Refused to take ‘no’ for an answer

One of many incidents during my daily commute (by bus) involved being followed by a man who refused to take “no” for an answer.

After getting off the bus at a terminal near my office, I walked past this person, a younger guy, probably in his mid-20s. Even though I didn’t make eye contact, he attempted to get my attention. Without looking at him, I said something to the effect of “sorry, I’m not interested” and kept walking to the pick-up spot for my office’s shuttle.

Within minutes he was there and insisting on starting a conversation despite my having told him twice, at this point, that I wasn’t interested. I was forced to just smile and nod and tolerate him until my office shuttle arrived.

Its arrival gave me an easy out of the one-sided conversation, but I was incredibly embarrassed at the prospect of being seen with this guy and having to explain why he was talking to me in the first place. Even though there was no real threat, as we were in a crowded area, my sense of fear and humiliation is as intense now as it was then.

– anonymous

Location: Philadelphia, PA

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