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Nov. 19th, 2009 02:13 amThis is a fairly safe neighborhood, but I'm not planning to walk Max alone after midnight again anytime soon. I got in better than an hour ago (at the time of posting), and am just starting to come down from adrenaline and rage. I'm still shaking some.
What happened? It may not sound like much to somebody lucky enough not to have run into that kind of thing personally. A car with multiple people in it--three, I'm pretty sure--pulled up right beside us and stopped. They weren't asking for directions, they weren't even hooting and hollering. That would have irritated me. What they were doing was staring at me silently, casing a potential victim.
The little creep I encountered a couple of months ago, lurking on foot in the opening to a footpath, just made me angry. (And sorry for the next woman walking that way.) He obviously didn't want to have anything to do with me, especially with Max along, and skulked across the street to get away from us. He was pathetic in an infuriating way. These guys tonight scared the hell out of me, and I usually seem to be missing an "l" in the flight or fight response.
After I gave them a cold look--in a half-conscious fighting stance, holding my walking stick in a not-so-gimpy way--they decided to move along. I may have already been limping, but I made it clear that I was not prey. Having a dog along probably didn't hurt, but they could see him when they stopped. Staffies aren't exactly known for aggression toward humans; rather the opposite, really. I like Max the way he is, but I kind of missed having B.B. along tonight. She effectively deterred Mean Drunk frat boys (yes, we had to watch for them in our college town neighborhood), and really *would* have ripped at least one limb off anyone who'd approached one of her pack members in a threatening manner. Max would run off crying, but I didn't bring home either one for a doggy bodyguard!
I still feel like I had a narrow escape from getting into a serious fight (while not in the best physical shape) and maybe getting forced into that car.
Saying it chaps my hide to have to think about this kind of threat would be putting it mildly. It's not just my own situation that got me shaking with rage, but the idea that freaks like this are out looking for victims all the time. Unless it was completely opportunistic, which I seriously doubt, those guys are probably still out cruising around residential neighborhoods. What better target than an obviously gimpy woman, trying to go about her business? (Erm, maybe a smaller one in stilettos who's been out drinking--there's no shortage--to respond to my own rhetorical question.) Any woman they pick is going to get blamed for being out alone after midnight, anyway. Grrrrr.
This incident struck me really hard because this is the first time I've felt in real danger of violence in years. I've run across otherwise threatening jerks--like the little footpath gink--but they haven't wanted to mess with me. (No benefit at all to smaller, less physically confident women, so it made me angrier if anything.) It's never pleasant, being reminded that you're not invulnerable. *shakes head*
I woke Ingvar up and gave him an earful when I got in, especially since I did not take Max out in daylight because my back's been out, and felt like I had very little choice but to do so tonight. He was getting very hyper indeed, and no wonder. I may or may not be sorry about waking Ingvar up to yell, in the morning. :-|
Oh yeah, and some idiot almost got his Essex version of a custom pickup truck damaged when we were almost home, revving the engine and running it at me to harass me when I was already full of adrenaline. I kept some self control and didn't pick up any handy bricks, largely because Max was there!
What happened? It may not sound like much to somebody lucky enough not to have run into that kind of thing personally. A car with multiple people in it--three, I'm pretty sure--pulled up right beside us and stopped. They weren't asking for directions, they weren't even hooting and hollering. That would have irritated me. What they were doing was staring at me silently, casing a potential victim.
The little creep I encountered a couple of months ago, lurking on foot in the opening to a footpath, just made me angry. (And sorry for the next woman walking that way.) He obviously didn't want to have anything to do with me, especially with Max along, and skulked across the street to get away from us. He was pathetic in an infuriating way. These guys tonight scared the hell out of me, and I usually seem to be missing an "l" in the flight or fight response.
After I gave them a cold look--in a half-conscious fighting stance, holding my walking stick in a not-so-gimpy way--they decided to move along. I may have already been limping, but I made it clear that I was not prey. Having a dog along probably didn't hurt, but they could see him when they stopped. Staffies aren't exactly known for aggression toward humans; rather the opposite, really. I like Max the way he is, but I kind of missed having B.B. along tonight. She effectively deterred Mean Drunk frat boys (yes, we had to watch for them in our college town neighborhood), and really *would* have ripped at least one limb off anyone who'd approached one of her pack members in a threatening manner. Max would run off crying, but I didn't bring home either one for a doggy bodyguard!
I still feel like I had a narrow escape from getting into a serious fight (while not in the best physical shape) and maybe getting forced into that car.
Saying it chaps my hide to have to think about this kind of threat would be putting it mildly. It's not just my own situation that got me shaking with rage, but the idea that freaks like this are out looking for victims all the time. Unless it was completely opportunistic, which I seriously doubt, those guys are probably still out cruising around residential neighborhoods. What better target than an obviously gimpy woman, trying to go about her business? (Erm, maybe a smaller one in stilettos who's been out drinking--there's no shortage--to respond to my own rhetorical question.) Any woman they pick is going to get blamed for being out alone after midnight, anyway. Grrrrr.
This incident struck me really hard because this is the first time I've felt in real danger of violence in years. I've run across otherwise threatening jerks--like the little footpath gink--but they haven't wanted to mess with me. (No benefit at all to smaller, less physically confident women, so it made me angrier if anything.) It's never pleasant, being reminded that you're not invulnerable. *shakes head*
I woke Ingvar up and gave him an earful when I got in, especially since I did not take Max out in daylight because my back's been out, and felt like I had very little choice but to do so tonight. He was getting very hyper indeed, and no wonder. I may or may not be sorry about waking Ingvar up to yell, in the morning. :-|
Oh yeah, and some idiot almost got his Essex version of a custom pickup truck damaged when we were almost home, revving the engine and running it at me to harass me when I was already full of adrenaline. I kept some self control and didn't pick up any handy bricks, largely because Max was there!
