DEAR ABBY: I'm a 21-year-old female living in Washington, D.C. Today, while on the Metro coming home from work, a group of eight high school kids hopped on, excited about what they had in their backpacks.
After they sat down across the aisle from me, I saw they were pulling handfuls of clothing out of their backpacks and attempting to take the sensors off the clothes. I heard a couple of them exclaim how excited they were about their new clothes, and one of the boys said, "I'm never paying for any clothes ever again."
Now I feel guilty that I didn't report anything to the authorities, or at least tell the boys the consequences of their actions weren't worth the possible repercussions. However, because I was a female traveling alone at sunset, I didn't want to involve myself in a possibly dangerous situation. What would your advice be on how to handle this encounter should it happen again? -- METRO RIDER
DEAR RIDER: You handled the situation correctly. If you are ever again alone in a situation in which you feel unsafe, particularly if you are outnumbered by individuals you think are up to no good, you should get away as quickly and quietly as possible.
P.S. If you have any idea where the clothes may have come from, call the store and the police and tell them what you saw.
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The Principle of Least Interest: He who cares least about a relationship, controls it.
