This is more of a rant than anything but I just want to ease my anxiety and fear a bit by writing this. Feel free to read if you'd like.
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Why can't a guy take no for and answer and why do they insist on harassing a female who simply is minding their business?
I legit got out of work not too long ago when this car pulled up next to me. At first I ignored it signed it stopped by a store called Ollie's and I assumed it was going to park there, but as I was about to walk towards the parking lot to walk home, the same car slowly slowly drive behind now following me.
I was confused because someone called out to me, that's when I realized the man in the blue car was talking to me. He was a middle aged Hispanic man and said that we were neighbors. He insisted on taking me home, but no matter how many times I said no he kept trying again and again even following me around in his car.
He told me to get in his car. He said he wanted my number and wanted to get to know me. He said he would drive me home and apparently kept me warm from the cold outside. It was not cold at all it's was cool.
But I rejected him again. I tried to walk away and ignore him but then he blocked my path before I could cross the street. At this time he was angry, he was now hostile. Every being inside me went to full panic as he raised his voice calling me names as he kept yelling at me to get in his car.
Of course I was scared. I never been in this sort of situation so it was all new to me. At that very moment the only thing I could think about now was calling someone, anyone. The first person on my contact list was my sister. I prayed to whatever being was out there that she would answer and luckily she did.
I begged her on the line DO NOT hang up on me, please keep taking to me. And she did just that. She stayed on the line and listened on as I was harassed by this strange Hispanic man. She heard as he yelled insults at me and telling me to get in his car or he'd use force. Eventually he got out of his car and approached me, my heart pounding in my chest as I got scared.
At that moment, almost immediately i ran inside the closet store next to me and that was Marshalls. I had an old coworker who I used to work with and he insisted I stay by the registers. Even though I was inside marshalls, the man continued to wait outside in his car.
While my sister was on the phone with me she told me to stay out and not leave the store, she told me she was on her way as fast as she could. I couldn't think straight, I was afraid he would get out of his car, only this time I was afraid he would come inside the store and drag me out.
Within the few moment I was hyperventilating due to the panic I was experiencing, my sister tells me she's driving towards Marshalls. She tells me she's outside and tell me to hurry up and get in the car.
I hung up the phone and almost immediately ran to her car. With the few seconds I got out the store, he got out of his car and tried to grab me. My sister honk her car's horn and alert him and everyone else in the parking lot.
He immediately went inside his car after that. Now I'm the safety of my sister's car, I relaxed a bit but my sister how ever took a picture of the man's face and recorded his car. She took his license plate as well.
Now leaving the marshalls parking lot, she decided to follow after his car. It seemed he was aware that my sister was tailing him so he tried to confuse her by driving around in different directions.
This man did not live anywhere near our neighborhood. After a while of driving it turned out her live farther away in a much lonelier and empty neighborhood. We got pictures of his apartment as well. My sister sent the now gathered information to her boyfriend who's in the U.S military. He's staying with us for the moment and I'm not sure what will happen now.
Currently I'm now at home and I think to myself, what would of happened if my sister never answered her phone. What if my instincts weren't fast enough to make me run inside marshalls. What if he managed to successfully grab me?
I don't know what would of happened to me and the idea worries me. Why can't a guy just take no for an answer? Is saying no their way of seeing it as an open invitation? I wasn't wearing anything provocative to say I was tempting him. I simply wore my work uniform, nothing more.
I never once experienced this while in Italy. I've heard the U.S is a dangerous and scary place and now I definitely see it. No means no so why try to use force instead of accepting rejection?
I don't know why, but all I know is that I will not longer be walking home. But if I do, I'll make sure I have company with me from now on.
I know now, that I'm afraid of this country and what it had to offer me later on down the road.