One Way To Identify A CREEP.



This morning (Saturday, 10/27), I happened to be viewing an episode of Ghost Whisperer that I had recorded.
The storyline involved a female victim of a male stalker.

I've had personal experience with stalkers... several times, several different stalkers.



The first time, I was in my early teens... and I was quite intimidated.

The last time was about two years ago... and, this time, I finally got angry and stopped being intimidated (... and "nice".)

That last time, after playing an increasingly exhausting game of cat-and-mouse/hide-and-seek with the deranged dork off-and-on for a few weeks...

(*Please Note: I did not encourage/entice/tease/lead him on. What did I do?... Well, if you really want to know... I said, "Hello." when I saw him. I smiled. I stopped, briefly, when he wanted to talk to me. (instead of acting like I was in a hurry to get somewhere.) That's it. I was polite... like I am to pretty much everyone.)

You see, he was always on his a bicycle. I usually skateboard or walk. When I was outdoors walking, with or without my dog, he would show up - crossing my path - and he would keep showing up - crossing my path - again and again and... AGAIN!

I told myself, the first couple of times it happened, "He's just flirting/being silly."

By the time the second week of this behaviour was ending, I was creeped out and beginning to feel panicky inside when I was outside. (Remember, this sort of thing has happened to me since my teens.)



Finally, one fateful day, I made My Last Stand.

I was out, walking with my dog, and Creepy Dude shows up on his bicycle. He says "Hello." I say, "Hello." and keep walking. He asks "What's up?" I tell him I have somewhere to be and keep going. I head off with my dog and he rides off. Whew! - Or so I thought. He re-appears... stops (inches away from me/us)... looks at me and... smiles... again and again and AGAIN.

Needless to say, I didn't walk in a straight line. I crossed the street, I changed directions, stopped, turned down this block... then that block... and there he was!

Finally, in front of the Post Office, I got sick and tired of feeling like a frightened rabbit, especially in My Neighborhood, within blocks of My Home.

I turned around mid-block and looked up to see him, s-l-o-w-l-y following me from behind. He saw me see him and he immediately stopped in his tracks. I dropped what I was holding, tied my dog to the closest parking meter and marched back up the street, past a postal employee, and right up to stalker-dude's face.

I made sure I wasn't smiling. Made sure that I wasn't "nice".

I said to him, "Listen to me. I've been stalked before, several times in my life, and I don't like it. I do not appreciate you stalking me. Stop following me, right now! It makes me uncomfortable and I want you to stop... Right Now! And don't do it Anymore!".

He apologized immediately, stumbling over and stuttering his words.

The Postal Employee witnessed the whole thing. When I walked past him to go back to my dog, he smiled politely and nodded. "Good!", I thought to myself, "A witness and someone to back me up if needed."

I got back to my dog and looked back at stalker-dude. He was turning back around and heading away from us.

And, I'm happy to say, he never bothered me/us again.

Anyway-
What had motivated me to Blog this morning was that, in the midst of the Ghost Whisperer Stalker episode... I hear my front door open.

I live in an old Victorian... really old. The front door is solid wood. It is downstairs and has one of those old (ball-and-socket?) contraptions whereby one could, at one time, use a lever at the top of the stairs to open the front door.

Even thought it is no longer connected in a way that allows it to work, the parts still move when the door is opened and that makes it squeak in a particular way that I have learned to recognize.

I was in my room... up on my loft... when I heard a strange male voice calling out, rather softly, "Hello?... Hello?... Hello?".

I immediately realized that he was not a resident and had apparently just let himself in my home!

(Unfortunately, this was not the first such incident... one time a really brawny, rather mentally unstable person who was stalking my then room-mate... kicked in the front door... With The DeadBolt Thrown!... So, needless to say, picturing this in my mind... I jumped off of my loft - forget the ladder, there's a stranger in the house... and he's coming up the stairs!)

I opened my door - I could tell he was still on the stairs, otherwise I wouldn't have done that.

"What!", I yelled. (I get angry a bit more than I get scared nowadays...) He said he was looking for my housemate (he said his name, but that doesn't mean they know each other.)

Intruder-dude stopped mid-way on the staircase... He said that my front door was "...open".

My front door might have been unlocked... even ajar... but it certainly wasn't "...open". Like I said, it's a very old house with a very heavy, solid wood front door... it won't just stay "open".

I told intruder-dude that he should have rang the bell. He claimed he didn't know which one to ring.

... So, instead of ringing any bell...(perhaps he didn't want to disturb the residents?)

Instead of doing that... intruder-dude... just lets himself into someone else's house?!

I'm getting really annoyed at his lack of logic/honesty...He motions down the hall to J's apartment door, "So, he lives down there?", and he begins to climb the stairs again.

As I am reviewing - in my mind's eye - all of the various sharp, blunt & heavy objects that I have placed around my room...

(No, I'm not paranoid... I collect creepy, gothic & sharp objects.)

I tell him, in no uncertain terms, "No! Go downstairs and ring the bell."

Intruder-dude looks at me... I'm serious... I've got sharp, blunt objects and a dog (which he doesn't see) behind me... He turns and goes back down the stairs.

(*Oh, another thing... There's a "Beware of Dog" sign on the front door... and he still came in, instead of ringing any bells!... What an idiot!)

Just as intruder-dude reaches the front door... J. returns home... perhaps he left the door "open"?

"Hey, Buddy!", says J., "What are you doing in here?"...

Ha!... Indeed!... Good Question!

P.S. -
I'm going to talk to J. about his new "Buddy".

What a CREEP!



Peace.
L.