“When a girl stares at you . . . she is wondering why you are lying”

Last Saturday night I went to see The Help with a couple of friends from the neighborhood.  We had a great time (even when I drove up the wrong side of the street) and the movie was good.  We all had plans that whole day and so we had gone to a late movie that put us back home not until almost 1:00 in the morning.  Little did we realize that the night was about to turn into a creepy adventure.

I pulled into my garage and after getting out of the car, the three of us gathered by my front door to continue chatting and planning when we were going to do it again and what to see next.  It wasn’t long at all until we realized that we would soon be joined by a man walking our way.  We all recognized him as the neighbor from across the street but something just didn’t feel right. 

He came over and told us that he was lost (drunk would have been the correct word, but whatever).  We pointed him to his front door that was no more than 30 yards from where we were standing and then continued our discussion with a bit of weirdness in the air.  I noticed that he didn’t go into his house but instead went into the home two doors down from his.  It wasn’t another minute before three men were walking our way.  At this point we weren’t in a position to safely disburse to our own homes (safety in numbers right?) and so we formed a tighter circle and the nervous tension went up by a million. 

They asked if they could join us.  Really?  We told them politely that we were all heading in because we just finished up a discussion.  Still they stood there and tried to make small talk with us.  I was grateful when I realized that one of my friends had pulled out her cell phone and was texting her husband.  She pushed send and 30 seconds later he was standing outside his front door which also happens to be right next to my front door.  Man were we all grateful to see him! Although I still don’t think that they got the hint.  Awkward!  Weird!  Creepy! 

I didn’t sleep very well that night.  Since at least two of them were neighbors and are aware of the fact that I went into an empty house that normally just has me in it.  I hate the fact that it makes me feel vulnerable, unsafe, unprotected and very alone.  Sad that I checked outside the next day before leaving just to make sure none of them were out there.