His hand, her skirt, was it rape?

My friend told me this story that she experienced

while on a bus ride on her way home.

She seemed bothered. From the corner of my eye, I can see her legs move. At first, it didn't matter. 

I looked in the mirror in front of us, then I saw it. The man beside her had his hand on her skirt. I was shocked and scared

I looked again just to be sure, and I was right. Whenever his arm moves, the girl's legs moved as well. 

There was no blatant reaction from the girl. She was just looking outside the window. I wanted to help her, but I didn't know how.

I ended up doing nothing. 

Nothing, until both of them left the bus together.
The man was around mid thirties. The girl, still in her uniform must have been a sixth grader or a freshman high school... every neurons in my brain told me to do something...but what? but how?

When my friend told me this story, I was disgusted and very mad

Thoughts filled my mind on what I would have done, or what I could have done.

Hypothetical situations that took so long for me to think about, but then would

I really have acted on it?  I hope so. I can't say, I don't know.

Humans have the tendency for altruism. We'd like to do the right thing

as much as possible although sometimes we become too absorbed

in our own problems, or the consequences that await us.

My friend was stressed out by the fact that the girl may have been asking help

from her but she wasn't able to.

We had a disturbing discussion, but she showed something very important.

She was paying attention and concern towards the people around her.

She was attuned, and it is the start.

Lacking attention, empathy doesn't stand a chance.

I believe that my friend is a good person who has concern and

courage to help others, it may not be her full potential yet, but she'll come to that

and I hope, I will too...