Saturday 23 February 2013

Pond life

A few days ago I ventured to the park to feed the birds without hubby and whilst there I had this feeling that I was being watched.
I looked around and right enough a little further along a man was sitting intently eyeing me up from his car. 
Sometimes when people are staring at me I give them a quick wave to put them off but there was something about this fellow that made me feel as if that would have been the completely wrong thing to do, so I just decided to ignore him. 
After I'd finished dishing out the seed, I lent against the pond railings & just hung about for a few minutes to see that Lilo the goose was getting a feed.
Then all of a sudden the staring man was standing next to me and it was quite obvious that he hadn't come to see the birds.
I felt quite uncomfortable cause for some reason the park was really deserted and this dude was sending out some seriously dodgy vibes.
Then he asks me... 
-"Are you working?"
My first thought was "what kind of silly-ass question is that" before it dawned on me that this bag of human detritus was actually asking if I put out for money.
I was like...
-"You've got to be kidding me mate, I'm just here to feed the birds".
If there had been other people about I would have gone absolutely apeshit but I was alone with this creepy sleazeball,  so I was very happy when he skulked back to his car, got in and drove off.
This is the second time in my life that I've been mistaken for a prostitute, or more to the point the second time that some grotty wee man has chanced his arm.
First time it happened was in back in '92 when I was on my second InterRail. 
I was fresh off the overnight train from Copenhagen to Berlin and was sitting with my huge rucksack at Bahnhof Zoo when this transparently pale man with a bright ginger mustache approached me.
Although my German left a lot to be desired it soon became clear that he was offering me accommodation in return for sexual favors. 
I was totally bricking it after that encounter and thought that all the men in the station looked like total pervs, not the best first impression of a city it has to be said. 
Thankfully I met a couple of nice English boys later that day and traveled with them for the first two weeks, which made me feel much safer.
Question time...
Has this ever happened to you?
 How did you deal with the situation?
Everything is ready to go for the vintage jumble, all I have to do now is try to get some sleep with a belly full of butterflies, wish me luck ;)
On Sunday I'm planning to just kick back and catch up on my blog reading, I'm looking forward to seeing what you've all been up to.
Have a fabulous weekend peeps!
Lot's of love,
Jennie
xXx


16 comments:

Connie said...

Oh my. That happened to me just once. I was actually dressed quite primly. I was out in front of our building on a nice summer night waiting for my husband when a well-dressed older businessman came up and asked me "How much?" Then he asked me if I liked steak? What??? Then my husband came out and he rushed away. Steak? What does that mean? I guess I'll never know.

Panty Buns said...

Unfortunately there are a lot of men out there like tha. I'm a male and I've been very crudely propositioned by men. They seemed utterly shameless about it. To Connie, the previous commenter, I'm sure when he asked if you like steak (eewww.... I'm a vegetarian) he was offering to buy you dinner and then would expect your favours in return (the sleazoid). I wonder how desperate someone would have to be for those brazen tactics to work?

Did the dodgy vibes man at the pond drool? Crikey, maybe you need a jacket or jumper that says "MARRIED" in big letters. Note to self: Try hard not to exude pervy vibes. I see you scratched out how you felt about it in that lovely photo. Is that a clay tennis court?

I'm going to enjoy a needed session at my therapists, try to enjoy Sunday and hopefully make my hard decisions and do things next week. I wish I had your energy.

I wish you luck at the Vintage Jumble and hope you have a fabulous weekend yourself!

thorne garnet said...

yes it has happened to me. I was walking down the and some jerk pulled up and opened his door. He patted the seat and said "Get in" Very creepy. I told him to "F off" and kept walking, he looked kind of shocked that I didn't get in the car.
This happened in the early 80's when I was young and unbeknown to me, I guess I was really, really a hottie. Do women really get in cars with these jerks?

Ulla-Marie said...

Innan jag passerade åldern 25 utsatte jag mig för stora risker. Jag liftade och åkte svarttaxi ensam - ofta. En gång liftade jag mellan Ånge och Ljusdal (ödsligt) då en man erbjöd mig 600 kr (vilken skymf!)Jag sade lugnt (förstår inte var det kom ifrån) "Du kan släppa av mig här" vilket han gjorde och åkte därifrån. När bilen var utom synhåll bankade mitt hjärta så hårt att jag trodde jag skulle sprängas. Så konstigt ändå att man kan vara lugn när det behövs.

Franca said...

Never happened to me thank god, I would be bloody terrified! You do wonder about people!

and what a random German spam comment above!

Vix said...

It's been happening to me since I was 14. Walsall's been infamous for prostitution since the Industrial Revolution and it's a given that any young woman is going to be approached.
When I bought my first house (at the age of 23) it was assumed by the local pimps that I was a high class call girl and I was forever being visited by them proffering cheap cider and being asked if we could go into business together. Several of the chefs who worked for me over the years actually ran girls on the side as a way of making an income.
Even at 46 in broad daylight I still get kerb crawled, maybe it should bother me but I just make light of it and shoo them off.
Good luck with the jumbo! xxxxx

Katie Frank said...

this is such inspiring post <3
http://coeursdefoxes.blogspot.com/

Perdita Tinsel said...

I had the immigration man insist I spoke to him to check I wasn't a mail order bride on the way back from holiday once. I wasn't impressed. But then again neither was his boss (my father in law!) so he got a dressing down over it.

Anonymous said...

What a creepy story! And all for feeding the birds too. I don't think I've ever been asked that question by a stranger, but one time when I was working retail I felt that there was someone else inside the check out booth with me. I looked down and there was a very disturbed teenage boy lying on the floor looking up my dress!! Fuck!
I was shocked and told him to get the hell out from behind the counter. He was truly obsessed. As soon as I turned my back he was crawling across the floor trying to do it again! OMG. His mother and friend were in the dressing room. I was so horrified I couldn't even say anything to them about it. This was about 30 years ago. He's probably in prison by now.

freckleface said...

Oh my. When I was young I worked in a nightclub and was the object of blatant chat up lines where they basically suggested sex, but I'm sure they had no intention of paying. I just laughed them off, but I've never been in a position like the one you were in. That is actually very, very scary. I would be careful next time you go to that park Jennie. Don't take any chances.

Good luck with the jumble sale, hope it goes really well for you. xxxx

Lucys Lounge said...

i'm sorry jennie, to hear that nasty experience. i'm glad to hear you are safe. love lucy

Mrs. D said...

Lovely to see you today!! I hope to see you again in the future and thank you so much for the lovely goodies!
As for the question you posed: It happened a few times when I was younger. The area where I lived was somewhat posh but because the avenues were wide, there were some sex workers there for a while. They never bothered me but the clientelle was another matter. It's not nice to be walking home from school in your uniform and have cars slow down and follow you as you're going about your way, especially when you are a teenager... Morons.
Fortunately the area seems to be a lot safer these days. I haven't lived there for many years but my stepfather and sister still do and they haven't complained of it lately.

Trees said...

Oh God - how horrible!! Something similar happened to me not once but TWICE when we lived in Korea. The first time was when I was at the corner store in our building buying some milk, a drunken Korean man approached me an kept asking me if I was Russian. When I said no, I was from New Zealand, he sulked off looking embarrassed. I found out later there is an assumption if you're a Russian woman in Korea you MUST be a prostitute. I felt really shaken up by the whole situation. Another time a man tried to buy me from my (male) friend on the subway - my friend just kept trying to tell him that I was his wife so he would leave us alone!

Penny-Rose said...

Wow, your post and the comments make for interesting, and alarming reading. Some men are utterly revolting - I have an 11yo daughter so am becoming very sensitive about such things. Love the pic of you and the effing effers. The jacket is so cool. Hope the jumble goes well - I will be there in spirit!!

Simone Crown said...

oh my! sorry to hear that! never happend to me and I actually wouldn't know how to react. turning around and walking in the other direction maybe? very fast.

kisses,
simone

Unknown said...

Poor you! It happened to my daughter a couple of time
I think once she told him to piss off or something and the other time she ran as fast as she could...