Stalker

Had my stalker arrested last week. After several weeks of visiting on Sundays, she had resumed calling me at crazy hours, inviting me over to celebrate friendship.

Last Tuesday she came into the office. She started to giggle. I said, Estelle, get out of here. Why didn't my secretary hear the door open? She was on the phone. I yelled, "Estelle, get out. Now." But why? she asks, startled. "You know why. You have made sexual advances on me, even when I have made it very clear how I feel." My secretary rushed out. I was advancing toward Estelle, who was backing away, into a chair. "Now get out. Go. Now!" She was surprised. My secretary got her out.

On Saturday, Estelle comes over. Jane, my girlfriend, and I are watching "buffy" who is, BTW, the female Jesus. I escape while Jane answers the door.

Jane comes back in and says, call a taxi.

Say, have you ever... exposed yourself to her?

She knows the answer. You've got to be kidding me, I say.

Yeah. Crazy. She told me that you were both having an affair.

Sunday Estelle comes by. I tell the deacon to call the police. A police officer and I talk for a minute. I tell the deacon to ask Estelle to come up and see me, so that the police can arrest her with some dignity. Its too late, one of the policemen has entered through the back into the soup kitchen. The wardens have pointed her out. When I come downstairs, the officer asks, "what do you want to do." He'd taken the report the first time.

"Arrest her."

"thattaboy." Thattaboy?

She considers fleeing, but realizes that they have her in a corner. She giggles for a minute and then, when they put her in cuffs, she realizes this is serious.

They take her away.

One of the police officers asks me to come down to the police station. He invites me into the back seat of the cop car.

There are no handles.

And I'm wearing a collar.

"Can I sit in the front seat?"

"well, I guess. I mean, you are a priest. But it's against policy."

"I don't want to get you in trouble. I'll sit in the back."

I get in, wondering if I should take off my collar. I slip it off, ashamed.

Comments

[Karen H.]

I was struck by the notion that, if you were a woman and your stalker was a man, first of all, the police would have probably treated you differently, and secondly, there'd be no question that using the police to protect you from potential sexual assault was the right course of action.

It's interesting that you have a somewhat parallel situation going on with your new employee and your secretary. In this case it may be only perception and a former criminal record that gives her angst. In your case, it appears clear that sexual predation occurred. Whether you would have been able to "fight her off" isn't the question.

Wear your collar proudly SV. Proclaim the Gospel by your very presence in the world. Prayers for you and for this woman who is so troubled in her spirit.
Peace,
Karen

[AngloBaptist]

Harrowing. Wow.

Peace to you and Estelle. And I hope your girlfriend hangs in there as well.

[Lynn Gazis-Sax]

Good luck to you. I hope she finally gets the message.

[liZ]

The sexton and the stalker. First, the sexton: is there some way you can facilitate more familiarity between the secretary and the sexton? Like bringing doughnuts or something and having "staff meetings"? Maybe Monday picnic lunches (or whatever)? It's hard to be intimidated by somebody you regularly break bread with.

Second, your stalker. It was about time. Some people need a BIG dose of consequences and Estelle sounds like one of them. I hope that for your sake it is the only loony of your career.

peace.

[Karen]

It's too bad that the only way we as a society have to deal with the mentally ill is the criminal justice system. Not saying you did anything wrong--you needed to protect yourself. But she is mentally ill--she has a physiological disease of the brain. She needs a hospital not a prison.

hang in there, brutha . . .

[Sarah Dylan Breuer]

Gosh! Two more things we have in common: having a stalker, and thinking that Buffy is at least the best thing since Jesus (well, maybe the best thing since St. Paul, who I think is far too often maligned or appreciated for entirely the wrong reasons).

Blessings to you and your g.f. (says someone who knows how my *my* g.f. puts up with).

[Reverend Ref]

Prayers for you all.