Don't Talk To Strangers

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Don't Talk To Strangers

by FlowersInMyHair @ Wednesday, 13. Dec, 2006 – 15:21:20

When I was about eight or nine and playing out in the street with my sister, a man stopped his car alongside us and asked if I could help him. He got out and opened the passenger door and asked me to kneel on the seat and reach something on the floor of the driver's side. As I bent down he touched me where he shouldn't through my knickers. I shot right up, got out of the car.
"I'm sorry, but I've got to go home now," I informed him.
I took hold of my sister's hand and hurried off up the street.

I'd been told not to ever talk to, or go anywhere with strange men, but I was also brought up to be polite and respect my elders. I can't believe that after he felt me up I appologised. I never mentioned to anyone what happened. Even my sister didn't know, although she'd been there. I had some feeling that he did something he shouldn't but I wasn't in the least bothered or traumatised by it. Maybe if I'd been aware of what was going on I might have felt some great wrong had been done to me and been scared for life. But as it was, I knew nothing, so felt nothing. And even in retrospect I'm not angry or anything, just relieved that nothing worse happened.
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- Juzzzy
- http://juzzzy.blog.co.uk
- Wednesday, 13. Dec, 2006 @ 16:48:19
When I was at primary school, I walked out at the end of the day to meet my mother as usual.

She was talking to some friends, and so I just reached my hand up and took hold of hers, my mind all over the place as per usual.

Then we started to walk away, as I looked across the road to where my friends were messing about.

After 10 or 15 yards or so, I looked up - and found I wasn't looking at my mother at all, but an old man.

I let go in fright, and he let me go, but I'll remember that fright for the rest of my life.

Maybe it was a mistake?

Who knows?

I'm glad you weren't hurt any more than you were...
- - FlowersInMyHair
  - Wednesday, 13. Dec, 2006 @ 18:26:23
  It's incredible how easily that can happen. Children do absent-mindedly get hold of hands they shouldn't, but for the adult to be equally absent-minded seems strange. But as you say, who knows? I'm glad you looked up so soon, or it might have ended quite differently.
  
  I wasn't hurt at all. The only fright I had was that some neighbour might have seen me and told my mother. Then there would have been serious trouble. I imagine that if I was a child to whom it happened now, I'd be shouting at the top of my voice, 'get off, you perv,' instead of appologising.
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- isadora101
- Wednesday, 13. Dec, 2006 @ 17:51:00
"Shudders"...a close call i'd say.
- - FlowersInMyHair
  - Wednesday, 13. Dec, 2006 @ 18:28:56
  Yes. That's a downside of respecting adults. I was pretty lucky, although I don't think he could have abducted me, since he'd come round to the passenger side.
  - - isadora101
    - Wednesday, 13. Dec, 2006 @ 18:36:17
    Maybe not, probably was a bit of an old perv....but still?
    it's great there were no lasting effects though
    - - FlowersInMyHair
      - Wednesday, 13. Dec, 2006 @ 19:03:19
      It's strange but I can't remember anything about him. I've some vague idea that he was maybe middle-aged, but can't be sure. No idea what he looked like. Obviously he didn't make an impression on me. I just remember that the car was black, and I think maybe the seats were leather.
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- (Visitor)
- Thursday, 04. Jan, 2007 @ 21:14:52
When I was about 7 or 8 years old I was walking home from school with my friend and a man approached us and suggested we meet him at the local recreation ground where there were swings and slides. He must have followed us all the way from school because he did not approach us until we were in quite an isolated place amomg the apple orchards.

What amazes me is that he went one way to the recreation ground and we went another way and we all met up at the swings. It was so ingrained in us, in the 1950's to do as an adult tells you.

So we met up. He helped us by pushing us while we were on the swings. Then he suggested why not go into the woods? So we did. He had a mac, or a blanket, placed it on the ground and asked me if I would like to lay down. It was about now I decided I didn't quite like the sound of that! But my friend did lay down. All I remember is him rubbing her tummy. There may have been more. But as neither of us were distressed she could not have been too frightened.

My next memory is of rushing indoors and excitedly telling my Mum about the man!

Then I remember talking to a police-woman and having to tell the story again.

Then some time later I remember the same man in the school playground - but there were two other people with him. I know I rushed over to my friend to tell her about the same man actually being here again!

My most abiding memory of the whole incident was the lovely soft, gentle way the police-woman spoke to me. I SO wished my Mum was like her! And I also felt VERY important because I had a VISITOR and my brothers didn't!

Not once did I connect the incident with any thing bad. And only many years later did I come to realise the great care all the adults took to ensure I had no hint of anything being amiss. I must have watched like a hawk by my parents for my own safety and safeguards must have been put into place - but I never knew.

And it does seem as if the man was caught and I identified him in the school woods without knowing it.

And years later I am amazed how close I was to big trouble. But I have no bad memories about it at all!
- - FlowersInMyHair
  - Thursday, 08. Feb, 2007 @ 15:56:25
  Looks like you may have had a lucky escape there. I'm glad that the whole thing was so sensitively handled and that you were in no way scarred by the experience. I think the way adults react has a huge effect on how the children involved feel about what happened (or could have happened) to them.
  - - (Visitor)
    - Saturday, 03. Mar, 2007 @ 16:17:05
    Thankyou
    
    x - wifey
    
    How you going?
    - - FlowersInMyHair
      - Sunday, 04. Mar, 2007 @ 15:51:51
      I'm okay, thanks for asking. I want to write more here, but somehow can't get round to it. Pity, as I have hundreds of memories I'd like to write about.
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