allowed, passengers are still having ‘two’ drinks. The only thing that really changes is, playboys now spend a couple of hours drinking in an airport bar, get on their ticketed flight, have their one drink (actually 2) on the plane and still wreak havoc on the flight attendants.
I used to hate walking down the aisle to pick up dinner trays or check seat belts, and have a playboy grab my butt, or pull me down onto his lap to impress his seatmates …
Oh, I'm hardly a frequent flyer. I didn't even get on a plane for the first twenty odd years of my life. I've only flown a couple of times, for vacations.
Hi C.J, l could feel a creeping terror as l read this, your words take us into that pit. What a hideous experience with such a predator, just to top off the trauma of losing your husband. Your courage to share. Thank you 🙏💜
Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts, Simone.
I don’t think I was all there that night/early morning emotionally. I was glued to the spot, unable to move and all I could do was scream. Up until that night/morning, I would have thought I could at least run from danger but I was so very wrong.
I saw this story going so so many ways. It certainly didn’t conclude that way I envisioned it. It’s a shame you had to deal with what you did that night. But maybe the lesson learned, and there always is one, is that you learned to trust your instincts and listen to that little voice trying to tell you something, that same thing you speak of now, quite often…that inner voice !
In my days as a travel agent, I flew a lot of evenings but only one red eye. A United Sunday to Monday overnight flight from Seattle to O’Hare. Arrive between 5 & 6 am, run home, change clothes and be at work by 8. Couldn’t sleep on the plane, so that was a long long long Monday. Being young had its advantages 🙄.
All those airlines. Never flew Tee Dub. In fact of all the airlines I sold tickets for that don’t exist anymore, Eastern was the only one I ever flew, just once…ORD-MCO (Orlando)-ORD. I was a good boy when I flew, talked nice, never flirted and never ever touched ! Always tried to dress well when flying too, something my brother always preached to me (from his experience as a business traveller). He taught me well.
Short of the assault, I liked your story. It did bring back some good times and memories. Like so many things, it was a good industry - at one time !
Thank you for sharing your story on flying. You know, you’re as right as rain. I spent my whole childhood getting and listening to my whispers. Why I ignored it that night/early morning is beyond me. Maybe it was that the parking lot was lit up like daylight. Maybe it was that I was drag-my-ass exhausted. I just don’t know, even now, why I ignored the niggling feeling.
There’s a lesson in everything, I know. I was supposed to learn something from what happened —how to defend myself was a big part of it. I took a couple of self-defense courses from the local police departments and years later, I worked in the detective division of a police department and I picked up a few more pointers.
I’ve lived a colorful life in my 75 years and learned a lot.
Don’t continue to beat yourself up on what happened.
You were over tired and just wanted to go home. That condition can cloud a lot of common sense and judgement. In some strange way, maybe it was the man upstairs determined to provide the lesson learned. He made sure you got out ok. It just may have set the stage for your later whispers, teachings and lessons over time to and thru today.
You are wise and perceptive, Ken, and I'm sure you're right. We never know how we might be helping someone by something we do, say, or write. Maybe I was supposed to write this for someone who did, or will face a similar situation. I know it was healing for me to write and share it, even though it was a long time ago. It also made me stronger and more aware of what can happen if we let our guard down and that could be the message that helps someone else.
My brain is on overload tonight. I'm tired and heading for dreamland.
G'night, my friend. Thank you for your thoughtful support.
CJ I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. And I so wished that they had found the creep that violated you like that. I used to fly TWA all the time back in the day I saw a lot of drunk men hitting on the young stewardess. I thought it was appalling, sweet young girl/ladies trying to make a living and having to deal with that crap I was curious at the time as to whether TWA gave training classes on how to deal with such individuals
So sorry all that happened too you C J . I would blame some on captain never give an open bar on a plane . I am very happy you were ok . hugs and peace to you
CJ, I am so sorry you had to go through such ordeal! I’m glad you were okay but no, nothing was ever the same…Thank you for the courage to write about it, I hope it was healing for you, even after so many decades later…❤️
Thank you, Wen. Over the years, when people hear I was a flight attendant, so many have remarked that it’s a cushy glamor kind of job, flying around here and there, exotic layovers, meeting and dating passengers, lots of time off, et al., It always disturbed me that people weren’t aware of what the job was really like —nothing like what they thought.
I share my story to make people think. I share it to normalize the misconception. And yes, I share it to continue to heal from the PTSD from the ordeal.
Thank you, Wen. I’m proud to have you as a friend.
Oh dear lord CJ. This story started having me in stitches. But it turned into a horror show and cannot imagine what you went through psychologically. You’re such a lovely strong woman. I almost felt guilty for laughing in the beginning. Blessings to you…
I am 67 years old; I had forgotten that there were violent creeps in the 1970s as there are today. I guess little has changed in that department. Humans remain the same.
I am glad that you were able to get away; the visceral screams saved you from further harm, though I think of what trauma you suffered. I would have quit, too.
There were a few times my inner voice said do not walk down that street late at night. This was decades ago when I was younger and went to clubs/discos to the wee hours. In the late 1970s and early 80s.
I trust my inner voice. I also trust what my companion animals say or do. They have a special sensitivity to danger that we humans might have lost. Before it was cats. Now it is birds. If say Arya the Cockatiel does not like someone, he will show it. It does not happen often, but it does happen.
Thanks for the story, CJ; it made me think more about trust and our instincts and that of our animal companions.
Hello Perry. What you said is true and I guarantee things are completely different with me now. That was back in the early 70's --a long time ago.
Gripping and horrific that this happened. The job sounded bad enough, C.J. Certainly no glamour in how you describe it. But the fear. I know you listen now. We have to listen to that warning.
Thanks, Trudi. Keep in mind that was in the early 70s. A lot may have changed since then.
As to the whispers, I never ignored them again after that experience!
Sadly, in terms of personal safety, not much has changed.
Trudi, are you a flight attendant?
No!! I was thinking of car parks at night! But I do fly a lot and see appalling behaviour from some passengers 😣
Ohhh, okay. I feel bad for the flight attendants who have to put up with that behavior.
A hard story to tell but you told it so well I was walking through that parking lot with you. Sounds like intuition saved you in the end, coming out as screams. Someone needed to hear this. Thank you.
Thank you for reading, Cori, and for your intuitive thoughts. I agree, there must be someone who needed to read this, maybe to keep safe, or to take a self-defense course.
Yes. I should have said ‘needed to hear this as much as you needed to share it’.
"To apologize for the delay, the captain ordered us to open the bar, once we were back in the air. As expected, the passengers drank too much and were overly rowdy..."
I suspect it was too many impromptu drinking parties like this that finally caused the airlines to stop serving booze. Now, you just get a small shot of soda or water, and just one...
Aha, you used to be a passenger —a frequent flyer? What passengers and others aren’t aware of is, one drink is like two because of the altitude of the plane. We used to hate open bar because of that.
I’m glad the airlines modified their bar rules, although even with only one drink allowed, passengers are still having ‘two’ drinks. The only thing that really changes is, playboys now spend a couple of hours drinking in an airport bar, get on their ticketed flight, have their one drink (actually 2) on the plane and still wreak havoc on the flight attendants.
I used to hate walking down the aisle to pick up dinner trays or check seat belts, and have a playboy grab my butt, or pull me down onto his lap to impress his seatmates …
Oh, I'm hardly a frequent flyer. I didn't even get on a plane for the first twenty odd years of my life. I've only flown a couple of times, for vacations.
Okay. ❤️💞
Wow! Powerful story, C.J. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
Thank you, Harley.
Hi C.J, l could feel a creeping terror as l read this, your words take us into that pit. What a hideous experience with such a predator, just to top off the trauma of losing your husband. Your courage to share. Thank you 🙏💜
Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts, Simone.
I don’t think I was all there that night/early morning emotionally. I was glued to the spot, unable to move and all I could do was scream. Up until that night/morning, I would have thought I could at least run from danger but I was so very wrong.
Not my finest hour. I was very lucky.
Thank goodness to your protectors that night, your body-self (the screaming), the couple who took you, your angels etc. Bless you C.J ❤️
Thank you.
hugs and love
Hugs to you. May you have sweet dreams 🥰
Thank you! G’night!
🥱🥱😪😪💤💤💤💤💤💤💤
I saw this story going so so many ways. It certainly didn’t conclude that way I envisioned it. It’s a shame you had to deal with what you did that night. But maybe the lesson learned, and there always is one, is that you learned to trust your instincts and listen to that little voice trying to tell you something, that same thing you speak of now, quite often…that inner voice !
In my days as a travel agent, I flew a lot of evenings but only one red eye. A United Sunday to Monday overnight flight from Seattle to O’Hare. Arrive between 5 & 6 am, run home, change clothes and be at work by 8. Couldn’t sleep on the plane, so that was a long long long Monday. Being young had its advantages 🙄.
All those airlines. Never flew Tee Dub. In fact of all the airlines I sold tickets for that don’t exist anymore, Eastern was the only one I ever flew, just once…ORD-MCO (Orlando)-ORD. I was a good boy when I flew, talked nice, never flirted and never ever touched ! Always tried to dress well when flying too, something my brother always preached to me (from his experience as a business traveller). He taught me well.
Short of the assault, I liked your story. It did bring back some good times and memories. Like so many things, it was a good industry - at one time !
Thank you for sharing your story on flying. You know, you’re as right as rain. I spent my whole childhood getting and listening to my whispers. Why I ignored it that night/early morning is beyond me. Maybe it was that the parking lot was lit up like daylight. Maybe it was that I was drag-my-ass exhausted. I just don’t know, even now, why I ignored the niggling feeling.
There’s a lesson in everything, I know. I was supposed to learn something from what happened —how to defend myself was a big part of it. I took a couple of self-defense courses from the local police departments and years later, I worked in the detective division of a police department and I picked up a few more pointers.
I’ve lived a colorful life in my 75 years and learned a lot.
Thanks again, Ken.
And still learning no doubt.
Don’t continue to beat yourself up on what happened.
You were over tired and just wanted to go home. That condition can cloud a lot of common sense and judgement. In some strange way, maybe it was the man upstairs determined to provide the lesson learned. He made sure you got out ok. It just may have set the stage for your later whispers, teachings and lessons over time to and thru today.
You are wise and perceptive, Ken, and I'm sure you're right. We never know how we might be helping someone by something we do, say, or write. Maybe I was supposed to write this for someone who did, or will face a similar situation. I know it was healing for me to write and share it, even though it was a long time ago. It also made me stronger and more aware of what can happen if we let our guard down and that could be the message that helps someone else.
My brain is on overload tonight. I'm tired and heading for dreamland.
G'night, my friend. Thank you for your thoughtful support.
CJ I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. And I so wished that they had found the creep that violated you like that. I used to fly TWA all the time back in the day I saw a lot of drunk men hitting on the young stewardess. I thought it was appalling, sweet young girl/ladies trying to make a living and having to deal with that crap I was curious at the time as to whether TWA gave training classes on how to deal with such individuals
Thank you for your concern, Kathleen. No, no training on how to deal with them, but we came up with several ideas that seemed to work.
So sorry all that happened too you C J . I would blame some on captain never give an open bar on a plane . I am very happy you were ok . hugs and peace to you
Thank you, Mitch. I agree, open bar on a plane is just wrong. We had to do what the captain said though.
hugs and peace
I understand doing it because you had too .
Still makes no sense on his part .
❤️❤️
CJ, I am so sorry you had to go through such ordeal! I’m glad you were okay but no, nothing was ever the same…Thank you for the courage to write about it, I hope it was healing for you, even after so many decades later…❤️
Thank you, Wen. Over the years, when people hear I was a flight attendant, so many have remarked that it’s a cushy glamor kind of job, flying around here and there, exotic layovers, meeting and dating passengers, lots of time off, et al., It always disturbed me that people weren’t aware of what the job was really like —nothing like what they thought.
I share my story to make people think. I share it to normalize the misconception. And yes, I share it to continue to heal from the PTSD from the ordeal.
Thank you, Wen. I’m proud to have you as a friend.
Oh dear lord CJ. This story started having me in stitches. But it turned into a horror show and cannot imagine what you went through psychologically. You’re such a lovely strong woman. I almost felt guilty for laughing in the beginning. Blessings to you…
Yeah, I was enjoying my life as a flight attendant when it came to an abrupt halt.
Thank you, Kristin. 💞❤️