Member-only story
Every Woman Has a Scary Story About a Man
Not all men, but always a man.
I was just eighteen, walking home from my first job with my headphones on. It was 2:00 PM. Broad daylight. The street was empty except for another man on the other side of the street, walking at the same pace as me.
I walked a little faster to get to a more crowded side. He started to do the same. I started walking faster and faster. There was a point where I started running. He started yelling something.
I couldn’t hear him through my music, but I didn’t need to. I already knew.
I entered a nearby store and called my dad.
Almost 10 years have passed since that moment; I still remember every detail of that day. That was the day I realized I never wanted to walk alone again.
Last week, my friend Sarah told me about an older guy who followed her through three aisles at the grocery store, pretending to shop while he stared at her through the shelves. When she finally confronted him in the parking lot, he said he just wanted to compliment her smile.
My coworker Ashley stopped taking the subway after a man sat next to her every day for a week, despite the empty train car, moving closer each time until his leg pressed against hers. He never said one single word to her; he…
