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

[Prontehpronto]

Hi, I went to a dinner and ABBA tribute act tonight on my own (family out of town and no one else to go with). I was having a lovely time, a stranger asked if he could take the extra chair,I said yes cos I thought he was going to pick it up and take it, he proceeded to sit down! He asked why I was on my own,I said hubby was away and I thought I'd enjoy a show, he started telling me about his divorce etc, he was older, 62, seemed not weird and just overly friendly father like figure, but when the shoe carried on he didn't move!!! I said aren't your friends going to miss you, he was like its fine!! I ignored him and turned away, I'm pissed cos he didn't go away and plus I had paid extra for VIP tickets at a table at the front. His friend cane to give him a drink, I thought bloody hell no way,told him not to put the drink down on my table and can you go back with your friends. Bloody ruined my night abit, why did he do that, and how should I have handled it. He prob was harmless but he shouldn't have approached a lone female I don't think and then not gone away!!!

@florizel13
One of the joys of being 60 is I can call into a pub occasionally on my way home after a busy day at work for a quick glass of wine and something to eat and be pretty much invisible

It is sad that you have to feel invisible to go to a pub alone and also didn't do it until such a late age.

The man was totally out of order to sit down and start talking to you about himself. What audacity. Good for you for sticking to your guns and telling him to go back to his friends. If it was me I would not have talked to him in the first place but told him to leave my table alone, thank you very much. We women are conditioned to be too polite to chancers like this who think it is OK to invade a woman's space and expect her to respond positively. Don't let this put you off enjoying going out on your terms.

Honestly I agree?! These comments seem mad to me.

If OP didn’t wanna socialise with him (fair enough), what’s wrong with just saying, “oh, tbh I am just here to enjoy the act and have a bit of me time. I’d rather just sit by myself, thanks 🙂”

Obviously if he kept on pestering after that, it’s a different story.

I don’t get why anyone has to be rude or aggressive before that point tho.

OMG what is it with men who think that they can just hit on a lone woman, and that she should be grateful for his attention?! Years ago,I would have just put up with this,but now I'm older and wiser and quite frankly,don't give a shit about offending some random man who thinks I should be grateful for his company,I just tell them I'd rather they didn't sit there,that I'd like to be alone. I'm past caring now what men think.

Really?

Why is it? It's 2024! Women don't need to be chaperoned everywhere. . I personally have travelled the entire world alone. I have been to Australia, New Zealand, Spain, France - all alone. I have eaten alone, drank alone and thoroughly enjoyed it! So sorry that you feel the wish to label me "odd".. I personally love my life and feel sorry for the small minded people who've never left their own town and fear being alone!!! Seriously, live a little!

YANBU, I would bloody hate this too.
I hate that it is assumed that if you are sat alone, you must be lonely and would welcome company.

How small minded to think it's weird to do things on your own and it must mean you're desperate for company.

Misunderstanding at the outset - you thought he was asking to take away a chair and he thought he was asking to sit at your table. I think the best way (isn’t hindsight great) would have been as soon as he sat down to say ‘Oh sorry I thought you wanted the chair for your table. I wasn’t inviting you to sit here.’ He might have been a bit mifffed but he wouldn’t have stayed.

i said up front-I have also travelled alone plenty of times. I just found it odd to go to this sort of thing and book a table at the front for just herself, a bit odd. Cinema/theatre/meal alone -perfectly normal.

@Warmfeet

i said up front-I have also travelled alone plenty of times. I just found it odd to go to this sort of thing and book a table at the front for just herself, a bit odd. Cinema/theatre/meal alone -perfectly normal.
So you think lone women should hide themselves way way in the back? 🫤