Railroad stations and their surrounds are always bit sketchy no matter the country, especially at night. But, it is where the McDonald’s near my hotel is. Not wanting to spend $20 for a casual dinner I figured $7 for a couple cheeseburgers and fries is budget friendly.
The whole time I’m sitting there, about six feet away from me, a crazy guy is “fuck you” and “fuck this” to normal guy a few seats away. The normal guy (NG) pretty much ignores him. Then crazy guy (CG) goes to the counter and comes back with some napkins he tosses at NG. NG ignores him. Then CG turns around and starts hassling what appears to be a couple of tourists from Asia, who are now lost and scared. NG decides enough, stands up and puts CG on the ground. Not violently, just a guided take down. NG kneels on CG to keep him down. Eventually, some half-ass security guard shows up, gets NG off CG, CG gets sent on his way—with “fuck this” and “fuck McDonald’s” slowly fading into the background.
I finish my second cheeseburger and dump the way too salty fries in the trash and get up to leave. As I do, I stop and tap NG on the shoulder, shake his hand, and give him a, “Good on ya’ mate.” Which I have to change to, “Good job”, as NG doesn’t speak Australian.
I have an ironclad rule about police, incidents, etc. while on the road: “Never Get Involved.”
