You Know Those 20/20 "What would you do if..."

I thought I was on one last night.  Jon and I went to the movies (on a date!) after attending a friend's ordination to the priesthood.  We were on our way into the screen room when Jon stopped at the bathroom. 

 I heard a man griping behind me and turned around.  I then saw griping man punch and push the woman he was with.  I was a little shocked.  He was yelling at her as they were walking past me.  I started following to see where they were going when he punched her again. I yelled out, "Don't touch her!  If you hit her again I'm going to call the police".  His response was something along the lines of "I don't give a ***** what you do".  I watched them start going into a different screen room and then some other movie goers had alerted the theater security who were on the way to talk to the couple.  The woman had said to me that it was her fault.  I knew she didn't want to draw any more attention to herself but I wasn't going to stand there and let a man beat up on a woman right in front of me! It did feel like a fine line to cross--I was afraid for her that she would get really hurt after they got home but surely the man should know that other people are not going to tolerate someone hitting a woman.  

The security guards stopped them at the screen room and talked to them for a few minutes. I heard him yelling that she hadn't picked up her phone and I guess he was ticked off that they were late to their movie.  We talked to the security guards after they were done with the couple and the woman had said that she was the one hitting him.  She, of course, wasn't going to press charges and was saying that it was her fault.  My heart broke.  I prayed for her the rest of the evening.  

The couple was from another country so maybe there were some cultural things going on--but I am still not going to standby while a woman is getting hurt by a man like that.  I saw a woman getting hurt by a man one time out in the parking lot of a movie theater (strange that both instances I have seen something like that have been at the movies...) and the guy I was with didn't want to get involved.  It sounded pretty serious and I was scared for her--but for myself as well.  I didn't want to go by myself and see how I could help. It was before cell phones and I was young.  I have never forgotten that woman and the way she sounded.  I think I made a promise to myself and all other women that if I were to ever see something like that again I would do something about it.  

It didn't spoil our evening but I have still been thinking about that woman and praying for her.