Let's Not Meet Again

Asking For More Than Directions

This situation occurred to me when I was at the naive age of 12 years old. It was around the Summer time so I was just about finishing up my first year in Junior High School. My school was pretty far from my home so everyday I had to take a bus to and from school. My aunt and mother specifically chose the same school for my cousin and I so that we can go to and from school together.

Since we did not have the same schedule, the rule was to wait for each other (depending on who left school first) to take the bus together. We were not allowed to walk home from school. It was quite a distance so they did not want us to take the risk by walking home.

Unfortunately, my cousin didn't always follow that rule. He didn't see the need to take the bus with me everyday and would sometimes go walking home with his friends (who happened to live close to him). Most of my friends lived near our school so I had no one to walk home with. There were times he did take the bus though, depending on his mood I guess. So one day, I head over to the bus stop, waving goodbye to my friends and waited. This bus was one of the slowest buses ever and would often get so packed with people, that it would skip my stop. So I usually expected to wait awhile.

On this day though, the bus stop was surprisingly empty except for maybe one or two other people. It was early Summer so most students would go to the pool or go to the park right after school to hang out. Basically, everyone was walking home except me. Living in a city (New York City, to be exact) exposes you to weird experiences on almost an everyday basis. I was young, naive and seriously thought I was not likely to run into anything strange. This is probably why I never really paid much attention to my surroundings. However, after waiting at the bus stop for a few minutes, I felt strange. I felt like I was being watched. New York City on a bright summer day meant there were plenty of people around. But somewhere, someone was watching me. I could not pin point who or where but it was such an unmistakable feeling.

I tolerated this for a few minutes and just ignored it. "If it was bad, it would have happened already." Yes, that was my stupid logic. From time to time I would check to see if the bus was coming but it was no where in sight. I guess the feeling of being watched was getting to me because I was starting to feel anxious. Right when I thought I was just being stupid, a man approached me. It was like he just appeared beside me. I didn't even feel his presence at all and jumped in surprise when he asked, "Hey, can you help me?" I never mentioned this but as a 12 year old female, I was already around 5'7" (tallest of my class) and this guy was around 5'5" or so. He looked to be in about his 40's and was Hispanic, like myself. He looked pretty harmless. He didn't look like he was high or drunk. He asked me this question in Spanish to which I responded, "Sure, how can I help you?" in Spanish as well. Since he didn't look suspicious at all, I relaxed and was eager to help a person in need.

He then asked, "How do I get to Avenue B?" I looked at him with, I assume, a very confused expression. We stood near a corner where the street sign was clearly visible. It said "Avenue B". This was obviously a red flag, even for a naive 12 year old girl. I held back a chuckle, thinking maybe he couldn't see well and said "This is Avenue B." Then he looked at me for a moment and then gave me one of the most creepiest smiles I've ever seen. It wasn't warm at all. If felt wrong. Like he wanted to eat me alive. I instantly felt nervous. Then he said, "You're such a sweet girl for helping me. What's your name?"

My heart was racing at this point. "I can't tell you," I responded quickly and checked to see if the bus was coming. I thought if I brushed him off and ignored him, he would take the hint and leave. It was silent for what felt like a few hours. I looked around me, at the floor, everywhere except the area beside me. Eventually I exhaled and checked to see if he left. Nope. He was standing intently beside me with that creepy smile plastered onto his face. "If you come with me, I'll give you a nice gift" he said, still smiling.

I never hated my cousin more than I did at this moment. Of all the days he decided to walk home instead of take the bus, it just had to be the day some creep approached me. I knew I couldn't stay at that bus stop. He was persistently asking me questions. He would move his eyes up and down my body slowly. When you're afraid and basically suck at being social like I was, you would never think to ask for help. I don't know why I felt like I needed to just handle this myself. But I decided to leave this stop and walk to the stop before mine which was about 4-5 blocks away. Hoping to get away.

I didn't even bother responding to any of his questions and just casually walked away. I was speed walking and was so grateful for having long legs. I reached the end of the first block and looked back just to be sure. He was right behind me. "Don't be shy. I just want to give you something," he said, practically pleading. Nope, I didn't want it. I kept walking, looking through the crowd of students, hoping to spot someone I knew. No luck. So I kept walking until I finally reached the next block. The blocks were short but felt so far apart in that moment. I had three left.

I looked back again and he was still there, laughing like we were playing some sort of game. This guy was keeping up pace even though my strides were longer than his. He was so close, I can hear him breathing heavily. He was practically jogging behind me since he had trouble keeping up. This guy was seriously demented. There were no cell phones yet back when this happened so it's not like I could call anyone. I didn't want to stop at a payphone to make a call so that he can catch up to me easily. I didn't want to bother asking a stranger for help either. If anything, I was paranoid. "What if they did the same thing as this creep?" I thought. I was an idiot. I was panicking so at that moment I lacked common sense.

"Stop walking so fast," he said. Really? I was just about to start running when magically, one of my classmates appeared. She was walking with a bunch of her friends. We had a few classes together and hardly spoke to each other at school but I didn't care. I needed an escape. I walked straight up to her and said, "Hey, Julie! Can I walk with you?!" I was too excited when I asked her this and she gave me a look that said "What the hell is wrong with you?" but then continued to look at me. I guess the look of panic on my face was obvious so she said, "Sure, let's go." I am forever grateful to her for reading my face so well.

I walked with her quietly for a few blocks past my bus stop until she had to turn to go home. I thanked her and looked behind me once she left. He didn't follow us. I jogged to the next stop just to be sure and the bus arrived about a minute later.

I never saw him again after that day and never told my mother anything about it until years later. I should have said something in case he prayed on someone else. I will always regret that. Wherever you are, creepy bus stop man, let's not meet again.