Bad Intentions?

Not much going on last few days. Focus has been on needlepoint and hitting 25 miles on the indoor bike to qualify for 2017’s Pedal for the Medal.

After putting in tomorrow’s miles, I do believe I’ll take my needlepoint down to the Community Room to see for myself what The Baker just told me – when, returning from the market. I ran into her at the mailbox, about the Activity Director having changed her days/hours to make herself available to police Pizza Tuesday.

Evidently, there’s been so many complaints about the old people acting like wild animals that, last week, she came in and took control. Instead of the old folks bum rushing the guys bringing the pizzas in, before the guys could even put them down, she made everyone sit and wait. The Baker said people kept trying to stand up and walk towards, but Activity Director told them to SIT.

In addition, Activity Director announced there would be no opening boxes, inspecting/touching pizzas dropping them to the floor.

I wasn’t clear on how the folks got to choose the kind of pizza they were interested in, since they can’t open the box. Was the Activity Director labeling the boxes? Was she opening and calling out? I wasn’t sure what The Baker was saying about that; but she did say Activity Director enforced the “only allowed ONE” rule, but saying that, after everyone was allowed to partake. if there were pizzas left over later in the day, residents could return and have at what was left.

The Baker said the old folks didn’t like being reigned in.

I’m sure they didn’t, but Pizza Tuesday now sounds like the greatest show on earth to watch, so I’m thinking of going down tomorrow to witness for myself.

Tomorrow was also to be the Father’s Day Bagel Breakfast, but was changed to a 1:00 potluck because Activity Director finally saw what I thought was obvious – that a bagel breakfast during pizza delivery time wasn’t smart.

Activity Director is bringing in sandwiches, sodas, and is requesting side dishes.

Because of my gut problems, potlucks are no longer fun for me. About the only thing that doesn’t cause a bad gut reaction are veggies, so I dunno. I’ll decide tomorrow and, if I do decide to attend, I’ll pick up a veggie tray at the deli.

Had a disturbing incident at the market this morning.

I usually carry a pocket Taser when leaving the complex, had placed it on the counter by the door, but was halfway to the car before realizing I’d forgotten to pocket it.

Thinking no big deal, it's middle of the day and I'm only going as far as the market, I opted not to go back upstairs to retrieve.

Big mistake because, while shopping in the veggie department, something caused me to look up whereupon I saw this tall good-looking brother walking into the market. Thinking nothing in particular about him, other than having seen him, I went on about my business.

Once I’d finished shopping, I was walking down an isle heading for the checkout when, yet again, something struck me causing me to stop and look over at a rack of magazines. It was then I noticed he was right behind me, so close as to be in my space. He’d been so stealth, so quiet, I never knew he was there, but seeing him so close to me with no cart, no groceries in his arms, I felt uncomfortable and frowned at him with a quizzical look on my face like what are you up to.

Seeing I was onto him, he tried to play it off by nonchalantly passing me, then feigning interest in the magazines, stopping in front of my cart, middle of the isle, blocking exit to where I couldn’t move without squeezing past him, putting myself in a position where he could cop a feel or whatever it was he was up to.

This was when I could see he wasn't a street bum. He was nicely dressed, had an expensive man bag on his shoulders and sized him up not as a purse snatcher but a pervert type.

Would have been a good time to pull out the pocket Taser but, since I’d left it on the counter, I backed away to the opposite end of the isle, turned around and took a different route to checkout.

Once at checkout, I looked around to see where he was and saw him outside the store and kept an eye on him.

The checker and the bagger were looking at me, wondering what I was looking at, and I told them how the guy had stalked and cornered me in the isle. The bagger offered to escort me to my car, but I said the guy knew I was onto him and appears to have left the lot.

He hadn't.

I cautiously headed to my car, looking right, looking left, looking behind and, just as I reached the car, spotted him sitting not too far away on a grassy knoll.

If the store security cameras were on me at that time, they probably thought I was nuts, because I immediately ducked down, so he couldn’t see me, quietly quickly got groceries in the car, while still in the ducked down position, and was safely locked in the car when I saw him get up, cross the street and go sit under a tree near one of the businesses across the street.

For sure, I won’t be leaving the pocket Taser behind again … ever. It was an incident that gave me pause at the time, but now, after having thought about it, I've developed a headache and the shakes; which I take as my instincts telling me that guy was a bad man with bad intentions.