Post by retrosacto on Oct 29, 2018 20:11:42 GMT
When does flirting cross the line into sinister intent? I am wrestling today with the meaning of something that happened this weekend and looking for advice.
I was walking in a busy city park when up ahead of me I could see a family staging a photo of a girl and a dog, so I left the trail to go around them. The ground was wet, so I went to high ground and it was still a little wet, so I stepped out onto the quiet residential street that bounds that side of the park.
Just then I heard a car behind me zooming toward me from about a block away. It was a sporty engine and I remember thinking ‘kids’ and so I stepped back up onto the grass and continued walking. The car slowed, as there was dog-leg in the road coming up, but then just as it got a little ahead of me the driver opened his car door (!) and said, “You have a nice gait.”
I was going to say thanks but the moment started stretching out, as I was looking at him and he was looking at me, with his one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand on the door rest of his nearly fully open door, as he cruised along perfectly matching my walking speed, not even glancing at the road ahead.
It wasn’t a kid, but rather an older man around my age. I could see some gray in his hair. The car seemed a bit “young” for him, but whatever.
Like I said, I was going to thank him, and I must have taken in a breath to do so, but then I closed my mouth and the air came out of my nose, which then just sounded like an exasperated sigh, to which he replied, “It’s a compliment. You have a really nice gait.”
Again, I tried to say thanks, but just ended up nodding in a weird sideways bobble-headed kind of way. I’m still walking. He’s still driving. His door is still open. His posture is facing forward, and he’s seat-belted in, yet his head is cranked around in my direction, and the car is not weaving. He has perfect control of it.
He must have been confused by my reaction but he maintained one expression on his face the whole time (friendly neutral) and then he sped up and closed his door, braked, went around the corner, down the hill and turned onto the commercial street. I had been planning on making another loop around the park but went and sat in my car instead. I didn’t keep a vigilant lookout but I listened for awhile for his engine and after some time passed I went home.
I wasn’t overly concerned at the time. I talked with a male friend and we agreed it seemed a little odd in this era but not too odd.
But, today I did go online and see if I could report a suspicious incident, but there’s only a form for reporting crime. Should I go talk to the police?
I’d like to have more empathy for the socially inept, and there was really nothing threatening about what he was doing. He wasn’t trying to hide his face from me. Probably only 6 ft separated us. And while I didn’t look, I don’t think anything sexual was going on in the car.
I didn’t even think to get a license plate but the car was very unusual, if not unique. I could get close on height, weight, hair color, face shape, etc. The whole event lasted maybe 15 seconds.
