A woman picking up food at a Raising Cane’s in Texas said she was caught off guard when another customer slipped her a handwritten note. It warned her that a man nearby was watching her.
In a TikTok video with more than 77,000 views, Amarilys Valentín (@amarilysv3) showed the piece of paper. It included a small map of the restaurant. The drawing pointed out where the man was sitting so she would know who had his eyes on her.
In a follow-up clip, she filmed the table where the man had been—right next to where she had originally been sitting.
In her caption, Valentín told viewers what happened after she arrived.
“My loves [should] always be aware of their surroundings,” she wrote. “Nowadays society is so damaged that you can’t trust anything or anyone. It’s amazing that even going to a fast food restaurant alone is unsafe. We have to start taking care of ourselves.”
She said the woman’s concern felt genuine.
“I don’t know if the lady (a little angel who fell from heaven) who gave me the note or a family member is going to see this but I thank her again because she really reflected concern in her face,” Valentín wrote. “There are still good people in this world.”
In the comments, Valentín expanded on her gratitude.
When a person said, “I’m glad they gave you the note, scary world we live in,” she responded, “I’m super thankful cuz not many people warns others in these situations.”
Not everyone saw the exchange the same way. Some suggested the stranger may have overreacted.
Commenters have mixed takes on the encounter
One commenter wrote, “And that’s why men no longer approach women in public. Cause if you do you must be a creeper. Maybe he just thought she was pretty and would love to know her.”
Another weighed in with sarcasm, “Oh no he’s looking at you.”
Others pointed out the contrast between feeling unsafe in person and comfortable sharing the experience online.
“[Worried] about someone looking at you in person, but posting on TikTok where thousands look at you is not an issue. Society nowadays is crazy,” one person said.
Still, some sided with the original note-giver, arguing that vigilance was the safer choice for women. Researchers estimate that around 20% of women in the United States have been assaulted in some way. Strangers accounted for 5% of all assault encounters according to the ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.
“The world we live in is scary.. you dont know peoples intentions… out of all things to look at…… he keeps eyeing her… a devil can be dressed in sheep’s clothes too,” one user wrote.
For Valentín, the encounter was a reminder of how women often rely on each other for protection in everyday spaces, one which she put out online for other women to remember and share.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Valentín for more information.
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