Told You So - Personal Experience Essay

TOLD YOU SO

I still remember his eyes. The streetlights had only given us glimpses of his face as we ran toward home. The large mass of muscle had been chasing us for what seemed to be miles. I ignored my aching knees and tried to keep up with my friend. I prayed and prayed as we tried to outrun a grown man on his bike. If I could stop and turn to face this stranger, my question would be; "why?"

Late on a July evening, my best friend and I went on a long walk to the river with my dog. I felt horrible because the hot pavement must have burned my dog's paws. After spending time by the mucky river water, we wanted refreshment for ourselves. My friend had suggested swimming, but the sun had been diminishing by the minute. After a couple rejected ideas, we both decided to drop my dog off at the house, and go walk to the nearest Seven Eleven gas bar for a slurpee. Although my dad always refused to let me walk at night, in the moment, nothing seemed better than cream soda slush.

The sidewalk along Tranquille was packed that chilly, summer night. We passed many familiar faces throughout the neighbourhood: the elderly couple that actually holds hands; the single mom with her twins; a lady heading home in her coopers uniform; and a built man jogging –who in fact, wasn't a familiar face. As we were approaching this unknown man, he slowed down, and began walking. His eyes were fixed with ours and once we had passed each other, we looked back to see him standing and staring at us, gently smiling.

"He was so checking us out!" My friend shrieked with excitement as we walked into the Seven Eleven. She looked back, probably in hope to see the man again and added, "He was hot too!" I rolled my eyes at her, was this really her reaction to perverts? At till, we encountered a bunch of our ‘friends', who like to get intoxicated on summer nights at this specific location. We had talked to them for awhile about their plans for that night, and their crazy stories on how they convinced their parents to believe their lies. After we had heard enough craziness; we decided to start walking back.

The sidewalks were deserted, streetlights were lit, and all I needed was just another reminder that I should be under the roof of my paranoid father, safe. My friend told me that she was going to get a cell phone next month, and I admitted that I was jealous. Both of us had been begging