When you’ve got people that want to do the same things you do, use all of your advice in their life and agree with what you think on everything, that’s great right? Most people think so. Some people think the only time people are worth something is when they follow your every word and action. But when you’ve actually got someone FOLLOWING you, it’s not so cool. Like today. At the mall.
Today, I had my first real experience being followed. It was strange. We’ve all had those moments where we see someone in a couple different places and the thought crosses your mind that you are either inadvertently following them or they are following you. You then go out of your way to make sure you don’t do the same turn or go into the same store right away. Cuz it’s awkward. And weird. Most people (the normal ones) don’t like awkward situations and they try not to make people uncomfortable on purpose. Today, though, it was awkward and uncomfortable on a whole new level.
A few hours ago I went to the mall to do some grocery shopping. I used to take the train to the mall whenever I went because it was (still is sometimes) just too difficult to get a car. People lie about having keys, the don’t respond to messages requesting to pick up keys when one is reserved and when you do get keys, the gas tank is half full or almost empty. Sorry, but Troy and I try to make it as easy as possible when someone asks us for keys when we have them and we are not going to pay for someone else’s gas. We refill what we have used, but we aren’t going to fill it up if it was given to us half empty. The first few times, we did fill up the tank, but then Troy said he’s not doing that anymore because we consistently receive a care with only half a tank or a quarter tank. That’s just rude of the other person. And Troy and I are sick of it. We’re sick of a lot of things with this car sharing situation, but that’s not going to change how messed up this whole thing is. Now, in saying all that, not everyone is like that. There are a couple guys that are really easy to get the cars from and Scott always has the gas tank filled up when we get a car after he’s used it, so it’s not the group as a whole. Just a few people.
Anyways, I used to take the train because it was easier than dealing with the mess of getting a car, but then I was having to lug home a week’s worth of groceries and my back was hurting a lot because of it. There were a few times I was down for a day or two after because I’d carried far more than I should. So, I’ve started taking the car. Today was my third time taking the car to the mall to go grocery shopping and I was really happy with getting there without a problem and finding a parking space without to much difficulty. The problem started when I was taking my groceries back to my car.
After I finished shopping, I made the lovely journey back to my car. I parked in an area I’d never parked in before and ended up going to the wrong area. I’d parked on the roof over The Garden’s Mall and didn’t realize it was split into two sections. I’d come down from the roof to where the elevator was using a ramp that went counter-clockwise. Going back to the roof, I went on a ramp that was counter-clockwise again, even though I should have been going clockwise since I was going the opposite direction. I just figured there were two access points to the roof, which was correct, but what I didn’t realize was that the roof parking was sectioned off. Can’t access the opposite side from the roof, so I had to go back down the ramp and wander around until I found the correct ramp. It was while I was doing this that I realized two guys were following me.
At first, I thought they were just looking for the elevator because they’d come down the ramp behind me from the parking area on the roof, but when I turned down a random hall opposite from where the elevators were, they turned down it, too. One guy kept almost running into me because I had to slow down to keep my cart from dragging me down the ramp a couple times and when I tried to let them pass me, they slowed down behind me. At one point, they walked past me, glanced back at me and then got behind me again. Now, this hallway, it wasn’t a small one where you have to walk on top of each other to get through it. This hallway with the ramp was more than wide enough to fit three carts across, so it was more than wide enough for these two guys to pass me. After I turned down this random walkway and they followed, I got a little nervous.
You may think it’s silly to be nervous of two guys in an empty circular ramp walkway, but I’ve read several news stories about women being assaulted in shopping center parking garages here in Kuala Lumpur and the several attacks on white women in the recent few months. Plus, Troy keeps telling me to be careful when I’m out alone because of human traffickers. So, I got a little nervous and just stopped in the hall. They one guy who had been right up on my back almost ran into me again and hesitated a little bit before walking past me. He glanced back several times and then his friend walked up really fast to walk with him. They stopped for a second and glanced back at me again. I glared at the one guy who had almost run into me several times and he just laughed a little. That’s when I decided I was feeling really uncomfortable and emailed Troy that I thought I was being followed. The guys started walking again and stopped by the split off that went to the elevators. I went behind a pillar for a little while because I figured if they came back, I’d know they really were following me. After I heard the elevator open and close, I turned around and started walking back the way I came, back to another outlet to a parking area. Not the one I wanted, but there were people there. When I got to where I could see down the elevator hallway, those guys were still there! One was facing out towards where I was and when he saw me, he grabbed his friend’s arm and started walking towards me again. I walked very quickly out of there and to the parking lot. I had to walk all the way over to the other side and then up the driving ramp to get back to the correct side of the roof, but I figured that was safer because there were people wandering around in the garage while there was nobody in that hallway.
Once I got to my car and had the groceries loaded (glancing around every time I picked up a bag), I got in the car and started emailing Troy. While I was emailing him, he emailed me and told me to go find a guard or hit a panic button. Before I could hit reply, he called me, too. I was a little frazzled, so he talked to me for a minute to make sure I was okay and heading out of there. He told me he didn’t want me parking in that area anymore since there isn’t as much security as where we usually park. It’s much easier to find a parking spot in this new area, but Troy said he’d rather I just start going straight to the women’s parking area since there is more of a security presence there.
It’s interesting because this is the first time I’ve really felt nervous and disconcerted here. I’ve walked to the park by myself over the freeway and through a construction area. I’ve ridden the train numerous places by myself and I’ve wandered around Little India by myself dozens of times. The first few times were uncomfortable because of the anxiety I get when going new places by myself, but after I got over that, it’s been fine. Today, though, it was not so fine. I feel a little silly about the whole thing now and feel like I may have been being a little ridiculous, but with that guy walking right up on my back for several minutes and the way they were looking at me and the way they were acting, it made me really uncomfortable. I’m really glad Troy called to make sure I was okay. It made me feel a lot better knowing he was there for me, as silly as the whole things seems now.
I’m just glad all it ended up being was something I can feel silly about now. Even in the US, women get attacked in parking lots and public areas, so it’s not like it’s something that only happens in some places. That may not have been their intent, but I’m glad we’ll never now. I guess I will go about filling up the balloons and making the cake I got for Troy to celebrate our one-year anniversary today. He probably has to work late again and he still isn’t feeling all the way better, but I figure a little gluten-free chocolate cake and some balloons will make him feel happy when he gets home.
