13x21: Tinder Girl

[00:00:00] This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised. If you have a story to share, send it to letsnotmeetstories at gmail.com. Enjoy the show.

[00:00:39] My husband and I like to go for walks after dinner. The neighborhood that we live in is generally safe, even when walking around after dark, so we've never felt like we needed to be guarded or we never felt afraid.

[00:00:54] One night during our walk, at around 8.30pm, a woman who was coming towards us began arguing with the man that she was walking with. It was a rather heated argument, but something about it felt like they were putting on a show for us.

[00:01:10] The street that we take on our nightly walks has a slight incline, so you could see them coming downhill towards us.

[00:01:19] I noticed her from a little over a block away, since her outfit looked familiar to me.

[00:01:25] A few months before this happened, a woman wearing a pink fake fur jacket with one of her shoulders exposed and a tank top, kept trying to take my husband's pizza box away from him jokingly.

[00:01:38] When we were crossing the street, she kept grabbing his pizza box and saying,

[00:01:43] Oh my god, thank you, I'm starving.

[00:01:46] So when I saw this woman coming up the street towards us, wearing a similar style of jacket, also with one of her shoulders exposed, the first thought I had was,

[00:01:58] Huh? I wonder if it's the same lady that tried to take our pizza.

[00:02:03] As soon as they reached us, they went from walking together quietly to screaming at each other.

[00:02:09] It was like they hit their marks on the stage and someone yelled,

[00:02:14] Action! And they began this almost rehearsed fight.

[00:02:19] They were so loud that I could see people on the other side of the street looking over at them.

[00:02:24] I remember thinking, if they had been arguing like this all along, we definitely would have heard them long before we saw them.

[00:02:33] They also switched the direction which they were walking.

[00:02:37] Originally, they were walking downhill towards us, but as soon as they reached us and began arguing,

[00:02:44] they turned around and began walking alongside us.

[00:02:48] They boxed us in.

[00:02:50] The woman was walking slightly in front of us to the left of my husband, and the guy yelling at her was to my right.

[00:02:57] I could tell that my husband was freaked out because he had a vice grip on my hand.

[00:03:03] Get away from me, Josh!

[00:03:04] The woman screamed.

[00:03:06] We broke up.

[00:03:07] God, leave me alone.

[00:03:09] Why are you like this?

[00:03:11] You're always starting shit in public!

[00:03:13] The man yelled.

[00:03:15] As they continued shouting, they kept pace with us.

[00:03:18] I tried walking faster to get away from them, but they sped up.

[00:03:23] When we reached the inner section, even though we had the light,

[00:03:27] I pulled my husband back for a second to stop, just to see what would happen.

[00:03:33] When we stopped, they stopped as well.

[00:03:36] It was clear that they weren't anticipating the stop.

[00:03:40] This is because they continued walking for just a bit more and then stopped suddenly,

[00:03:44] when they realized we were standing still.

[00:03:47] The funny thing is, as soon as we all stopped, I saw a brief look of confusion flash over the woman's face.

[00:03:56] Then, they proceeded to stand on the corner for a few seconds, staring at each other, completely quiet.

[00:04:03] It was like they weren't sure what was going on, but then, as if they heard someone yell, action, again,

[00:04:10] they abruptly resumed yelling at each other.

[00:04:14] On top of all of that, the woman was wearing dark colors head to toe.

[00:04:19] He was wearing black and navy blue.

[00:04:21] He had the hood on his hoodie nearly pulled down to his eyes,

[00:04:25] and he had one of those neck-face combo mask things that pulled up past his nose.

[00:04:30] He was basically dressed like a ninja in 60 degree weather.

[00:04:36] Maybe she was walking alongside us because she was genuinely scared.

[00:04:40] That was why I didn't just leave and pull my husband away with me.

[00:04:45] As they continued keeping up with us, she kept calling out to us, now and then, to say,

[00:04:51] you see what I put up with? He won't leave me alone.

[00:04:55] After this happened a few times, I said, hey, come with us.

[00:04:59] We're going to an area where there are a bunch of stores and restaurants that are still open.

[00:05:04] There are a lot of people over there, so it'll be safer.

[00:05:09] But she ignored me.

[00:05:11] Just when I decided that this had to be fake,

[00:05:14] she suddenly asked my husband to tell the masked man to leave her alone.

[00:05:19] So my husband said,

[00:05:21] Dude, I do think you should back off and give her some space.

[00:05:24] Whatever's going on, you're not helping.

[00:05:27] And just like that, the creepy ninja guy left.

[00:05:30] He didn't put up a fight.

[00:05:32] He didn't tell my husband to mind his own business.

[00:05:35] Nothing.

[00:05:36] He just yelled,

[00:05:37] Jessica, I want my stuff back.

[00:05:39] And then ran off.

[00:05:42] I found it strange that he gave up so easily.

[00:05:45] The woman then thanked my husband and begged us to walk her back home since she was still scared

[00:05:51] that he would be outside her building waiting for her.

[00:05:54] We immediately said no.

[00:05:57] Between where we were and where her place was,

[00:06:01] there were a lot of churches, schools, and parking lots of medical offices that were closed.

[00:06:06] If we walked her home, we'd be passing by a lot of dark, unpopulated places where we could get jumped by that ninja guy,

[00:06:13] or whoever else was in the darkness, and no one would be around to hear us scream.

[00:06:20] I kept suggesting walking to the populated neighborhood that I mentioned before,

[00:06:25] since there would be plenty of places where we could wait together while she called for a police officer to escort her to a friend's place.

[00:06:33] She said,

[00:06:35] But that's in the opposite direction of where I live, and that's inconvenient for me.

[00:06:40] I'd end up having to walk so much.

[00:06:44] Who worries about convenience over staying safe after having a heated argument with what I guess is an ex?

[00:06:51] Also, if you were concerned that your creepy ninja boyfriend was going to be waiting for you outside your home to harass you,

[00:06:58] why would you want to go home instead of staying with a friend?

[00:07:03] She just kept repeating the address.

[00:07:06] After a certain point, it was like she was trying to reassure us that we would be escorting her to a real place,

[00:07:14] and that this definitely wasn't a plan to rob us or harvest our organs.

[00:07:19] After offering to walk her to a restaurant or 24-hour store over and over,

[00:07:24] she finally told us that she was going to call her mother to get her.

[00:07:29] She then pulled out her cell phone and quickly walked away from us.

[00:07:34] Hey, we'll wait here with you until your mom gets here to pick you up, my husband called out.

[00:07:40] She didn't answer, and instead started running.

[00:07:45] We watched her until she turned a random corner and then disappeared.

[00:07:50] Even after that, I wasn't completely convinced it was fake.

[00:07:53] I felt guilty.

[00:07:54] I thought maybe she needed our help, and we let her down.

[00:07:57] Maybe she was following us because she felt safer around a boyfriend.

[00:08:01] Maybe they weren't really boxing us in.

[00:08:04] Maybe she just put us between her and her boyfriend so that he wouldn't be able to grab her.

[00:08:11] After we arrived home and for a few days afterward,

[00:08:14] my husband and I struggled with wondering if we had left a poor woman alone to contend with an abusive stalker boyfriend.

[00:08:22] But the way she and the man she was arguing with acted seemed more like a scam than someone trying to get away from an abusive partner.

[00:08:33] She was more concerned with convenience rather than safety.

[00:08:37] She wouldn't take our offer to accompany her down to a safer, more populated path, to a public place.

[00:08:44] She didn't even want us to wait while she called her mother.

[00:08:48] Plus, the guy's outfit was so suspicious.

[00:08:51] It seemed like he wanted to ensure that none of his features were visible.

[00:08:56] Just like a lot of people who have stories like these, I've been made to feel unsafe by creepy people in the past,

[00:09:02] so if I see someone in a similar situation, if I can, I want to help them get to safety.

[00:09:07] But, at the same time, I think it's important to remember that not everyone who appears to be a victim is one.

[00:09:15] Some people may take advantage of your kindness and empathy to steal from you or worse, so please, be safe out there.

[00:09:22] This happened in 2017 after I had just moved to Washington State.

[00:09:46] I was recently single, so I was talking to people and going out on dates.

[00:09:50] I had matched with the girl on Tinder, and she asked if I wanted to go to a bar and hang out.

[00:09:57] I don't remember the name, but I can still remember her face as clear as day, but not necessarily in a fond way.

[00:10:06] We met at the bar, and she and I hit it off pretty well, so she mentioned that she had a kid.

[00:10:13] Honestly, it didn't really bother me at all.

[00:10:15] Our conversation went well, and I asked her if she'd like to hang out again and get to know each other a little more, and she agreed.

[00:10:23] She was pretty excited when I asked her about getting together again, so she gave me her number.

[00:10:29] We essentially texted all night, and then again the next morning.

[00:10:34] A week later, she asked if I wanted to go to dinner with her, and I was excited to meet up with her again.

[00:10:40] I picked her up at her house, and we went to a local place and had a great time.

[00:10:45] But near the end of the night, she kept checking her phone.

[00:10:49] She was looking at her watch as well.

[00:10:51] I noticed she was also acting fidgety, so I eventually asked her what was going on, and why she was acting so nervous.

[00:10:59] She explained that she was worried about her kid, who she had left with a new babysitter.

[00:11:04] So I asked her if she wanted me to take her back to her house.

[00:11:07] She smiled and said that she was fine, and it was just motherly instincts kicking in.

[00:11:14] For some reason, I immediately got a bad feeling in my stomach when she told me this, but I shrugged it off.

[00:11:22] We finished our dinner and got back in the car.

[00:11:25] It was about 8 o'clock, so it was pretty dark out.

[00:11:29] As I was driving her back to her house, she asked me if I wanted to go walk around at her favorite place.

[00:11:36] This gave me a bad feeling in my stomach again, but I shook it off for a second time.

[00:11:41] She was giving me directions, but I wasn't sure where I was going as I was still new to Washington State.

[00:11:47] We pulled into a parking lot and she told me,

[00:11:50] The walking path was down past a very dark entrance.

[00:11:54] The bad feeling in my stomach intensified to the point where I felt like I was going to throw up.

[00:12:00] I looked over at her and asked her why she wanted to go down that path.

[00:12:06] She explained that it was really pretty and said there were a lot of things to see.

[00:12:12] Meanwhile, my feeling of dread kept getting worse and worse.

[00:12:16] I was honest with her and said that I didn't feel comfortable going out there,

[00:12:20] but I made up an excuse as to why and said it was because I was afraid of the dark.

[00:12:27] For the next 10 minutes, she was trying to convince me to get out of the car and go for this walk with her.

[00:12:34] Her adamant attempts of trying to get me to go on this walk were not doing anything to make the feeling in my stomach go away.

[00:12:42] My gut was saying, do not go.

[00:12:45] She kept texting someone as we were talking and I noticed that she was still keeping a close eye on the time.

[00:12:52] The conversation then devolved into her sending a text and then telling me to get out of the car.

[00:13:00] This went on for another 10 minutes.

[00:13:03] Finally, I clearly told her I didn't feel comfortable and I wasn't going to get out of the car.

[00:13:10] She then got very upset and got out of my car herself.

[00:13:15] As she got out, I immediately locked the doors right after she closed hers.

[00:13:21] She then walked around the car and started to pull on my door handle,

[00:13:25] which made my bad gut feeling even worse than it already was.

[00:13:30] Just then, I looked to my left because I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

[00:13:35] I saw that there were two people in dark clothing, stealthily walking towards my car.

[00:13:42] I immediately started my car, threw it in reverse and slammed on the gas pedal.

[00:13:46] I knew right then that that was the reason I was having this bad feeling.

[00:13:51] As I peeled out of there, I looked in my rear view mirror and I saw two men in dark clothing

[00:13:57] and the girl I went on the date with calmly standing next to each other.

[00:14:03] Thank God I trusted my gut because I could tell something bad was about to go down.

[00:14:10] To the Tinder girl and her accomplices who were likely going to try and hurt me,

[00:14:15] let's not meet again.

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[00:15:45] This happened when I was maybe eight years old.

[00:15:48] My older sister was about 12.

[00:15:50] We also have a younger brother who's nine years younger than me,

[00:15:53] so he wasn't born.

[00:15:55] Our parents were out for their anniversary dinner

[00:15:58] and knew that meant they would be out until probably midnight.

[00:16:03] My sister was very responsible and capable, so she was babysitting me.

[00:16:08] I didn't find out about this until years later,

[00:16:11] but before going out, my parents warned my sister that our grandma,

[00:16:15] my dad's mom, was manic depressive,

[00:16:18] which is a clinical way of saying bipolar.

[00:16:21] They told her that she was mad at my dad for holding some boundaries with her

[00:16:26] and that my sister should not let her in or even respond to her if she came by the house.

[00:16:33] Of course, none of this was communicated to me, and that makes sense.

[00:16:37] I mean, how well can an eight-year-old process something like that?

[00:16:41] Anyway, a couple of hours into the evening, we heard a knock at the door.

[00:16:47] My sister immediately shushed me by holding a finger to her lips.

[00:16:52] Robbie, I know you're in there.

[00:16:54] We heard the voice say,

[00:16:56] Robbie, come open the door.

[00:16:59] I remember it like it was yesterday.

[00:17:01] I could tell that it was my grandma, but I could also tell that something wasn't right.

[00:17:07] My sister then moved us into the hallway where we sat quietly out of sight of any windows.

[00:17:13] Meanwhile, our grandma kept pounding on the door demanding that my dad let her in.

[00:17:19] It went quiet for a bit, so I started to relax, but of course that did not last.

[00:17:25] Then suddenly, we heard a loud slamming on one of the bedroom windows.

[00:17:31] Our grandma was sounding like a fucking demon out there screeching for our dad.

[00:17:37] I had never seen such anger before, and I honestly haven't seen it since.

[00:17:43] She moved around the whole house, pounding on every window.

[00:17:47] If she wasn't as old as she was, she would have surely broken a window with the absolute fury she was exuding.

[00:17:56] Then, it all went quiet.

[00:17:59] But I knew better than to relax.

[00:18:02] My sister and I stayed huddled together in the hallway in complete silence.

[00:18:07] I was shaking like a leaf.

[00:18:09] So was my sister.

[00:18:11] My grandma had played games with my sister to hurt my family in the past, such as taking her to the mall and going to the register with some jewelry, and then saying,

[00:18:21] Never mind.

[00:18:22] Or just buying the jewelry for our cousin instead.

[00:18:27] That's just an example, but it was some seriously twisted stuff.

[00:18:32] So, it had been quiet for a while, and then, out of nowhere, we heard our grandma putting on this sweet voice and addressing us specifically.

[00:18:41] After screaming for my dad, she was now trying to coax us with candy to get us to open the door.

[00:18:49] She always had a lot of candy around since she was also diabetic.

[00:18:55] It was the most surreal experience to hear her go from sounding like Satan himself to now sounding like a sweet old granny again.

[00:19:05] It was so convincing that she almost got me.

[00:19:09] Thankfully, my sister was wise beyond her years and held me tightly.

[00:19:14] Finally, after it had been quiet for about an hour, my sister said that it was time for bed.

[00:19:19] My bedroom faced the backyard, which had a pool and a high wall, beyond which was a vast empty field with an old railroad track running through it.

[00:19:31] So, I was used to hearing coyotes, foxes, and other animals outside.

[00:19:37] Right as I was winding down to fall asleep, I heard the absolute loudest scratch on my window.

[00:19:44] It was as if Freddy Krueger himself was trying to haunt my dreams.

[00:19:51] I slowly opened my eyes and I could see the silhouette of my grandma in the moonlight as if it were a full moon that night.

[00:20:01] No other windows were scratched, just mine.

[00:20:05] And then, it was over.

[00:20:08] I woke up the next day and my sister was telling our parents all about it.

[00:20:12] The thing is, I couldn't even be in the room while it was being discussed.

[00:20:17] A few weeks later, our grandma died from an E. coli infection.

[00:20:22] At her viewing, they put on one of her classic flowy blouses and there was a breeze that lifted it a bit, causing one of my cousins to shout,

[00:20:31] "'She's alive.'"

[00:20:33] After the funeral, I told my mom and dad that I was glad she was gone and, according to my mom, kept saying,

[00:20:40] "'Grandma really stressed me out.'"

[00:20:43] She later told me that no children my age should ever have to say their grandma stressed them out.

[00:20:49] But, unfortunately, grandma did more than stress me out.

[00:20:53] She terrified me more than any other horror film, scary story, or freaky night in the woods could ever do.

[00:21:00] And I had plenty of those with my dad, who was an absolute wild mountain man.

[00:21:06] Both of my parents are gone now, and I wish I had told them about my experience that night,

[00:21:11] but I trust that my sister told them what they needed to know.

[00:21:15] I now have a four-year-old daughter, and my wife's parents are the complete opposite of my grandparents.

[00:21:22] Both sides of my family had seriously messed up histories.

[00:21:26] It makes me cry when I look at pictures of my daughter with her grandma and grandpa at their farm,

[00:21:33] riding a horse or chasing a chicken.

[00:21:35] I'm so glad she gets to have the classic grandparent experience.

[00:21:39] In conclusion, I want to stress that I don't think that mental illness equals more violence.

[00:21:46] My wife and I both work in the mental health care field, remember that.

[00:21:51] And despite the experiences I had with my grandma,

[00:21:54] I don't project how she made me feel onto anyone else who suffers from mental illness.

[00:22:01] It manifests in so many different ways, the vast majority of which are non-violent.

[00:22:06] In fact, mentally ill people are far more likely to be victims of violence rather than perpetrators.

[00:22:23] This happened about four years ago.

[00:22:25] For some backstory, I'm from Australia and lived there during this event.

[00:22:30] At the time, my girlfriend, who is now my wife, lived in another country,

[00:22:34] but was visiting me over Christmas break.

[00:22:37] I lived in a big city, from which if you drove about an hour in any direction,

[00:22:42] you'd be led to another big city or beautiful nature.

[00:22:47] My friends and I decided to take my girlfriend to see some of the beautiful nature nearby,

[00:22:52] and we decided on a national park that was about an hour and a half away from where we lived.

[00:22:58] This place wasn't a secret location of any sort.

[00:23:02] It's very well known, but there are a ton of different areas to it.

[00:23:06] All the areas are different, with rural and windy roads taking you through various areas of the park.

[00:23:14] We had gone in two different cars, my friends in one, and me and my girlfriend in the other,

[00:23:20] so that we could have some time together.

[00:23:23] We finished out the day of hiking and were heading home down one of the lesser common roads,

[00:23:28] and I remember seeing this exceptionally beat-up old 70s sedan with a wild-looking dude in the driver's seat.

[00:23:37] He drove past us, going in the other direction.

[00:23:40] Now this wasn't too uncommon of a sight, as there are a lot of smaller, less economically sound towns splattered around the area,

[00:23:49] but for some reason, this car stood out, and my girlfriend noticed this as well.

[00:23:54] About 200 meters further down a very windy road, there was a little pull-off area.

[00:24:01] It was just a semi-circle of gravel you could pull onto to look at all of the beautiful views towards the ocean.

[00:24:08] There was a camper van belonging to a rental company that rented out colorful vans to backpackers parked there.

[00:24:15] A woman was standing in front of it, and as soon as she saw us, she jumped out onto the road and flagged us down.

[00:24:23] Now by this point, I've read enough stories with similar plots to know that pulling up to help her on such a quiet road might not be the safest idea,

[00:24:32] but back then, I hadn't heard so many stories starting this way.

[00:24:37] And my friends were in the car directly behind us, so I went ahead and pulled over.

[00:24:43] Luckily, she wasn't the person I didn't want to meet.

[00:24:47] She was quite obviously upset and scared when we pulled in, so I told my girlfriend to wait in the car, and I got out to speak to her.

[00:24:56] This lady was almost in tears.

[00:24:58] I can't remember where she was from, but from memory, it was a Central European country.

[00:25:05] My wife later confirmed that she was from Switzerland.

[00:25:09] She was touring around with her four- or five-year-old daughter.

[00:25:12] She told me that her van had broken down, and she had pulled off of the road to call the van company's assistance line,

[00:25:19] and was waiting for help.

[00:25:21] By this time, my friends had pulled in behind us, and a few of them had come over to see what was up.

[00:25:27] The lady proceeded to tell us that a scary man had driven past her a few times already.

[00:25:34] The first time that she encountered him, he pulled over to offer to take her and her daughter to the nearest town for help.

[00:25:41] She thanked him and declined, as she had called for help and was waiting for the assistance vehicle.

[00:25:47] He left, but then kept driving past every 10-15 minutes in opposing directions.

[00:25:54] He kept slowing down and looking at them, before driving off again.

[00:25:58] She begged us to stay with her while she waited for the assistance vehicle, since the guy terrified her and her daughter.

[00:26:05] I agreed, and my friends, being the awesome people that they are, decided just having me and my girlfriend stick around with them was enough,

[00:26:13] and they ditched us.

[00:26:15] Thanks, guys.

[00:26:17] We stayed with the woman for a little while, and the next thing we knew,

[00:26:21] the car that my girlfriend and I had seen earlier drove past slowly,

[00:26:25] coming from the opposite way that we had seen him go the first time.

[00:26:29] As soon as he had driven around the bend,

[00:26:31] the lady told us that that was the scary man she had been seeing before we got there.

[00:26:38] This made me and my girlfriend take her much more seriously,

[00:26:41] due to the feeling that we got from the guy just seeing him on the road.

[00:26:46] A few minutes later,

[00:26:48] he came back from the other direction and pulled in behind us.

[00:26:52] Just for some context,

[00:26:54] I should mention that I am not an intimidating man.

[00:26:56] I am somewhat tall,

[00:26:58] but I have almost zero muscle,

[00:27:00] and fairly soft features.

[00:27:02] So there was,

[00:27:03] not at all intimidating me,

[00:27:05] a terrified foreign woman,

[00:27:08] her tiny daughter,

[00:27:09] and my girlfriend who doesn't look very intimidating either,

[00:27:12] but she is tough as nails.

[00:27:15] And now,

[00:27:16] this wild-looking dude was approaching us

[00:27:18] on a quiet road in a remote location.

[00:27:21] He got out of his 70s sedan,

[00:27:24] and I could tell that he was not friendly-looking at all as he approached.

[00:27:29] As he strolled over to us,

[00:27:31] I walked towards him to put myself between him and the girls.

[00:27:34] To this day,

[00:27:35] I couldn't tell you where this bravery came from,

[00:27:38] as I ordinarily would not describe myself as a brave person.

[00:27:42] He looked at the girls,

[00:27:44] and then me,

[00:27:44] and asked if he could help.

[00:27:47] I told him no,

[00:27:48] and explained that we had it covered,

[00:27:50] and we were just waiting for the assistance vehicle.

[00:27:53] He then said that

[00:27:54] he could stay,

[00:27:55] and wait with the woman and her daughter,

[00:27:57] so we didn't have to.

[00:27:59] I told him we were more than happy to stay,

[00:28:02] and thanked him again,

[00:28:03] and repeated that we had it covered.

[00:28:06] He then just kind of stood there for a while,

[00:28:09] staring at us.

[00:28:10] He wasn't really saying anything,

[00:28:12] but he was giving off very creepy vibes.

[00:28:15] After what seemed like forever,

[00:28:17] another car drove past us,

[00:28:19] and looked at us on the side of the road,

[00:28:21] but they kept going.

[00:28:23] This seemed to startle him for some reason.

[00:28:26] So he mumbled,

[00:28:28] good luck,

[00:28:29] and then got into his car and drove off.

[00:28:32] We waited,

[00:28:33] with this poor scared woman and her daughter,

[00:28:35] for almost 90 minutes.

[00:28:37] We ended up talking a lot as we waited,

[00:28:40] and hopefully,

[00:28:40] we had made her opinions of Australia a little brighter,

[00:28:44] after crossing paths with that mega creep,

[00:28:47] who drove past once more,

[00:28:49] after about 15 minutes.

[00:28:52] Finally,

[00:28:53] when assistance arrived,

[00:28:54] a bigger dude,

[00:28:56] who could definitely handle himself,

[00:28:57] emerged from a vehicle.

[00:29:00] I asked to see his ID and credentials,

[00:29:03] just to be safe,

[00:29:04] even though he was in a car marked by the company.

[00:29:06] Everything seemed legitimate,

[00:29:08] so,

[00:29:09] we gave the lady my number,

[00:29:10] and asked her to text me,

[00:29:12] when she was safe.

[00:29:14] She was very grateful,

[00:29:15] that we stayed with her for such a long time.

[00:29:17] It made me feel good to know,

[00:29:18] that we made her feel more comfortable,

[00:29:20] while traveling around a strange country,

[00:29:23] especially with that sketchy guy,

[00:29:25] continually,

[00:29:25] slowly pacing by.

[00:29:27] I'll never know,

[00:29:28] if he was genuinely trying to help,

[00:29:30] but I truly,

[00:29:31] don't think that he was.

[00:29:33] I believe he was up to no good.

[00:29:35] I did get a message,

[00:29:36] from the lady later on,

[00:29:38] indicating that she was safe,

[00:29:39] so,

[00:29:40] everything ended well.

[00:29:41] But to that creepy mountain dude,

[00:29:44] let's not meet again.

[00:30:04] I was a seasonal worker,

[00:30:06] at the Grand Canyon.

[00:30:07] This happened on a night,

[00:30:08] when I had been really enjoying,

[00:30:10] the night sky.

[00:30:11] The way that the stars were in place,

[00:30:14] in the sky that night,

[00:30:15] has always stuck with me.

[00:30:18] I was with my partner,

[00:30:19] a fellow seasonal worker,

[00:30:21] and we decided,

[00:30:22] that we would hike down,

[00:30:23] to the rest point,

[00:30:24] about a mile and a half away.

[00:30:26] We figured,

[00:30:27] that it would be the perfect place,

[00:30:29] to stop,

[00:30:29] smoke,

[00:30:30] and star watch.

[00:30:33] We got down the trail,

[00:30:34] which was rather steep,

[00:30:36] and my partner,

[00:30:37] was enjoying the view,

[00:30:38] while I rolled up.

[00:30:40] When we were sure,

[00:30:41] we saw no one,

[00:30:42] else around,

[00:30:43] we lit up.

[00:30:45] We were able to,

[00:30:46] vibe in peace,

[00:30:47] for about 20 minutes,

[00:30:49] before we saw lights,

[00:30:50] coming down the trail.

[00:30:51] Now,

[00:30:51] it was a felony,

[00:30:53] to possess,

[00:30:53] what we were possessing,

[00:30:55] at the time.

[00:30:55] So,

[00:30:56] we put out our lights,

[00:30:57] packed up,

[00:30:58] and headed back,

[00:30:59] to the trail.

[00:31:00] We passed the lights,

[00:31:01] that we saw coming down,

[00:31:03] and that's when we saw them.

[00:31:05] A man,

[00:31:06] with a grisly beard,

[00:31:07] who appeared to be,

[00:31:09] maybe in his mid-forties,

[00:31:11] staggered by.

[00:31:12] He had his arm,

[00:31:13] around the woman,

[00:31:14] that he was with,

[00:31:15] and his hand,

[00:31:16] gripped her arm so hard,

[00:31:17] that I could see skin,

[00:31:19] welling over his hand.

[00:31:21] She looked young,

[00:31:23] and old,

[00:31:23] at the same time.

[00:31:25] She was dressed,

[00:31:26] very young,

[00:31:27] but physically looked,

[00:31:28] to be somewhere,

[00:31:29] in her thirties,

[00:31:30] but she was,

[00:31:31] completely trashed.

[00:31:32] She was stumbling,

[00:31:33] and mumbling,

[00:31:35] so the guy,

[00:31:36] was helping her,

[00:31:36] stay upright.

[00:31:38] Assuming that they were,

[00:31:39] heading deeper down,

[00:31:40] we settled,

[00:31:41] about 150 yards,

[00:31:43] from the rest house,

[00:31:44] where we started,

[00:31:45] and turned out our lights.

[00:31:47] We wanted it to be dark,

[00:31:49] so that we could see the stars.

[00:31:51] As we settled,

[00:31:52] into our new spot,

[00:31:53] we laughed,

[00:31:54] about this little bat,

[00:31:55] who kept coming by,

[00:31:56] to make sure,

[00:31:57] that we weren't food.

[00:31:58] Yeah,

[00:31:59] I guess the guy,

[00:32:00] wasn't used to people,

[00:32:01] sitting still out there.

[00:32:03] Well eventually,

[00:32:04] we saw their lights,

[00:32:05] when they were coming back.

[00:32:07] We were just chilling out,

[00:32:08] so,

[00:32:09] we just sat back,

[00:32:11] and gave them a nod,

[00:32:12] as they passed,

[00:32:13] and turned the corner,

[00:32:14] of the trail.

[00:32:15] The trail was maybe,

[00:32:17] five feet wide,

[00:32:18] where we were,

[00:32:19] and on one side,

[00:32:21] there was a deep drop,

[00:32:23] down a very rocky slope.

[00:32:25] On the other side,

[00:32:27] was a winding,

[00:32:27] cutback trail.

[00:32:29] So basically,

[00:32:30] one side,

[00:32:31] had a long drop,

[00:32:32] and the other side,

[00:32:33] had a rock wall.

[00:32:35] Now,

[00:32:36] where we had stopped,

[00:32:37] was a bit of an inlet,

[00:32:39] so to speak,

[00:32:40] since a water station,

[00:32:41] had been put in.

[00:32:43] So the path,

[00:32:44] was carved larger,

[00:32:45] where we were resting,

[00:32:47] right before the corner,

[00:32:48] that cuts back.

[00:32:49] A few minutes went by,

[00:32:51] and we both heard,

[00:32:52] gravel scattering nearby.

[00:32:54] We quickly tried,

[00:32:55] to shake it off,

[00:32:55] as an animal,

[00:32:56] but,

[00:32:57] we could both feel it,

[00:32:58] in our gut,

[00:32:59] that something,

[00:32:59] was deeply wrong.

[00:33:01] I never spoke,

[00:33:03] to my partner,

[00:33:03] about it then,

[00:33:04] since,

[00:33:05] it's best to act,

[00:33:06] like nothing is wrong,

[00:33:08] especially out in nature.

[00:33:10] Doing so,

[00:33:11] usually results,

[00:33:12] in drawing danger,

[00:33:13] to you.

[00:33:14] It's not safe,

[00:33:16] but my gut,

[00:33:16] was screaming at me,

[00:33:18] leave this place,

[00:33:19] now.

[00:33:21] We then,

[00:33:21] finally decided,

[00:33:22] to quietly head out.

[00:33:24] So I turned,

[00:33:25] my flashlight on,

[00:33:26] and pointed it,

[00:33:27] straight down,

[00:33:28] since I didn't want,

[00:33:29] to blind the others,

[00:33:30] on the trail.

[00:33:31] As we rounded the corner,

[00:33:33] out of the corner,

[00:33:34] of my eye,

[00:33:34] I saw them.

[00:33:35] The woman,

[00:33:36] was attempting,

[00:33:37] to emulate,

[00:33:37] some kind of seizure.

[00:33:39] But,

[00:33:40] I have seizures,

[00:33:41] so I'm well versed,

[00:33:42] in what they look like,

[00:33:43] and,

[00:33:43] this just,

[00:33:44] wasn't quite right.

[00:33:46] I almost,

[00:33:47] stopped to help.

[00:33:49] Out there,

[00:33:50] I would want help too.

[00:33:51] Then,

[00:33:52] I saw the man,

[00:33:52] that she was with,

[00:33:53] posted up,

[00:33:54] on a wall behind her,

[00:33:55] pretending to be asleep.

[00:33:57] Neither my partner,

[00:33:59] nor I,

[00:34:00] acknowledged them,

[00:34:00] even though,

[00:34:01] they were less than,

[00:34:02] 10 feet,

[00:34:02] from where we had been sitting.

[00:34:04] We just,

[00:34:05] stayed focused,

[00:34:06] on heading out,

[00:34:07] not wanting to be part,

[00:34:08] of whatever,

[00:34:09] was happening out there.

[00:34:12] We got about,

[00:34:13] 100 yards,

[00:34:14] past that point,

[00:34:15] and I asked my partner,

[00:34:16] if they saw,

[00:34:17] what I saw.

[00:34:18] They did.

[00:34:19] And their gut,

[00:34:20] was warning them,

[00:34:21] of danger as well.

[00:34:23] Just then,

[00:34:24] we saw two lights,

[00:34:25] hauling ass after us.

[00:34:27] There's no way,

[00:34:29] she was traveling that fast,

[00:34:31] after a seizure.

[00:34:32] I thought,

[00:34:33] no way in hell.

[00:34:35] These lights,

[00:34:36] were gaining on us fast,

[00:34:37] so we booked it,

[00:34:38] which was tough,

[00:34:40] since I have low vision.

[00:34:42] While I could generally,

[00:34:43] make that hike just fine,

[00:34:44] by taking my time,

[00:34:45] and having ample time to rest,

[00:34:47] I couldn't do that,

[00:34:48] with these two sketchy people,

[00:34:50] chasing us up the trail.

[00:34:51] So my partner,

[00:34:52] put my hand in his backpack pocket,

[00:34:55] to guide me,

[00:34:55] and tell me,

[00:34:56] where I needed to step up.

[00:34:59] We went as fast as we could,

[00:35:01] but I had to stop,

[00:35:02] every so often to breathe,

[00:35:04] and try to locate,

[00:35:05] where they had gone.

[00:35:06] Their lights still followed,

[00:35:07] and continued to get closer.

[00:35:09] They even passed,

[00:35:10] other people,

[00:35:11] and didn't stop,

[00:35:12] which for me,

[00:35:13] further confirmed,

[00:35:14] that they were up to no good.

[00:35:17] We were convinced,

[00:35:18] that we were going,

[00:35:18] to get marked out there,

[00:35:20] but,

[00:35:20] we made it out of there.

[00:35:22] We made the hike,

[00:35:23] back up in 30 minutes,

[00:35:25] which was pretty good,

[00:35:26] considering,

[00:35:26] getting away from them,

[00:35:28] felt like the longest,

[00:35:29] time,

[00:35:29] of my life.

[00:35:44] I live in a small town.

[00:35:46] A few years ago,

[00:35:47] our local market,

[00:35:48] had been taken up,

[00:35:50] by new owners.

[00:35:51] They completely,

[00:35:52] overhauled everything.

[00:35:54] They even fired,

[00:35:55] the old staff,

[00:35:55] and hired an entirely,

[00:35:57] new roster of employees.

[00:35:59] At the time,

[00:36:00] I had been a regular,

[00:36:01] at this market,

[00:36:02] for around five years,

[00:36:03] or so.

[00:36:05] It was very convenient,

[00:36:06] for me to go there,

[00:36:07] since I just lived,

[00:36:08] down the street.

[00:36:09] I didn't have a car,

[00:36:11] back then,

[00:36:11] so I shopped there,

[00:36:13] daily,

[00:36:13] and sometimes,

[00:36:14] went multiple times a day.

[00:36:16] I had built up,

[00:36:17] a rapport,

[00:36:18] with the original owners,

[00:36:19] who were elderly,

[00:36:20] and I bantered,

[00:36:21] with the original employees,

[00:36:22] who were older locals.

[00:36:25] I only knew,

[00:36:26] one person's name,

[00:36:27] because she finally,

[00:36:28] asked for mine,

[00:36:29] after a year of exchanges,

[00:36:31] and it turns out,

[00:36:32] we shared,

[00:36:33] the same name.

[00:36:35] Moving forward,

[00:36:36] by the time,

[00:36:36] the new owners,

[00:36:37] reopened the market,

[00:36:38] with their new staff,

[00:36:40] I had a new car,

[00:36:41] so my business there,

[00:36:43] wasn't as frequent.

[00:36:44] But I was still,

[00:36:45] pretty consistent,

[00:36:46] about going in there,

[00:36:46] to search for a drink,

[00:36:48] snack,

[00:36:48] or missing ingredient,

[00:36:50] for dinner.

[00:36:51] I'm a relatively friendly person,

[00:36:53] but I'm also very anxious,

[00:36:55] especially with men,

[00:36:56] that I don't know.

[00:36:57] So,

[00:36:57] after the new staff,

[00:36:59] was in place,

[00:37:00] I kept my interactions,

[00:37:01] with them,

[00:37:02] very generic.

[00:37:03] I would wait in line,

[00:37:04] smile,

[00:37:05] say hello,

[00:37:05] pay,

[00:37:06] say thank you,

[00:37:07] and then dip.

[00:37:08] The new staff,

[00:37:09] was friendly,

[00:37:10] for the most part,

[00:37:10] but one cashier,

[00:37:11] was a little too comfortable,

[00:37:13] when he interacted,

[00:37:14] with me.

[00:37:15] He would even,

[00:37:16] lean over the counter,

[00:37:18] and if I'd say,

[00:37:19] that I didn't need a bag,

[00:37:20] he would always put my stuff,

[00:37:21] in one anyway,

[00:37:23] and make a point,

[00:37:24] to caress my hand,

[00:37:25] when handing it over.

[00:37:27] This always felt,

[00:37:28] very off to me.

[00:37:30] It was super awkward.

[00:37:33] At the time,

[00:37:33] I was also taking,

[00:37:34] yoga classes.

[00:37:36] After class,

[00:37:37] some of the other women,

[00:37:38] and I,

[00:37:39] would go get drinks,

[00:37:40] at the market,

[00:37:40] walk around,

[00:37:41] and chat.

[00:37:42] Whenever the creepy,

[00:37:43] cashier saw us,

[00:37:44] he would always make,

[00:37:46] weird comments,

[00:37:46] about our class.

[00:37:48] I stopped going,

[00:37:49] to this market,

[00:37:49] for a bit after that,

[00:37:51] but when my car,

[00:37:52] stopped working,

[00:37:53] I had no choice,

[00:37:54] but to start frequenting,

[00:37:55] the market again.

[00:37:57] On my first visit,

[00:37:58] back to the store,

[00:37:59] after not going,

[00:38:00] for a while,

[00:38:00] the creepy cashier,

[00:38:02] lit up,

[00:38:02] when he saw me,

[00:38:03] and he asked,

[00:38:04] where I had been.

[00:38:05] I don't remember,

[00:38:07] what I said,

[00:38:07] but I remember,

[00:38:08] keeping it very general.

[00:38:10] While he had been,

[00:38:11] showing an obvious,

[00:38:12] interest in me,

[00:38:13] he never asked me,

[00:38:14] for my name,

[00:38:15] but,

[00:38:16] had asked if I was married,

[00:38:18] when he saw my ring.

[00:38:20] He also asked me,

[00:38:22] if I had,

[00:38:22] Instagram or Facebook.

[00:38:24] I glazed over,

[00:38:25] saying anything about,

[00:38:26] Instagram,

[00:38:26] and just said that,

[00:38:28] I haven't had,

[00:38:29] Facebook since high school,

[00:38:30] which was true,

[00:38:31] and sort of helped me,

[00:38:32] opt out of having to lie,

[00:38:34] about not having,

[00:38:35] an Instagram account.

[00:38:37] When I saw him again,

[00:38:39] I was so exhausted,

[00:38:40] from evading,

[00:38:41] his questions,

[00:38:42] that I caved,

[00:38:43] when he asked about,

[00:38:44] Instagram.

[00:38:45] I told him that,

[00:38:46] I had an account,

[00:38:47] but I didn't use it often.

[00:38:50] During that interaction,

[00:38:51] the register,

[00:38:52] happened to be,

[00:38:53] as he said,

[00:38:54] on the fritz.

[00:38:55] My card wouldn't swipe,

[00:38:57] so,

[00:38:58] I had to hand it over to him,

[00:38:59] so he could manually,

[00:39:00] input my card's information.

[00:39:02] I didn't think anything,

[00:39:04] about that,

[00:39:04] and I went on my way,

[00:39:06] after he completed my purchase.

[00:39:08] I then went home,

[00:39:09] made dinner,

[00:39:10] and put on something to watch,

[00:39:11] while I scrolled through my phone.

[00:39:13] When I saw that I had a friend request,

[00:39:15] on Instagram,

[00:39:16] my jaw dropped.

[00:39:17] It was the cashier.

[00:39:19] I instantly lost my appetite,

[00:39:20] and felt so uncomfortable.

[00:39:23] After deducing,

[00:39:24] that this happened,

[00:39:25] since he got my full name,

[00:39:26] off of my debit card,

[00:39:28] I denied the request.

[00:39:30] I felt sick,

[00:39:31] knowing he had memorized,

[00:39:32] or somehow saved,

[00:39:33] my personal information,

[00:39:34] so that he could use it,

[00:39:36] to search for me on Instagram.

[00:39:38] Several hours later,

[00:39:40] I received another friend request from him,

[00:39:42] along with the message that said,

[00:39:44] what are you up to?

[00:39:46] I denied the second request,

[00:39:48] and ignored the message.

[00:39:49] Over the following two days,

[00:39:51] I had multiple requests,

[00:39:53] with multiple messages from him,

[00:39:55] attempting to start conversations,

[00:39:57] and the messages were accompanied by,

[00:39:59] multiple selfies.

[00:40:01] I continued ignoring him,

[00:40:02] and blocked him.

[00:40:03] I ended up talking to a friend,

[00:40:05] who also goes to the market,

[00:40:07] and she said that she always felt,

[00:40:08] uncomfortable around him,

[00:40:10] especially since he tried to,

[00:40:12] walk her home one night.

[00:40:14] He stopped working there,

[00:40:15] a couple of weeks later,

[00:40:16] since allegedly,

[00:40:18] too many complaints,

[00:40:19] were made about him,

[00:40:20] which I can't say,

[00:40:21] is very shocking.

[00:40:23] I'm glad he no longer works there,

[00:40:26] since it was so unsettling,

[00:40:27] knowing that,

[00:40:28] he could be right down the street,

[00:40:30] from my home,

[00:40:31] at any given time.

[00:40:48] This story took place,

[00:40:49] when I was 12.

[00:40:51] I still get uneasy,

[00:40:53] whenever I think back to it.

[00:40:55] It's been hard,

[00:40:56] not to guess,

[00:40:57] what could have happened,

[00:40:58] if it weren't,

[00:40:59] for two kind strangers.

[00:41:02] I was walking home,

[00:41:03] from school alone one day,

[00:41:05] which was a four kilometer walk,

[00:41:07] along a busy road.

[00:41:09] At one of the intersections,

[00:41:10] that I had to cross,

[00:41:11] there was a tall man,

[00:41:13] who noticed me.

[00:41:15] Being a kid,

[00:41:16] I struggled with,

[00:41:18] being able to tell,

[00:41:19] the age of adults.

[00:41:20] But if I had to guess,

[00:41:22] I'd say he appeared to be,

[00:41:23] in his thirties.

[00:41:25] He immediately started,

[00:41:26] following me,

[00:41:27] and tried to strike up,

[00:41:28] a conversation.

[00:41:30] He kept telling me,

[00:41:31] that I was beautiful,

[00:41:32] and he wanted us,

[00:41:33] to be friends.

[00:41:35] This gave me,

[00:41:36] a very weird feeling,

[00:41:37] since adults,

[00:41:38] usually did not speak,

[00:41:40] to me that way.

[00:41:41] He asked me,

[00:41:42] where I lived,

[00:41:43] and if my parents were home.

[00:41:45] He asked me,

[00:41:46] so many other questions,

[00:41:48] but I tried to shrug him off,

[00:41:50] while remaining polite,

[00:41:51] and I increased,

[00:41:53] the pace,

[00:41:53] at which I was walking.

[00:41:56] When we were nearing,

[00:41:57] the block I lived on,

[00:41:58] I became even more uneasy.

[00:42:01] He seemed intent,

[00:42:02] on following me home,

[00:42:03] and I didn't want him to.

[00:42:05] The only way,

[00:42:06] I figured I could get rid of him,

[00:42:08] was to give him,

[00:42:08] my cell phone number,

[00:42:09] and tell him,

[00:42:10] I'd answer,

[00:42:11] when he called.

[00:42:12] So I gave him a fake number,

[00:42:13] and high-tailed it,

[00:42:15] out of there.

[00:42:17] A few months passed,

[00:42:18] without me running,

[00:42:19] into him again,

[00:42:20] so,

[00:42:20] I eventually,

[00:42:22] put this out of my mind,

[00:42:23] entirely.

[00:42:24] I assumed,

[00:42:25] this was probably,

[00:42:26] just a random encounter.

[00:42:28] However,

[00:42:28] as you can guess,

[00:42:30] things did not,

[00:42:31] stay that way.

[00:42:32] About four months later,

[00:42:34] I found myself,

[00:42:35] walking home after school,

[00:42:36] alone,

[00:42:37] again.

[00:42:38] I will admit,

[00:42:39] that on this particular day,

[00:42:40] I wasn't paying,

[00:42:41] too much attention,

[00:42:42] to my surroundings.

[00:42:44] As I was walking,

[00:42:45] I suddenly heard,

[00:42:46] what sounded like,

[00:42:47] footsteps running up,

[00:42:49] behind me.

[00:42:50] I reflexively,

[00:42:51] turned around,

[00:42:52] to look,

[00:42:52] and it was that same,

[00:42:54] creepy,

[00:42:55] tall man,

[00:42:56] who I had encountered,

[00:42:57] before.

[00:42:59] When he reached me,

[00:43:00] he began yelling.

[00:43:02] He had figured out,

[00:43:03] that I had given him,

[00:43:04] a wrong number,

[00:43:05] and he was furious.

[00:43:07] He kept yelling,

[00:43:08] you must think,

[00:43:08] you're better than me.

[00:43:10] That's why you gave me,

[00:43:11] a fake number.

[00:43:12] He was so angry,

[00:43:13] and I was terrified.

[00:43:15] I was afraid,

[00:43:16] that he was going to hurt me,

[00:43:18] but couldn't grab the attention,

[00:43:19] of any motorists.

[00:43:21] So,

[00:43:22] I speed walked,

[00:43:23] to the closest gas station,

[00:43:25] with him following,

[00:43:26] behind me.

[00:43:27] Luckily,

[00:43:27] it wasn't too far.

[00:43:29] He was yelling,

[00:43:30] the entire time.

[00:43:32] When I got,

[00:43:33] to the gas station,

[00:43:34] I immediately,

[00:43:35] got the attention,

[00:43:36] of two burly men,

[00:43:38] standing next,

[00:43:39] to their pickup truck.

[00:43:40] They must have seen,

[00:43:42] the terrified look,

[00:43:43] on my 12 year old face,

[00:43:44] as this man,

[00:43:45] continued to follow me.

[00:43:47] They immediately,

[00:43:49] ran over,

[00:43:49] to ask if I was alright.

[00:43:51] I was too scared,

[00:43:52] to speak,

[00:43:53] so I just shook my head,

[00:43:54] frantically,

[00:43:55] as I tried to get behind them.

[00:43:57] They then turned,

[00:43:59] to the man,

[00:43:59] and demanded to know,

[00:44:01] why he was following me.

[00:44:03] He tried to feed them,

[00:44:04] some bullshit,

[00:44:05] about being my brother,

[00:44:07] which shocked me,

[00:44:08] as I silently,

[00:44:09] kept shaking my head.

[00:44:11] The men at the gas station,

[00:44:12] understood what was going on,

[00:44:14] and they started,

[00:44:15] accusing the man,

[00:44:16] of something,

[00:44:16] but I didn't stick around,

[00:44:18] to find out what it was.

[00:44:19] Since the man,

[00:44:20] who was following me,

[00:44:21] was distracted,

[00:44:22] I took it as an opportunity,

[00:44:23] to run away.

[00:44:26] The man noticed,

[00:44:27] that I was leaving,

[00:44:28] and tried to take off,

[00:44:28] after me,

[00:44:29] but the two burly men,

[00:44:30] tackled him,

[00:44:31] and threw him,

[00:44:32] in the back of their,

[00:44:33] pickup truck.

[00:44:34] He was screaming,

[00:44:35] as they sped off with him,

[00:44:37] at an inconceivable speed,

[00:44:39] right past him,

[00:44:39] and kept going.

[00:44:41] I was happy,

[00:44:42] that they took him away,

[00:44:43] but I was so shaken,

[00:44:44] that I took off running,

[00:44:45] and didn't stop,

[00:44:46] until I reached my house.

[00:44:49] I had no idea,

[00:44:51] what to make of this,

[00:44:52] entire exchange,

[00:44:53] but it really shook me.

[00:44:55] I don't know,

[00:44:56] where those men,

[00:44:57] took the creepy guy,

[00:44:58] or what might have happened,

[00:44:59] to him after,

[00:45:00] but in all honesty,

[00:45:01] I don't want to know.

[00:45:03] I told my parents,

[00:45:04] about this,

[00:45:05] and altered the route,

[00:45:07] I walked home,

[00:45:07] from school.

[00:45:09] I never saw,

[00:45:10] the creepy,

[00:45:11] tall man,

[00:45:12] again after that,

[00:45:13] and I'm very thankful.

[00:45:14] I'm also thankful,

[00:45:16] that even though,

[00:45:17] I couldn't say,

[00:45:18] what I needed,

[00:45:19] at that moment,

[00:45:20] those two kind strangers,

[00:45:22] saw that I was in distress,

[00:45:23] and came to my aid.

[00:45:25] Even all these years later,

[00:45:27] I still remember,

[00:45:28] the sheer terror,

[00:45:29] as well as,

[00:45:30] the relief,

[00:45:31] I felt,

[00:45:32] when they took him away.

[00:45:44] Last year,

[00:45:45] I started law school,

[00:45:46] in Los Angeles.

[00:45:47] I've never lived,

[00:45:49] in a big city before,

[00:45:50] and I was excited,

[00:45:51] to be in a massive city,

[00:45:52] with over 4 million people.

[00:45:55] Ever since I was little,

[00:45:57] I always knew,

[00:45:58] I had a half sister in LA,

[00:45:59] but my parents,

[00:46:01] had this weird,

[00:46:02] anger toward her,

[00:46:03] so asking them,

[00:46:05] about her,

[00:46:05] always felt like,

[00:46:06] a taboo topic.

[00:46:08] Of course,

[00:46:09] I looked her up,

[00:46:09] on social media,

[00:46:11] and knew exactly,

[00:46:12] what she looked like,

[00:46:13] but that was about all.

[00:46:16] She was never,

[00:46:17] that active on social media,

[00:46:19] so there wasn't much,

[00:46:20] to go by.

[00:46:21] Out of nowhere,

[00:46:23] one day,

[00:46:24] during my first year,

[00:46:25] of law school,

[00:46:25] I got a friend request,

[00:46:26] on Facebook,

[00:46:27] from my sister.

[00:46:29] Her profile,

[00:46:30] seemed legitimate,

[00:46:31] she had plenty of friends,

[00:46:33] on her friends list,

[00:46:34] and her profile picture,

[00:46:35] looked just like the person,

[00:46:37] I had lurked on,

[00:46:38] before.

[00:46:40] She sent me a message,

[00:46:41] inviting me,

[00:46:41] to a little dinner party,

[00:46:43] at the park,

[00:46:44] with her friends,

[00:46:45] so that we could finally,

[00:46:46] meet each other,

[00:46:46] for the first time.

[00:46:48] I was,

[00:46:49] and still am,

[00:46:50] new to LA,

[00:46:51] so I had no idea,

[00:46:53] which parts of the city,

[00:46:54] to avoid at night.

[00:46:55] I especially,

[00:46:56] didn't know,

[00:46:56] which parts were,

[00:46:57] unsafe,

[00:46:58] upon receiving this invite,

[00:47:00] since,

[00:47:01] it happened so quickly,

[00:47:02] after I moved there.

[00:47:03] I was excited,

[00:47:04] about the idea,

[00:47:05] but,

[00:47:06] I had a lot of anxiety,

[00:47:07] as well.

[00:47:08] On one hand,

[00:47:09] I figured,

[00:47:10] it would be nice,

[00:47:11] if we met,

[00:47:12] totally clicked,

[00:47:13] and became,

[00:47:13] best friends for life.

[00:47:15] But on the other hand,

[00:47:16] what if we ended up,

[00:47:18] sobbing,

[00:47:19] like we were in,

[00:47:19] some dramatic movie?

[00:47:21] What if,

[00:47:22] I tried to talk with her,

[00:47:23] and she just,

[00:47:24] didn't click with me?

[00:47:26] And she started,

[00:47:27] showing me an attitude?

[00:47:28] Or,

[00:47:29] what if,

[00:47:29] it's all going well,

[00:47:31] until,

[00:47:31] some kind of disagreement,

[00:47:33] leading to someone,

[00:47:34] saying something hurtful?

[00:47:35] Honestly,

[00:47:36] if she had suggested,

[00:47:38] a cozy little bakery,

[00:47:39] for desserts instead,

[00:47:41] it would have been,

[00:47:42] an easy yes.

[00:47:43] I would have gone.

[00:47:44] But going to a park,

[00:47:45] with other people,

[00:47:46] for our first meetup,

[00:47:48] didn't feel right.

[00:47:49] I thought that,

[00:47:50] meeting her for the first time,

[00:47:52] was too precious,

[00:47:53] of a moment to share.

[00:47:54] And I wasn't interested,

[00:47:56] in experiencing that,

[00:47:57] in front of a bunch of people,

[00:47:58] that I didn't know.

[00:48:00] So I couldn't bring myself to go.

[00:48:02] I didn't want to risk,

[00:48:03] having a meltdown,

[00:48:04] in front of strangers.

[00:48:06] I was too worried,

[00:48:07] about how messy,

[00:48:08] it could get.

[00:48:09] A few weeks later,

[00:48:10] I did a little research,

[00:48:12] on that park,

[00:48:12] just to see what it was like.

[00:48:14] I figured maybe,

[00:48:15] my sister and I,

[00:48:16] could meet up there together,

[00:48:17] just one on one.

[00:48:18] And that's when I learned,

[00:48:20] that something,

[00:48:21] was very wrong.

[00:48:22] Now I won't say,

[00:48:24] the name of the park,

[00:48:25] but anyone,

[00:48:25] who has lived in LA,

[00:48:26] for long enough,

[00:48:27] will tell you,

[00:48:28] that it's not,

[00:48:29] a safe place,

[00:48:30] for girls,

[00:48:30] to be having,

[00:48:31] a dinner party,

[00:48:32] at night.

[00:48:34] The area,

[00:48:35] surrounding that park,

[00:48:36] has very high,

[00:48:37] violent crime rates.

[00:48:39] The area,

[00:48:40] is seemingly,

[00:48:41] controlled by gangs.

[00:48:42] Even people,

[00:48:43] who do business,

[00:48:44] in that park,

[00:48:44] are forced,

[00:48:45] to pay a tax,

[00:48:46] to the gang,

[00:48:47] in exchange,

[00:48:48] for being left alone.

[00:48:49] This really concerned me,

[00:48:51] but I was also curious.

[00:48:52] So,

[00:48:53] I then tried,

[00:48:54] to get a hold of my sister.

[00:48:55] She was an undergrad,

[00:48:57] at the time,

[00:48:57] attending a local college.

[00:48:59] I had a friend,

[00:49:00] who went to her school.

[00:49:02] I asked my friend,

[00:49:03] to reach out to her,

[00:49:04] on campus,

[00:49:05] and asked her,

[00:49:06] if she'd be okay,

[00:49:06] with meeting us.

[00:49:08] They connected,

[00:49:09] and the three of us,

[00:49:10] met at my friend's house.

[00:49:11] It was great.

[00:49:12] We got along so well.

[00:49:14] My friend,

[00:49:15] was also very happy,

[00:49:16] to do that for us.

[00:49:18] The three of us,

[00:49:19] had so much fun,

[00:49:19] and thankfully,

[00:49:20] we didn't burst into tears.

[00:49:22] But we did let out,

[00:49:23] a few.

[00:49:24] We had dinner,

[00:49:25] we watched a movie,

[00:49:27] and spent the night,

[00:49:27] at my friend's house.

[00:49:29] When I told my sister,

[00:49:31] about the dinner party invitation,

[00:49:33] she said that,

[00:49:34] she had not used Facebook,

[00:49:36] since high school.

[00:49:38] Somebody,

[00:49:39] had been impersonating her.

[00:49:42] I would have told her,

[00:49:43] to report it,

[00:49:44] but the fake account,

[00:49:45] had already been deleted,

[00:49:47] by the time,

[00:49:47] I brought this up to her.

[00:49:49] She was aware,

[00:49:50] that she was being impersonated,

[00:49:51] on social media though.

[00:49:53] Another one of her friends,

[00:49:54] had been scammed,

[00:49:55] by someone pretending,

[00:49:56] to be her.

[00:49:58] It was some scheme,

[00:50:00] involving fake concert tickets,

[00:50:02] or something like that,

[00:50:03] so,

[00:50:03] I'm not sure,

[00:50:04] who was impersonating my sister,

[00:50:06] or how they knew,

[00:50:08] I was in town,

[00:50:09] but they literally,

[00:50:10] tried to look,

[00:50:10] lure me,

[00:50:11] into one of the most dangerous,

[00:50:12] parts of LA,

[00:50:13] at night,

[00:50:14] by myself.

[00:50:16] I have no idea,

[00:50:17] what their motives were,

[00:50:18] I don't even know,

[00:50:19] if I want to find out.

[00:50:22] Meeting my sister,

[00:50:23] after all these years,

[00:50:23] ended up being,

[00:50:24] a beautiful thing,

[00:50:25] but the whole,

[00:50:26] lead up,

[00:50:27] was so terrifying.

[00:50:47] Thanks for listening,

[00:50:49] and stick around,

[00:50:49] after the music,

[00:50:50] if you're a patron,

[00:50:51] for your extended,

[00:50:52] ad free version,

[00:50:53] of this week's episode.

[00:50:54] If you want to get access,

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[00:50:58] let's not meet podcast,

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[00:51:12] Remember,

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[00:51:20] if you want to save 30%,

[00:51:22] and skip the Apple fees.

[00:51:24] This week,

[00:51:24] you have heard,

[00:51:25] I think a couple,

[00:51:26] tried to rob,

[00:51:27] or scam us,

[00:51:28] by cpunt2000,

[00:51:31] Tinder girl,

[00:51:32] by Tyler,

[00:51:33] Granny,

[00:51:34] by bears live in the woods,

[00:51:36] might have saved,

[00:51:37] a woman and her daughter,

[00:51:38] from a nasty encounter,

[00:51:39] by Alex supertramp89,

[00:51:43] bright angel,

[00:51:44] by fat assets,

[00:51:46] found nameless me,

[00:51:47] on Instagram,

[00:51:48] by cupofclouds,

[00:51:51] taken away by kindstrangers,

[00:51:53] by lulacus,

[00:51:54] and finally,

[00:51:55] someone impersonated my sister,

[00:51:56] by albamichelle23.

[00:51:59] All of the stories,

[00:52:00] you've heard this week,

[00:52:00] were narrated,

[00:52:01] and produced,

[00:52:02] with the permission,

[00:52:02] of their respective authors.

[00:52:04] Let's Not Meet,

[00:52:04] a true horror podcast,

[00:52:06] is not associated with,

[00:52:07] Reddit,

[00:52:07] or any other message boards online,

[00:52:09] and if you have a story to share,

[00:52:10] send it to,

[00:52:11] letsnotmeetstories,

[00:52:12] at gmail.com,

[00:52:13] to hear it on the show.

[00:52:15] And finally,

[00:52:15] make sure to check out,

[00:52:16] the new episodes,

[00:52:17] my other podcasts,

[00:52:18] like Odd Trails,

[00:52:19] my true paranormal podcast,

[00:52:21] Cryptic Encounters,

[00:52:22] and the Old Time Radio Cast,

[00:52:23] all at,

[00:52:25] crypticcountypodcasts.com.

[00:52:26] And if you're a Twitch user,

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[00:52:29] for streaming,

[00:52:30] every Monday,

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[00:52:35] I'll see you there,

[00:52:36] and I'll see the rest of you,

[00:52:37] next week,

[00:52:37] for a brand new episode,

[00:52:38] of Let's Not Meet.

[00:52:40] Everyone,

[00:52:40] stay safe.

[00:52:42] Thanks for sticking around,

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