Did I make the right call?

Yesterday, after begging, pleading, and making promises I didn’t intend on keeping...the Chief agreed to take me to the beach.  My simple argument is, we have lived here for 8 months...we are less than 40 minutes away from a state beach, and 20 minutes away from private beaches...and we haven’t been!  So we packed up for a day at the beach.  I was giddy the whole drive over there!  Seriously, like an Ethiopian child going to the ice cream store. 

We pull up, get out, and unload.  We head to the sandy white spot where I know I will hear the waves and see nothing but water.  We walk up to this:

Guess everyone else had the same idea.  I have never seen so many people in all my life.  After wandering around trying to find a place to settle, we decided on a spot big enough for my towel and the Chiefs chair.  I covered myself with oil (don’t tell the mom), and sprayed the Chiefs pasty white chest with sunscreen and settled down with a book.  As I am reading, I turn to look at the Chief.  Before we left the house, I asked him if he wanted to bring something to read.  Reluctantly, he threw a magazine in my beach bag.  Now, as we lay here, I asked him if he wanted that magazine.  He responds, “I don’t need to read, I have enough entertainment watching all these people.”  He sat there for the full three hours people-watching.  This is something I love about this man.  He doesn’t require my entertainment, in fact I’m pretty sure he probably prefers me to be quiet and reading...so I went back to my reading.  

A few hours in, an older gentleman came and sat down in an empty spot close to us...but closer to 4 teenagers.  He was probably 45ish.  Okay...let’s just cut to the chase here...he gave me the heebie jeebies.  There was something about this man that made my skin crawl. He began talking to one of the male teenagers (16ish).  He was talking to him about VERY adult topics.  He was telling him about his girlfriend that overdosed, and then went on to tell him about a drug bust that involved cocaine.  I am not sure if it was the mom in me or what but there were red flags all over this man.

1. He was at the beach in shorts and a t-shirt. Not a swimsuit. He didn’t take off his shirt.
2. He was eating animal crackers. Seriously? 45 year old bachelor (no wedding ring), eating a kiddie treat?
3. He planted himself next to 4 teenagers.        
4. He digested himself into a lengthly conversation with a 16 year old boy about very adult topics.  
5. He is a pervert.
6. He is a pervert.
7. He is a sick, nasty, pervert.  

So I think I listened to that for about ten minutes before I turned to the Chief and asked if he was hearing this.  The Chief, coming to the beach to do nothing but please me, and look at hot chicks, didn’t want to get involved.  My stomach was literally turning.  My hands started shaking.  When I feel like that, I can’t do anything but think about worst case scenario.  The Chief, seeing the path I was heading towards, asked if I was ready to leave.  We ending up packing and leaving.  

I feel guilty.  In a circumstance like that, do you do something?  I figured I had three choices.

1. Pull the teen aside and tell him to be VERY careful, there was something creepy about the man he was talking to.  
2. Tell the man, loud and clear (making sure all surrounding people heard) that he had no business talking to a teenager about such adult subject matter. 
3. Packing up and leaving. 

I chose, in my opinion, the easy way out.  I still feel guilty about it.  If that were my child he was chatting with, I would hope and pray someone would speak up and tell the creep to find someone else his own age, and leave the kid alone.  Had I not been with the Chief, I would have said something.  I think kids are so naive, and I feel that pedophiles think they are slick and sly.  Maybe the man was completely innocent.  Maybe he had no friends and came to make some kind of connection.  Maybe I have him pegged wrong.  I am a pessimist.  I see the worst before I see the good.  Instead of seeing innocence, I see the crime it can lead to.  I trust no one.  As we were walking away, I was saying a prayer that the child would not give the man any personal information.  

I hate that I see a situation like that and immediately jump to evil.  Maybe that is wrong, but that is this world.  It is full of evil.  I know I can’t save everyone, but I hope and pray I didn’t walk away from something that could have been prevented.