phone number

Bernadine

When I was 14 my parents and I were at Costco standing in line at the register. This 40 year old man in front of us started to help us load some of our groceries onto the converyer belt without anyone asking for help. I thought he was just being nice so I smiled at him as he helped. My dad asked me to go throw some wrappers in the garbage so I left the line and didn’t realize that man followed me. After throwing away the garbage I turned around to see him kind of hunched over and walking up to me with his hands together. “Can I have your phone number?” The man asked me almost shyly and softly so I did not hear him clearly. Confused and kind of nervous, I said, “ Excuse me?” “Can I have your phone number?” He said it while slowly coming closer, all hunched over and creepy. I was scared because this man had the audacity to do this in a public place where my parents’ line of vision, but they were too busy paying for our groceries. I don’t know why, but I just said, “I’m sorry, no!” I ran back to my parents and hid behind my 4’ 11” mom by the register. While we were in the car, I went over the incident over and over again. Was it because he thought I liked him since I smiled when help load our groceries? Were my pants too tight? For a while, I thought he maybe had a mental disorder because of how he was hunched over and acted awkward. That should not excuse those actions though. Reguardless, I was scared, scared to tell my parents or report him while we were still in Costco. During the car ride home I joked about it to kind of just slide it into the conversation. My parents were shocked. They said that I should have told them and they would have gone straight to security. They were right; I don’t have to spare that guy’s feelings and I shouldn’t have said sorry to him even though it was an impulsive answer. My parents even joked, “He asked for your number? You should have given him 911!” Now I’m 16 and am becoming an anti-human trafficking activist. I have a better understanding that what is “normal” is not what is always right. I still remember that day very clearly and I want to inform other boys and girls that even something like an old man asking for your number should not be taken lightly.