I've encountered several in the three months now that I've been living here. They sidle up to you, sometimes asking for money, but more often just a big slimey "salut, ça va?", maybe accompanied by a wink, casually appraising of their target, their eyes sliding up and down. ick.
My usual method now of dealing with guys like this.... is to stare determindley away from them, (these encounters usually happen at bus stops, metro stations etc), look very interested in something out of the window, and pretend to not have heard them.
All three of these tactics failed this evening.
I got on the metro at Trone (at about 7pm), to go one stop to Arts-Loi where you can change lines. Two guys got on right behind me. I stared resolutely out of the window but could TELL (in my peripheral vision) that they were giving me the eye. (I tell you this, not out of vanity... they were vile... but just to illustrate a point about life in Belgium... and Europe outside of the UK generally I've found...for ALL girls)
Anyway, fortunately I had earphones in so I could pretend not to notice at all anyway. Until I STUPIDLY glanced at one of them, and caught his eye. He smiled. His friend smiled. What could I do!? I'm english!! I smiled back. And looked away.
Oh dear though... then one of them started to talk. I couldn't hear what he was saying. But he knew I'd seen him trying to say something. I HAD to take the earphones out.
ERROR.
big time.
He spoke so softly and slimily I couldn't make out what he was saying. So I kept saying pardon? quoi? embaressing enough? apparently not... I understood something about "regime" which is diet!? The metro was by this point arriving at my stop, or should I say, our stop. As we got off I thought they said "bon soirée" or have a good a night, so I said something along the lines of, "hmm you too" and headed to my platform, thinking no more of it. UNTIL.
There I was waiting on my platform. A metro came in on the opposite side. And just as it pulled away, I again made the fatal error of glancing up just at the wrong moment, to see these two guys banging on the window of their metro at me, one of them with his arms held out in front of him and his cheeks puffed out, as though he was pretending to be a very fat person.
That's when it clicked. and I was offended. They hadn't been trying to chat me up, they'd been saying I was fat and should go on a diet! (I would've expected it in the UK, but from complete strangers, in french, in Belgium!! I was shocked!) I figure that must be it anyway because as far as I remember, there weren't any obese looking people on the metro.
I was quite pleased to remember then my ignorant response had been "you too".
************************
Answer. I don't. :)
The. End.
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