Member-only story
Feeling like a predator
Trust cannot be assumed
After a long day at work, I walked out of the building to the parking garage. The winter season cast an early evening darkness. A cold breeze gusted through the concrete pillars.
As I approached my car from the right side, a woman appeared to my left walking parallel in the same direction. It was then I realized her car was parked next to mine.
We reached our vehicles at the same time. There was no one else in the ramp — just the sound of other cars on ground level exiting to the street.
I immediately sensed the tension. Within my peripheral vision, I saw the woman watching me like a hawk, likely wondering if that really was my car next to hers. I refrained from glancing in her direction, trying not to create the impression I was stalking her.
She waited outside her vehicle on the opposite side. Trying to play it cool, I quietly unlocked my car, placed my belongings in the back seat, got in the drivers side, and closed the door. Only when I started the engine did the woman get into her own car.
Sitting in my car, I had to let the engine warm up a bit from being outside in the cold all day. I then heard her engine start. Very aware that she was waiting for my next move, I drove out of the stall and down to the exit. Had she drove out…
