When One Door Opens, Another Slams Shut

(I’m a French Canadian, visiting with a few friends. I have local pen-pals, a couple, who generously accepted to be our hosts, taking us in and driving us around a bit. My friends and I have a habit which apparently disturbs them; we hold open doors for whoever seems next to pass, no matter what. It’s a deep-rooted basic courtesy for us, and despite ours hosts warning to not do it, we keep doing it from instinct. Since we expect nothing out this, we brush this off. We are about to enter a place with double doors. I spot a man holding bags, and me being me, I go around the door and let the man pass. He says nothing, which I expect. I see him pass the second door and do like I did on the first one, holding it open. I think, “oh, he wants to make it even, that’s nice” so, I go to pass the door, but, once I’m engaged in, he quickly and forcefully slams the door on me. It hits my face so hard I back off. He says something I don’t hear and runs away.)

Me: “What the f***?!”

(It really hurt! My confused friends start to freak out, telling me my face is about to turn blue where it was hit. Our hosts are calm still.)

Host #1: “Well, from what he said, he didn’t take well to having a women hold a door for him, and wanted to put you back in your place.”

(I’m suddenly angry my simple kindness was met with such violence.)

Me: “WHAT?!”

Host #2: “What ‘what’? It never happened to you before?”

Me: “No! Of course not!”

Host #1: “You should just be glad you turned your face fast enough to not get a broken or bloody nose.”

(Our hosts shrugged it off, like it was normal. We found some ice, but I did get some bruises for the rest of our stay. And, no, we did not let one violent man be the representation of a whole nation. We didn’t stop holding doors open and the rest of people we did it for were appreciative.)