A glass of WSF’s finest
Last October, a close friend and I were on the Bainbridge Island ferry boat headed to Seattle. We were sitting in the dining area gazing out the window at the Puget Sound and Mt Rainier while enjoying a glass of wine.
I would like to think that our attire was “Attractive Upscale Professional”. We about to fly on a friend’s standby tickets and we had been instructed to look sharp. The trip was starting with a proper pub crawl in Dublin (on my birthday), after which we were going to be meeting up with a group of friends in Italy for a food and wine tour. We were pinching ourselves, neither of us could beleive that we had managed to get away for a couple of weeks.
As we were sipping and chuckling, I noticed a man seated nearby, watching us intently. Being past the age of cat calls and unsolicited compliments I didn’t take much notice…at first. Then he started taking pictures. I could tell by the angle of his phone that he wasn’t taking pictures of the view out the window.
My job, in real estate, is all about paying attention to my surroundings. I regularly go into people’s homes and take lots of notes about the size, condition, finishes and features. Basic data is important, but I also observe how a place feels and the emotional undercurrent of my client’s questions and concerns. I trust my radar and this guy was making my alarm bells go off.
I turned to my friend and said quietly but firmly, “We need to move. Leave your wine here and follow me”. She was startled and puzzled but she stood up and we left our seats. We walked to the ship’s office where ferry employees take breaks. I approached a young man, in his early thirties, and explained that a gentleman we didn’t know had been taking photographs of us with his phone. I told him that we felt uncomfortable and that we wanted to make sure that he knew the guy was a creep and to keep an eye on him. We were catching a cab to the airport and I said I was worried about him following us off the boat.
A small circle of employees formed around us as I was explaining our concern. The young man, looking confused, asked “Are you sure he was taking pictures of YOU and not something out the window?”. I had anticipated this question and said flatly “Absolutely”. He then asked “Can you tell me where he’s sitting?”. I nodded yes, and pointed to gentleman who was still sitting in the same spot, but now pretending to sleep. “He looks like he’s sleeping”, the young man said. “Yes, he does look like he’s sleeping,” I replied, “Because he sees me talking to you. Trust me, he’s not sleeping”.
There was a long pause. The young man mulled this all over and replied. “It’s just wierd, you know, because sometimes we get these kinds of complaints but, you know, it’s always…like…young women or teenage girls…not regular people”.
My friend and I stood there, in our nice dresses, heels, lipstick and stockings and smiled. It was then that I noticed that he was wearing his sunglasses on the back of his head.
