Mae Bae is sick now (we'll be watching her like hawks) and I find myself preoccupied with a moment that happened a couple of weeks ago while we were grocery shopping, going back to that day over and over again in my head and running it over in my mind.
Sadie and I were looking for a pumpkin. It didn't take her long to find the largest, most spectacular pumpkin in the store. We have tickets to a corn maze that I hope has a pumpkin patch, that I bought for a steal on groupon a few weeks ago, but when I saw the $2-$3 pumpkins I promised Sadie that she could pick one out the next weekend and the big day had finally arrived. Mae and Paul were on the other side of the produce section getting apples and bananas, the two staples that help Mae get through the day (the kid takes her apple and then mugs her sister and takes hers as well...) and as I eyed the pumpkin I told her that we would wait until Daddy brought over the cart and have him lift the pumpkin into it.
Two men stood nearby, off to our left. One was in an electronic cart, who looked to be around 50-60 and the other looked to be in his late twenties.
You know those moments when your Mommy sensor goes off and you sense danger? This was one of those moments. They were in my peripheral vision. I couldn't quite see them clearly. But suddenly I found myself clutching Sadie's hand, with a distinct Mommy-alarm going off in my head. I had the distinct impression that they were watching us and listening to our pumpkin-centered conversation. They moved towards us and the Mommy alarm grew louder. Sadie and I continued to chat about the pumpkins (there were two large bins on either side, and the opposite side of our bin was open) and I tried to focus my attention on her as I pointed out pumpkins that Mae might like.
Suddenly they were standing behind us, too close and two thoughts presented themselves together in my mind. Is this a cultural thing where coming up and standing an inch away from another person isn't seen as an invasion of personal space? The younger man was right next to me, while the older one's cart was inches from Sadie... Different cultures have different ideas of personal space and I did have the distinct impression that these men weren't American.

Then the coughing started. The man in the cart bent towards us and started to cough loudly, on us. There was no way it could be unintentional. It was a horrible sick sounding cough and he was clearly coughing at Sadie.
That was it. I grabbed Sadie and pulled her away, while scooping up her pumpkin with my other arm (funny how that seemed important at the time, right? But I knew she had her little heart set on it and for a moment I wondered if this was some aggressive pumpkin picking strategy) and I carried the huge pumpkin on my hip, while managing to squeeze through a tiny opening, guiding Sadie away from the two men.
When I got to Paul I was shaken up, but I couldn't very well explain what had happened right there, although he had a sense that I was very upset with the pair. I put the pumpkin in the cart and Paul picked out a pumpkin for Mae. I watched the two men lingering by the gourds, acting like a perfectly normal pair. They gave us a wide berth with Paul.
I felt a little paranoid as I explained to Paul and later to my Mom on the phone what had happened. It just seemed so odd at the time. I thought about writing a blog post about it... but any post I wrote sounded a little crazy and paranoid in my head... maybe because the two men did come from a culture we associate with various acts of terror (although I didn't know that until after we were a good ways away and looked back, because they were so close to my back that I couldn't see their faces)... It all felt so stereotypical and I just didn't feel like I was doing a good job putting it into words, and so I didn't.

Then last night I sat pinning a blanket, and the pumpkin caught my eye, sitting proudly in it's corner by the door. The entire scene came back to me as I glanced at the pumpkins and felt the ache in my severely black and blue arms from all the needles and IVs, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was entirely intentional. It has seemed intentional at the time, in a crazy, what's wrong with these guys, type of way.
I suppose I'll never know. But I think I'll add them as a prayer intention. Something was going on that day that wasn't right... and I pray it wasn't anything as sinister as trying to get a little girl very, very sick... but honestly, the way he moved as close as he could to us and began coughing on us it's hard to imagine a positive motivation.
People do crazy things... I pray for there sakes that somehow it wasn't intentional in the least... and that it had nothing to do with whatever sent me to the hospital for four nights...
Lord have mercy. That's creepy. Got any holy water?
ReplyDeleteWe have that instinct for a reason. It's not like you view every person out in public as suspect, but those two set off something deep inside and you reacted.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you were crazy, you were protecting your own :)
Beth
That is creepy. Certainly a little holy water wouldn't hurt anything... and keeping a very close eye on Sadie... Do you still have family around to help if she does get sick?
ReplyDeleteGood heavens! Who knows what crazy, evil things lurk in the minds of people these days???
ReplyDeleteMarie
Never ignore the "Mommy" instinct. It's always better to be safe than sorry. You never know when the devil will pop up. God gave you/us/women that "intuition" for a reason. I'm glad you were able to get out of that situation safely and with your little one none the wiser.
ReplyDeleteCathleen
Did they try to say anything to you? That is so surreal and creepy. Almost demonic. Wow. I will pray for them, too.
ReplyDeleteI guess being a bit high strung is a good thing because when people crowd me I simply freak out and begin to screech at them to back off, get out of my space, leave me alone!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you are the least bit paranoid. Those people behaved in a very strange manner and NOBODY I know from the Muslim community would go ANYWHERE near a woman in modest clothing such as you wear.
Their behavior was odd, your instincts jangled, and you should have trusted that and moved sooner, IMO.
CREEPY!
I'm very protective and hyper sensitive to others being too close for comfort. I also don't mind being rude when I feel like I must. I think I would have turned around and said "BACK OFF BUDDY OR ELSE!" Then called Paul very loudly. So what if I made a scene. At least you both got out of their safely. I might however call the hospital and mention it just in case they see something like it again.
ReplyDeleteThat is so scary! I can't even imagine. The mommy instinct is powerful. Glad you listened to it. These ppl sound like pure evil. Please be careful! I would be keeping a close eye out when u are in public and making sure nobody is following you home or anything. There are sick minded ppl in the world. Prayers for you and your family and glad you and the baby are okay.
ReplyDeleteScary!! I'm glad you listened to your gut and got out of there!
ReplyDeleteLike Cathleen said it's a mommy instinct, but also say it's an instinct of being a woman. Even though I have no children of my own had I been in your shoes I would have down the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI second calling the house to let them know.
I think the Baroness has a good suggestion there; it crossed my mind that you might want to mention this weird encounter to your doctor, as well. If your instincts are correct, you might not be the only victim of this bizarre behavior.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it sounds extreme, a chat with the local police might not be entirely out of order. Sad and crazy that we have to think along these lines, but those are the times we live in. (A former classmate of my younger daughter is currently in jail - again - for making "terrorist threats" to people at a local college. Just nuts!!!)
Have you read The Gift of Fear by Gavin deBecker? It is excellent and he says always trust your first instinct. The people who get into trouble are the ones who ignore or shrug off that feeling.
ReplyDeleteAlways trust you instincts. God gave them to us for a reason. My instincts (some would call it paranoia) saved me before I'm sure of it. My instincts said, "That guy is creepy," and my instincts were right. It ended up in being chased by the guy in broad daylight. If I had ignored my instincts, I wouldn't have run. NEVER IGNORE YOUR INSTINCTS.
ReplyDelete