Protect the Target

In sports like Soccer and Basketball it’s not uncommon to see a player assume a defensive position, arms down, hands cupped together below the waist in an effort to provide some additional protection of “things”. This is a protective move reserved for the male players of these sports, naturally.

The other day I ran into Target and after getting what I needed, stepped into the bathroom. In this particular Target the men’s room is located at the front of the store to the right of the main entrance. It’s situated around the corner at the end of a narrow hallway. As I came around the corner on my way out I nearly ran into a woman, apparently on her way in. She had medium length dirty blond hair pulled back into a braid and wore an oversized red Target vest. She also had on extra acid washed jeans cut from the 90’s with a high waist, baggy through the hip and thigh then tapered tight around the ankles.

I must have startled her and was shocked when I noticed she pulled into the two-handed protective stance reserved for soccer and sometimes basketball. As I walked away, though, I became troubled. What exactly was this woman expecting me to do? And why did this move come so naturally?