Do you get a peculiar feeling when you sense something's not quite right? You may tell yourself you're being silly, but the discomfort won't go away.
I have a huge comforter that's too bulky for my washer/dryer at home, so I take it to a nearby laundromat. I enter and immediately see a friend of mine. As we exclaim how surprised we are to see each other, a man approaches us. He's a stranger, and no one else is in the place, so we cautiously but politely respond to his greeting. He says how happy he is to meet friendly women like us, and commences to have his own conversation with each of us by interrupting. He seems like he wants us to think he's a gentleman. Yet, he steps into the conversation my friend and I try to have. Instead of shaking our hands when we politely respond to his offer of a handshake, he attempts to kiss the backs of our hands, but we quickly pull our hands away. He stands too close when he speaks. He steps outside to smoke a cigarette a few times. When he does, my friend and I confirm we are uncomfortable, even though he showed me how to use the washer and dryer. "Maybe he's lonely and simply wants conversation," we say to each other. My friend finishes first, and I walk outside to her car with her. He follows us because he wants to help out. He's a gentleman, he insists.
He continues to talk with me. I keep my eyes on him. I have that weird feeling. When he leaves again to "get something," I notice his odd-looking van and think of all the crime shows I watch. I snatch my comforter from the dryer and make my exit. Better safe than sorry.
