Sunday, November 18, 2007

sinister

It's unusual for me to be frightened. Not because I'm especially brave, but more because I'm not one for taking risks. There'll be no bungee jumping, paragliding or skydiving for this little black duck.

Calculated risk I'm comfortable with. At least - calculated risk where the risk is predetermined by myself to be very low. I'll happily fight an opponent at karate (knowing I'm wearing a chest guard, mitts, mouth guard and shin guards), I'll loop the loop on a rollercoaster (knowing that death by rollercoaster is not a common event), hell, I'll even occasionally NOT FLOSS. I am woman, hear me meow. This afternoon, though, I was genuinely afraid.

I was at the movies with Fatty, my husband. As he juggled drink, chips and tickets, I wafted off across the foyer to use the bathroom before the film began. Trudging ahead of me was a young man with scruffy hair. His jeans were so long that they trailed along the ground, obscuring all view of his shoes. He turned to look at me as I fell in behind him, both of us heading down the hallway to the toilets.

We came level with the women's facilities, and the man turned to look at me again, this time more of a stare than a look. I ducked my head and headed into the women's, noting with a feeling of disquiet that there was no main door - only a corridor that hooked around. Just before I disappeared from view, I glanced down the hall again. The long-jeaned youth was standing just outside the men's room, his eyes accusatory and suspicious, pinning me with a glare of pure malice. It was evident to me at this moment that the guy was not well.

The women's toilets were empty. For some reason, despite my unease, I went ahead and entered a cubicle. I was listening all the while for the sound of footsteps, knowing that if this mentally-ill man tried to harm me, there would be no-one to hear me yell. I was across a carpeted foyer, along a hallway and around a corner from my husband. This knowledge did nothing to calm me.

I was out of the cubicle in record time, washed my hands nervously and sped back to Fatty. I told him the story as we walked to our movie. I explained how threatened I had felt. I had to force myself not to twist around when, in the almost deserted movie theatre, someone came and sat in the seat just behind me. Fatty replied airily, "Well, really, you could be killed in lots of places." Thank you, my sweet.

So all's well that ends well (as they say), and I was not stabbed to death by a psychopath. It's all good. I'm happy. I presume my family are happy to still have me around. It's bound to be a relief for the cinema cleaners, too. But if I should fail to post for more than a week, you'll know what's happened.

I'll be in a psychiatric ward on account of my persistent delusion that someone is trying to kill me in a public toilet.

18 comments:

Michelle said...

I too have been "trapped" in a train carriage with an axe murderer!! I don't know how I managed to get away - but I did!! I just knew he was going to do the most horrible things to me - throw me out the window and I would never have been heard of again!!

How was the movie???

Alipurr said...

that would have totally freaked me out too...
I am glad you are safe

Nestor Family said...

I, too, am glad that you are safe... It just takes an incident like this to remind us to take just a few extra measures to be cautious, though.... terrible that it is that we have to be extra cautious.

Take care.

Val said...

Dear Jelly, just to let you know I'm not blogging much but want to keep in touch. I've been emailing people I have addresses for, this is my first comment left in public in a few weeks.

When I was 23 and visiting NY city with my family, I needed to visit the toilet in the public area of a large hotel where we had had lunch. It was totally deserted except for me, but I never gave it a thought...until I saw a shadow on the floor that could not possibly be caused by myself! Yes, someone had very quietly come into the ladies toilet and was peering through the space between door and doorjam, apparently with his feet out of my sightline and leaning over. Quite amazingly, and maybe this was a good thing, I did NOT scream, but finished up quickly and barged out of the cubicle and up to the foyer where my parents were. They said I had gone totally white and to this day I can't believe I didn't freak out. Glad your fears came to naught but the fear factor would have still been terrible.

TUFFENUF said...

It's never the scruffy long hairs that are usually the psychopathic killers; but instead the ones you LEAST suspect- clean cut in suit & tie! Be suspicious of EVERYONE!

Mackey said...

Aren't our minds magnificent things?

Puss-in-Boots said...

Hmmm, I guess I'd have been a bit nervous, too, Jelly. Unfortunately with all the illegal substances so freely available, so are addicted people around more. Glad nothing happened though and that you're okay.

Slap Fatty's wrist for not being more sympathetic...lol!

thisisme said...

Oh Jelly, I hate that feeling. I'm glad you got out OK. Great support there from Fatty :)

fifi said...

rmgxfrfzoh, you funny thing... you had it so I was about to spear through my scren and crash tackle a psychopath.

its always good for us girlies to have our radars on!!!


thank goodness, the jelly is safe!!!!

Kerri said...

What a hair-raising experience! No wonder you were scared. I wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to turn around and look when someone sat down behind me.
I'm so glad all turned out well in the end Jelly, but it sounds like you had good reason to be scared. There are some sick minds out there, especially because of all the drug use that goes on.
The world can be a very scary place.
Yes, a slap for Fatty for not showing more compassion. Men..sometimes!

Susan Tidwell said...

Another high-emotional experience for you, it makes me wonder if Heidi's thought on the last post was true?

Why you could have just whooped up on him with your kick boxing or whatever that is you do, he would have been just another greasy spot on the cinema floor!

Glad you are okay, keep us posted on the lab results...

Jellyhead said...

Susan, you are terrible!!! But also very funny!!

I wish to state categorically and for the record that I am not, do not plan to be and will not ever again be (all miracles of conception aside) PREGNANT!!!

Now excuse me while I go make myself a nice pickle and peanut butter sandwich. (kidding, alright!!!)

freefalling said...

Meandering slightly... this makes me think about those cameras, pervs put in toilets.
What's your opinion on these?
I think, if someone wants so badly to see something so gross - go for it! You sickos!

Anyway, couldn't you have given that crazy man a bit of a karate chop?
And maybe he wasn't crazy, maybe he just had some sort of eye defect.

My sister suffers the same paranoia - just recently on the near deserted beaches close to Forster - she was convinced some backpacker type in a Kombi was a serial killer.

I see you have come out quite strongly refuting the pregnancy claims, yet I hear no such rebuttal for the early menopause theory?!

Jellyhead said...

Freefalling, you could be right! I just didn't deny the possibility because the repercussions are not nearly so frightening for me!

Susan Tidwell said...

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." ~Hamlet Act 3, scene 2

meggie said...

All these people wishing pregnancy or menopause on you! Shame on them.

Just a passing mood patch.
Glad the weirdo didn't attack. It can be very scary in those deserted toilet locations.
Once when we lived down in Sydney a little girl was murdered in a shopping centre, in one those rabbit warren toilets, in a centre we used to use all the time. I never used the toilets again!

Heather said...

You are not pregnant or menopausal. Little do all these people know that you're always emotional and silly. ;-)

This is coming from someone with the inside track.

Mimi said...

My take is you picked up something intuitively. I say always go with your intuition. It is your best first self defense.

Mimi