Peeping Tom
Before reading, I’d want you, reader, to know about my ordeal in the hopes of having any other girl/child/woman out there safe from this perversion. Share if you must.
To all the girls out there:
I cannot emphasize much more on this matter but please be cautious when entering public restrooms. I have personally experienced the following evil act and I regret not following my own instincts. I was in a “restaurant (ehem- McDonald’s)” along Session Road when I entered the restroom to relieve myself. There was another girl before me and we were waiting for the two stalls to be emptied. The lady from the cubicle on the right was finished so the lady before me entered after the previous lady. As I was waiting for my turn, I wondered why the lady on the stall to the left took too long to finish. I asked myself if someone was even there so I bent down and saw a pair of rubber shoes. I found it weird since a lady sitting on the throne would not have positioned her legs in such manner (too much pushed to the side as if hiding). At last, the lady before me finished. I entered the cubicle to the right with hesitation. For some reason, I was compelled to wait for the stall on the left to empty, but nature was calling. As I was about to relieve myself, I didn’t know why but I was again compelled to look behind me under that piece of divider that separates me and that woman that wouldn’t leave her stall. To my utter shock, there it was, a cellphone camera directly pointed at me (or rather, at my behind)!! I quickly composed myself and shouted, “EXCUSE ME!”. But the perpetrator left in a hurry. In those brief seconds, I was devising a plan to run after him, get whatever I can grab – a chair, a book, whatever, to stop him in his tracks; or I could just shout at him (or her) and pray that someone comes to the rescue. It amazed me as the perpetrator left in about two seconds and I could not even get my pants up! I was so frustrated – still am as this just happened today. I got the attention of an attendant and I immediately asked for the manager. I am so angry at myself for not acting cautiously. Had I waited for a few more seconds, had I relied on my instincts, had I just walked away after feeling suspicious, I could have not been victimized or better: the perpetrator should be incarcerated by now, but it is too late. My darker thoughts consume me because of the possibilities of where the videos might end up. Never have I been so humiliated in my life.
Lessons for other girls:
1. If a person takes unusually long in the restroom stall, don’t hesitate to knock and ask if it’s occupied. There is no harm in asking. (You might be able to know if it’s a man on the other side.)
2. Before relieving yourself, take a few seconds to inspect the cubicle/ toilet before you sit.
3. If a person takes too long on in a dimly lit/ darker cubicle (like what happened to me), better take a cubicle farther from it.
4. There is no shame in asking a friend to accompany you to the rest room. (After the incident, my sister expressed her “what if” thoughts if she had accompanied me that time.)
5. Follow your instincts. There is a reason why we have them.
6. If you are wearing tight/skinny jeans, make sure you can pull them up easily when you need to chase Quagmire!
*Photo from: talknerdytomelover.com
