Very strange experience

RumbleBee · 3 Mar 2008 at 23:58

Left work at 5pm earlier tonight. On my 1/2 mile walk to the train station I popped in some grubby little news agents. Was queuing up behind some guy and some girl was behind me. As the shopkeeper is serving me he gives me a strange look. Kind of as though he knows me or recognises me from some place. I don't recognise him and so continue getting served and walk out. Shopkeeper looks about 55-60 years old.

I'm walking about 20 yards before turning left to the train station and for some reason I look behind. There he is outside his shop looking at me. Weird I think. Maybe he's an uncle I don't remember. Now I'm at the train station and can't stop thinking what he was looking so strangely at me for so I check my watch - 10 mins till train.

Now I'm a little angry here but I'm not sure why. Just feel it was a little rude and there is no way I want to get on my train without finding out more so I walk back to his shop and ask him 'Do I know you or do you know me'. He shrugs his shoulders and says 'no', so then I say 'What was all the about. Why were you watching me walk and why the strange look when you served me'. This is where the conversation just goes plain weird.

I'm getting more angrier and can't believe I'm speaking to this guy. He actually says 'Do you want me to look at you'. Stunned for a few seconds I ask him to repeat it and he says it again. I then say 'what the are you talking about' and he says 'Do you want to stay here a while'. At that point I walk further towards his shop counter and ask what the hell he's getting at. He then appears to be pressing some kind of security button. I can't confirm this of course but it looks like it. Then he leans back away from the counter and shrugs his shoulders again. At that point I call him a weirdo and walk out the shop and go catch my train. I never looked back this time.

Now here I am thinking was that a disturbing gay flirt or more along the lines of the beginning of a horror film. It's certainly got me a little tense.

RumbleBee · 4 Mar 2008 at 00:03

It was too strange a look to ignore. Definitely not the kind of look you'd give a potential shoplifter. It was more the look of him knowing me.

RumbleBee · 4 Mar 2008 at 00:04

davestar_delux said:
You look like someone on Crimewatch?

No . I was dressed smart and gave no impression of causing trouble.

RumbleBee · 4 Mar 2008 at 00:21

Monkey Puzzle said:
Sounds like he was giving you the eye, and you got angry because of it, so he panicked and pressed a security button. Does sound a bit odd.

Indeed it does. Maybe he never pressed any button. That's just what was running through my mind at the time as his hands went under the counter. I never really showed any anger and asked him quite calmly at first. It was the 'Do you want me to look at you' that made me feel uneasy, followed by him asking if I want to stay a while. After this I suppose I did look peeved off.

If for a second I thought I was in the wrong I'd quite happily apologise for any misunderstanding, but this shopkeeper was very disturbing.

RumbleBee · 4 Mar 2008 at 00:35

lowrider007 said:
I certainly wouldn't do what the original poster did and in a fit of anger walk all the way back and start intimidating the old bloke

It was nothing like that.

I agree with what your saying about strange looks. I've had a few and like you say you take no notice, but this was different.

RumbleBee · 4 Mar 2008 at 00:36

Vasquez said:
are you gay?

No

RumbleBee · 4 Mar 2008 at 00:44

Regarding walking back. I did this as another thought that entered my mind was that he knew my dad who passed away a few years ago. He knew plenty of people in that area and so this thought entered my mind. I'm the spitting image of my dad when he was my age.

RumbleBee · 4 Mar 2008 at 00:46

lowrider007 said:
ok, maybe I 'sensationalised' that a little bit, it's all the BBC News 24 reading I do, kinda becomes you after a while, still, you was angry though right ?,

No not really. More confused than angry. a little angry maybe but I showed no anger when I first approached him. The only anger I showed was when I said the word 'hell' after his (what appear to be) gay comments.

RumbleBee · 4 Mar 2008 at 00:59

no need to apologise.

Anyway I appear to be coming across as some sort of angry person who causes trouble when looked at. This is not true. I was intrigued to ask if I knew him following both the very strange look at the counter and even more so him standing outside his shop watching me walk down the street. Whilst I did feel a little peeved off at this I approached him with no anger whatsoever and it was only his further words that made me appear angry. He was very suggestive with his words. Not sarcastic, blunt or funny.

Being asked if I wanted to stay a while and if I wanted to be looked at is quite a disturbing thing to hear from a shopkeeper, who watches you with beady eyes and watches you walk down the road. As mentioned maybe I caused his reaction by going back, but it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. It might be I caused the situation by doing this and he was being funny in a dark humorous way. Even so I've no regrets and would still be wondering if he knew me if I never asked. Now I'm left wondering if he wanted to hump me, kill me or just get me out of his shop as I had no rights questioning him.