Strange Men

Stopped at Ralphs en route to post office. Salami was on sale, so bought that to munch as I walked, feeling weak even though I did eat breakfast. Stop on sidewalk struggle to get vacuum sealed, zip-lock package opened wishing I had just gotten potato salad which is hard to munch while walking or fried chicken leg which is messy.

Man walks by. Turns around and walks by a second time going back the way from whence he came. Turns around walks back asking "Can you get it open?". "Nope." He offers to open it and uses his teeth to rip away plastic along top edge where I already removed plastic strip. Rather than pull the zip-lock apart, he starts attacking the right top edge. He asks if I have a knife or anything. I tell him "I was going to poke a hole in it with my key." I finally take package back, and easily separate zip-lock at the part where he bit off the edge of plastic.

I offer him a slice. He takes exactly one slice. I did not say "You could take more than one," because even on sale salami is out of my food budget range. Job finished man does not continue on his journey, but walks beside me to traffic light. He starts to cross the side street, seeing me push button for Anaheim light, he mumbles something about crossing "there". I say, yeah, "I am going to post office and want to walk on sunny side of street".

He announces "I will walk with you." I guess I could say something like "No you will not walk with me." He was nice enough to take time to open my package, but I already know how this stuff goes.

At post office he announces, "I will be out here when you finish," as he follows me inside while I mail my letter. Now what? I continue my walk, cross Anaheim and he questions why I am not going "that way". I inform him "I am going to the park to read a book." He does not go his own way, east on Anaheim, but walks along with me south on Temple. Okay, how do I lose my shadow?

I have seen this man walking through my alley, or around the square ~ Redondo Ave, 11th, 10th Street, Obispo. First time I saw him thought I knew him from homeless days. He always says hello and I say hello back how ya doing today. This time I asked him if he knew D.C. who was staying at the Grace hotel on 11th and Obispo. I think maybe this strange man is staying there. D.C. would introduce me to other Grace residents when I ran into at the corner. No, the man does not know D.C. Maybe he looks like a homeless person I knew from street days.

Man tells me his name, Donald. I have trouble understanding anything he says, sort of muttering and slow. We get to alley and he points telling me "We can go this way." I repeat myself, that I am not heading home, I am going to park to READ a book. Okay, he will walk to park with me. At each corner, he points east, telling me "we can go this way" and I repeat again, I am going to park. At one corner, I say he must be hot, I will walk "that way" so he can get home faster. He does not mind the heat, likes walking.

He wants my phone number so he can call and talk to me. Tell him I do not give number to men. He does not make an issue out of that. When we arrive at park, I put my bags to my left, so he can not sit too close to me. Surprised he sits on bench across from me. He sat there for a while as I read my book and finally took his leave. He bends next to my ear saying something that I did not catch. It makes me very uncomfortable when strange men decide to accompany me, despite me not inviting them to do so when I have my own agenda.

Much better for strange men to give a woman his phone number. If she does not use it, the guy should get the hint: not interested.

I am not interested in dating anyone. If I were I would not be interested in getting to know this man; zero attraction. Men that announce they are going to walk with me are as bad as the ones that ask "Can I walk with you?" The reason: when I say "No," they ask "Why not?" and give me a lecture, trying to overcome objections, rather than saying, "Okay, see you around."

It is better for strange men to give a women his phone number. If she does not use it, he should know: not interested.

I tend to think strange men must be hard up to find a woman to date if they need to try to pick up a strange woman on the street. It is also rude. A woman should be able to walk to Ralphs, library, beach, other store, anywhere without a man assuming she wants his company.