Real Encounters

*Jessica?*

So, this happened a few months ago, right when I was just married to my husband. I know it wasn't a product of wedding stress, since people around me had been as freaked out as I was.

My mother-in-law and I were out to town, shopping, and we stopped at the local Walmart on our way home. She had gone to look at air-conditioning units, and so I went to browse the books section. I had just found something that caught my interest when I heard someone say "Jessica!"

It was in one of those 'Oh, THERE you are' tones of voices- like it was both a pleasure and a relief. 'Jessica' isn't my name, but I look up anyway, since it was loud, and basically right next to me. Standing a few feet away, her shopping cart between her and me, was a thin woman, maybe late 40s, long brown hair, and clothes nicer than what you would expect to see on someone who frequented Walmart. Her shopping-cart was empty. She stood, looking directly at me, with a huge, manic, teeth-revealing grin, eyes bright.

Because she's looking directly at me (and there's no-one else in the aisle) I feel obliged to talk to her. I smile because she's smiling, and tell her she's made a mistake. My name's not Jessica.

"THERE you are, sweetie, I was SO WORRIED about you." The woman continues, and wheels up to me with exuberance, making me shrink back because I can already smell the crazy. A few people are passing our isle at this time, and the woman's overly-exaggerated tone gets their attention. Some heads snap to look at us, but no-one stops.

The woman very warmly, as if I was her daughter, caresses my arm. "I've been looking EVERYWHERE for you, honey, let's GO, your dad has been WAITING." I'm a person who is anxious to please other people, so I had already taken a step forward when she gently pressed by back so I would walk. Then my brain asked "WTF are you doing?" And I did a little scuttle forward.

"JESSICA, HONEY, stop PLAYING AROUND, LET'S GO." The woman had never yet lost her crazed smile. This time, she grabbed my arm like a vice and started to pull.

I pull my arm back, setting in my heels and putting my body into the motion. I tell her to leave me the fuck alone or I'm going to find my husband. My husband isn't there, but she doesn't know that. The woman freezes and her face twitches. "Dirty little bitch." She hisses and wheels off down the aisle. "Ungrateful wh***." I hear her shoot over her shoulder. Then, when she reaches the end, "OKAY! BYE, PUMPKIN, SEE YOU FOR DINNER." I wait and watch her turn the corner and disappear, and then go the opposite way. I managed to find my mother-in-law, and tell her what happened. She's a little disconcerted, but makes light of it to try make me feel better.

When we're in the checkout line, I'm scanning around nervously, trying to see if she's anywhere near me. I spot her several checkouts down- and she's spotted me. She's still got her frenetic smile on, and she's wandering away with her empty shopping cart. She has a hot beverage in one hand, which she drops and spills on the ground. She never stopped to even look at it. She just breezed out of the store. One of the employees watched her do this and leave, but never said anything to her- in fact, the expression on the employees face made it seem like she was a little afraid.

Luckily I have never seen her again. And hopefully, we never will.

Credits: oh_what_a_relief