Random stranger sat on my table at a dinner and tribute act show

The fact he’s about 20-25 years older than OP should’ve told him he’s probably not her type.

Few women of OPs age would plonk themselves next to a solo 20 year old man
at an event. It’s the same age gap.

Men need to read the room better and not make women so uncomfortable. Not everyone would’ve felt confident enough to tell him to leave her table and I think sometimes men bank on that “politeness”. They can see the discomfort but keep going until they are told very explicitly to leave.

Was he drunk ? If you’re a confident woman out on your own, you will get attention - wanted or not. You must radiate positivity ! Unfortunately he didn’t get the hint. Next time if they don’t get the hint politely tell them to sod off !!

I think you're being a tiny bit unreasonable. If you were single and he was your type this could have been a very sweet "how we met" story. He just didn't know you weren't and he wasn't.

He didn't read your signals and overstayed his welcome. But if I'd been in your shoes I'd have just said something along the lines of "Well, nice chatting to you. I'm actually here to enjoy the show by myself tonight, so it's time for you to go. Feel free to take the chair with you." And not given him another thought.

But trying to get you up to dance was cringey and annoying. So YANBU about that.

Unfortunately the fact of him being old enough to be your father doesn’t stop some men :/

Well done on eventually telling him to go away though.

I can't believe he did that, how embarrassing for him! You handled it really well though, well done for sticking to your guns 👏

Aslo well done for sticking to uour plans & going out to something you knew you'd enjoy, it sounds like a great night AND dinner too, yes please!

@Prontehpronto Is it not more likely that he thought you were attractive and was "shooting his shot" as the kids say these days?

@Seriestwo Who ever said that women shouldn't be alone in public spaces (outside of some very conservative religious sects)? Did this man say women shouldn't be alone in public spaces?

I was out today for a meal with an all female (middle-aged) group of friends. An man (probably late 70s) got up from his table of couples and started quizzing us about why we were there and what had we done with our husbands. Clearly thought we'd be delighted to have him take a flirtatious interest in us and was baffled that we weren't hanging on his every word. It was really cringy and his party were studiously ignoring his behaviour.

There is no way he would have done the same to a table of blokes or a table of couples.

Willy Russell explores this beautifully in Shirley Valentine. I suggest you watch it and have a laugh about the absurdity of people not wanting women to be alone in public spaces.

m glad you enjoyed the show.

I went to see Gail Porter earlier in the year at my local arts centre - went on a whim so went alone, first time i've gone to something like that solo, though i'm very used to (and enjoy) going to the cinema alone.
Instead of rows, the chairs were arranged around large tables and i was impressed to see a woman at mine pull out a book and some crochet in the interval 😄 I guessed she was used to going alone and had found a good way of using the interval time, while avoiding having to swat away the Well Meaning who think alone = lonely.

its quite an odd thing to go to on your own though, so probably thought you'd been stood up and felt sorry for you.

@Zow No WAY would this man have gone and sat with another man who was on his own.

Of course straight men don't sit with other men. Why would they do that? You understand that straight men aren't attracted to other men, right?

Women socialise with each other. Men don't.

Perhaps he wasn't a human bloke? 😂😂

First of all your use of the word 'hate' is overly dramatic. @JabbaTheBeachHut

We've got swat him like a fly, pushy fucker fuck off, leave me alone you c*nt and a stupid fucker.

If thats not hate I dunno what is. Chubby Brown gig would be more appropriate than Abba😂

100% this. ^ No WAY would this man have gone and sat with another man who was on his own. Couldn't wait to push his nosey fat face into a lone WOMAN's private space though. And he didn't leave even when she made it clear she didn't want him there. Arrogant twat.

First of all your use of the word 'hate' is overly dramatic.

Secondly, stop pretending it was just a 'human talking to another human'.

It was a man approaching a woman sitting on her own, who ended up turning her back on him and yet he still had to be told not to settle down with his drink.

How many lone human males do you think he did the same thing to?

Yes he does. He was a pushy, sexist, annoying pest. He had no business hounding the OP.

.

Some pretty sociopathic comments on here. He might have outstayed his welcome but a human talking to another human, seemingly politely, in a public bar/event doesn't deserve all the hate.