Nobody likes feeling uncomfortable because of someone else. On the extreme part of the spectrum, it enters the realm of stalking, elevating it from uncomfortable to criminal. On TikTok, a Florida woman opened up about her stalker, who went to the same gym as her (and presumably so he could try to pull moves on her). Now, she’s talking about her experience and how she received the surprise of her life when she returned to the gym in her hometown.
Alexa (@alexaabney69) posted on TikTok about her situation, “Tell me if you would cancel your gym membership or not.” She explains when she was only 16 years old, she would go to the local Gold’s Gym. One day, she was approached by a man in his 40s or 50s. He told her, “Hey, I’ve seen you here a lot. These are really good habits to get into. Good job; keep up the good work. Keep showing up for yourself.”
This didn’t seem sinister and, instead, appeared to be a genuinely nice man who was just happy to see somebody doing something good for themselves. However, as time went on, Alexa started to feel uneasy about the man’s presence. She changed her routine at one point and started to go to the gym in the early morning. This is why she was so shocked to see the man was still there, even during those early hours. Even then, he’d approach her and tell Alexa how proud he was.
One day, Alexa and her mom went to a local tanning salon and he was there, too! Alexa’s mom noticed that the man was looking at her oddly. When they went home, the owner of the salon called her, asking if she knew him and that he said, When they went home, the owner of the tanning salon actually called them.“Never talk to him again. He just said to me, ‘That girl is so hot; I would love to get with her. Can you give me her address?’” the salon owner said. She kicked him out and told him to never return to the salon!
Alexa found these interactions disturbing, but she was getting ready to leave town for college, so, she wasn’t too worried. “Now, we’re fully seven years later. And I hadn’t thought about it until this morning when I saw him at the gym.“ And he has the audacity to come up to me and say, ‘Hey, how are you? How have you been? It’s been a while.’ I don’t know. Maybe I’m being dramatic, but that’s such weird behavior.”
Somebody suggested on TikTok, “As someone who works in law enforcement, even if you tell the gym and they remove him… He still knows where you work out. I would go somewhere else altogether. Also, file something with the police so there’s documentation in case things escalate. Start it now.”
The fact that it’s been so many years and he still feels the need to approach Alexa is a scary reality. I wouldn’t put myself in any situation where I’m alone with him. Hopefully, Alexa seriously considers a police report because a stalker is nothing to be hesitant about.
