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Completely Off Topic - But this kind of freaked me out!! Kinda long story

Stick's picture

Ok guys - this is really off topic. But I had something happen today that has freaked me out a little bit but I'm also wondering if I'm just overreacting. Here goes.

I live in an apartment complex. 3 Floors in each building. 4 Apartments on each floor. I live on the top floor #12. You have to get buzzed into our communal hallway and then we each have our own (locking) doors.

I take my SD to school today for a class and get home around 10:00am. Around 10:15a the buzzer rings to the outside door. I push the "talk" button and say "who is it??!!" Smile and can't really understand the answer, so I buzz the person in. Meanwhile I start running down the stairs to see if it's Fed ex or UPS or some kind of delivery. Well, a guy gets to the 2nd floor and I'm right by there and he's dressed in maintenance type clothing with a radio on. So I ask... Are you coming up to #12? And he says - No! I live right here, didn't have my keys! So I'm like, Okay honey (my bad habit of calling people honey) and turn around and go back to my apartment.

Then there's a knock on my door. The 2 apartments on my floor are newly empty and the guy across the hall is working. My husband is traveling for work and SD is at school. I'm all alone. So I get a little freaked and don't answer, thinking if I just leave it alone they will go away!

Then my buzzer rings again for the outside door! So I go to the talk button and say "who is it?" and the guy is like, "It's me again, your downstairs neighbor!" So I buzz him in again, thinking what a pain it is when you forget your keys, but this time, I didn't leave my apartment.

Then there's another knock on my door!! So I look thru the keyhole and I kind of see him and I'm scared! So I ask through the door - Can I help you? And the guy says, "Can you open the door for a minute? " And I"m like , uh no... sorry I don't know you! And he says, Well, I just want to talk to you for a minute. Can you open the door? I heard some arguing or fighting and I wanted to make sure you were okay!!"

So I didn't know what to do. My TV was off. I had just gotten home and was actually online here at ST just enjoying some quiet!! And didn't hear anything! So I just said, No, I'm sorry, I don't know you. But I'm fine thank you for checking. Thanks. And then the guy's work radio went off and he left.

I was scared!! I tried calling our office and couldn't get an answer. So, I called my dad (who lives 5 hours away! ha!! - yes I reverted to being a little girl!) and he told me to call the police. Which I did. I finally did talk to our office and they are going to install a deadbolt.

I know I'm freaked out because I watch too many CSI and Forensic Files type stories! But, I'm just scared a little bit. And I'm worried about my SD who is 15. DH is also very worried, but I did get a deadbolt.

Now it's all fine, I just get a little nervous when a delivery comes (UPS came later in the day!) and I do have to walk by that guy's door every time I leave my apartment. The office knows who he is (by my description) and we're not sure what to think. The girl said, Maybe he was just trying to thank you for buzzing him in? And I told her that yeah, if that was the case, if he had knocked and just said "thank you" I probably would have opened my door just to introduce myself and say hi!

Weird, huh?

Comments

glynne's picture

Not opening the door was the right thing. And for him to ask twice for you to open - BIG RED FLAG and wasn't he making up the part about hearing an arguement?
I'm glad that you are okay and just tell the kids not to open the door to any stangers.

Glynne

Crizzle's picture

weird! I would have been freaked out too! For him to ask you to open the door TWICE is odd. I would be very cautious...glad you were!

"They say God doesn't give you more than you can handle. I just wish he didn't have so much confidence in me."

HummingBirdHunny's picture

That would of freaked me out too. I am glad you didn't open your door. When we got new management we also got a new maintenance crew. Of course a neighbor and myself have never seen the new crew. So at first if something needed to be fixed I would request maintenance come over after my husband was home from work. Now I have no issues. What freaks me out now is that about 15 to 20 minutes from here 3 convicts broke out of prison. 1 was caught. But last I heard 2 were still running lose. 1 is a murderer, the other is a rapist. My SIL lives in the same town with my 3 yr old niece and her husband but he does repos and is gone all hours of the night.

Stick's picture

I feel silly, to be honest. But it's nice to know that I'm not being seen as overreacting.

Yeah, that guy did make up the story about arguing because I didn't even have my radio on!! I thought... yeah, if I were singing, I could see how someone might mistake that for killing a cat.... but I wasn't!! Smile

Tainted... that is very scary!! I'm hoping for you that those other 2 convicts are long gone and ran away. I'm hoping they wouldn't stay close to the prison!

The office thinks they know who the guy is because the girl sees him all the time. He works maintenance at the mall next door to our complex and walks back and forth to work. So I don't know why he was here in the middle of the day anyway. But hey, I know where he lives and works now!!

Ugh... I need my standby margarita! Thanks again ladies for not letting me feel so alone!

Crizzle's picture

what a great idea! I think every SM needs those on hand anyway...lol.

"They say God doesn't give you more than you can handle. I just wish he didn't have so much confidence in me."

stepmom2one's picture

You live in an apartment and didn't have a deadbolt? Good grief, they should have them on all the doors!

Sasha's picture

You did the right thing. I think the guy was up to no good. Gosh, I got scared just reading this!

anabihibik's picture

This is why I always wear heals when not at work. They're great for slamming down hard into the top of someone else's foot. Trust your instincts, like the other ladies say. Good for you for not opening the door. Be safe.

To every thing there is a season.

BMJen's picture

You may want to invest in a keychain size tube of pepper spray. If this guy knows you are home alone, you can just never be to careful.

I'm so glad you didn't open the door.

~all you need is Faith, Trust, and a little bit of Pixie Dust...and sometimes a machine gun~

belleboudeuse's picture

You should never try to talk yourself out of it if you have a bad feeling -- much better to overreact than to underreact. Maybe he wasn't a rapist, but a normal, good guy would know better than to expect a woman he doesn't know to open the door to him. A good guy would be able to put himself in the woman's situation and realize how she would feel -- so you at least know he didn't do that, which is a good enough reason to stay away from him.

BB

- You are not second best, you are not second class. Do not ever let anyone make you feel that way. (2Bloved)

JMC's picture

JamaicanMeCrazy
DISNEY LIED...THERE IS NO 'HAPPILY EVER AFTER'

Better safe than sorry - never apologize for being careful! You never know what kind of freaks are out there. Go with your gut feeling - if something appears a little out of sorts, then it probably is. Several members of my family are or have been employed in law enforcement and fire protection, so we always had a scanner on at all times - you just wouldn't believe all the stuff that happens that never makes the news - it's scary! I'm glad you're getting a deadbolt - I have them on both doors, and my two furballs bark their heads off if anyone even comes near our driveway - plus I sleep with a Magnum 357 under my bed and I'm certainly not afraid to use it if necessary.

4ofus's picture

Reading that made my heart leap into my throat. DONT feel silly.. its the ones that open the door that should feel silly. Think about it.. if he was just wanting to talk to you and was a normal decent man- he wouldn'y have asked you to open the door. Hello! any man I know would have given me an earful for even considering opening the door!! AND he didn't offer his name, and did you actually SEE him go into the apartment? I mean, there are so many things that he did here that are just not as they appear. I agree with all-better safe than sorry!! And, as SMJ said, get some sort of pepper spray or something that you can protect yourself-it takes very little for something to happen when heading down to pick up a package- 20 bucks vs you!!!

goodmom's picture

I would of been suspicious about the "i heard arguing" excuse. That's a little odd. The apartment we use to live in was the building managers old apartment and she had a bunch of wierdo's who use to visit her. It took us a year to make them all realize she no longer lived there. There was this one guy in particular ewho I assume lived in the half way house up the road. He would knock on the door and ask for the old manager. We would tell him she didn't live there and then he would try to give us rocks in exchange for money. No kidding. He was obviously mentally retarded and he made me very nervous. We had to stop answering the door.

Having a baby does not make you a mother.

Gestalt's picture

it's better to be "rude" (which I don't think you were) and feel bad than dead- good job staying safe!

"The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change, So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger, but in wisdom, understanding, and love." -Jennifer Edwards