It’s funny, but not really. After one of the posts I wrote last Friday about being a woman and being vigilant when one is out and about…I had a disconcerting and somewhat scary thing happen to me this morning while grocery shopping.

Mid Sunday morning at the grocery store I shop at is always a busy place. The store is full of families, couples, and singles doing their weekly shopping. I had my cart behind me and I was choosing some fresh asparagus. As I turned around to put my asparagus in my cart, there was a young man standing just on the other side of my cart. He was not shopping, he was not browsing; he was not choosing the best green pepper. He was standing just on the other side of my cart staring at me. Our eyes met for a couple of seconds and when he did not look away I hastily did and busied myself arranging my asparagus. Then I walked away with a very weird feeling…my heart pounding.

I rounded the next aisle and as I turned to choose my broccoli I took a quick look around the produce section and was dismayed to see him one aisle over openly staring at me yet. Something was definitely off about this young man. I quickly kept my gaze moving so that he would hopefully not sense any unease in me. I finished choosing my broccoli and rounded another corner to choose some yams. As I stood there I furtively stole another quick scan of the produce section and there he was again, on the other side of me but still watching.

I felt very uneasy. This young man seemed to be in his early 20s. He wore all black, including a black stocking cap. He was unabashedly staring at me. Either not caring if I noticed or wanting me to notice. What motive might he have? Intimidation? Trying to scare me? Something sinister? Or…not? Whatever his motive, his either not caring or not realizing that his open staring was not socially acceptable was very disconcerting to me.

I finished choosing my fruits and vegetables and moved out of the produce department…dreading the rest of the grocery store and wondering where he might pop up. Amazingly, I never saw him again. But he has been with me in my mind every since. It has been a timely reminder to not go about my business blithely unaware of my surroundings. There is much evil in our world.