Abby Connolly
One of my biggest fears is someone following me around late at night. Even during the day, I get anxious when I notice that one particular person has been following the same route as me for a few blocks.
One woman couldn’t escape a man who approached her with seemingly friendly intentions but wouldn’t leave her alone.
A few years ago, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was 26, she was walking around the big city she lives in.
She was taking her small chihuahua to a vet appointment and was anxious to get there as fast as possible.
She was wearing a mask and a teeshirt with her university’s name on it. Suddenly, she locked eyes with a man who appeared to be in his 30s, walking toward her on the sidewalk.
He walked up to her and asked if she went to the school that was on her teeshirt. She politely said yes, thinking the conversation would be over soon, but then he began walking right next to her in the opposite direction he was heading in.
The man went off on a tangent about how he went to the same school, what a great school it is, and how he was attending grad school there. She figured he was most likely lying since he didn’t seem to know that much about the school.
“He starts asking me more questions, and at this point, I’m speed-walking down the block,” she remembered.
“He just keeps walking right next to me. My dog, at this point, is getting really antsy, and I’m incredibly uncomfortable as I have no clue who this guy is.”
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