15x19: The Bumble Date From Hell

Speaker 2 Get ready for Malice, a twisted new drama starring Jack Whitehall, David DeCovney, and Carice Van Houten.

Speaker 4 Jack Whitehall plays Adam, a charming manny, infiltrates the wealthy Tanner family with a hidden motive to destroy them.

Speaker 2 This edge-of-your-seat revenge thriller unravels a deliciously dark mystery in a world full of wealth, secrets, and betrayal.

Speaker 11 Malice will constantly keep you on your toes.

Speaker 10 Why is Adam after the Tanner family?

Speaker 7 What lengths will he go to?

Speaker 12 One thing's for sure, the past never stays buried, so keep your enemies close.

Speaker 10 Watch Malice, all episodes now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

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Speaker 15 Hey, everybody. Because of the recent government cuts to the FAA and all of the flight cancellations that have followed, it's not going to be possible for us to make the upcoming tour dates happen.

Speaker 15 It's a spur-of-the-moment thing. I know this got dropped on all of us, and I know that a lot of people are going to be missing their flights, and the holidays are just going to be very rough.

Speaker 15 I'm really sorry to everyone who was planning to come out. I know that's disappointing to hear, and I hate having to do this.

Speaker 15 Everyone will be refunded for their ticket purchases as soon as we can get the process started, and we'll be looking at rescheduling possibilities after the holidays and when things get back on track with the airlines.

Speaker 15 I really do appreciate all of your patience and understanding in the meantime. Look for some updates this week on all of your refunds.
In the meantime, everybody, enjoy the show.

Speaker 15 This podcast contains adult language and content. Listener discretion is advised.
If you have a story to share, send it to let's not meetstories at gmail.com.

Speaker 15 There were things wrong with Dirk.

Speaker 15 Unfortunately, I didn't know that at the time.

Speaker 15 And I was one of only three girls at my school.

Speaker 15 Because of the gender discrepancy, I wasn't shocked when the only roommate available ended up being Dirk.

Speaker 15 He and his father showed up briefly a few months before school started while my mother was helping me move in.

Speaker 15 His father was crude, foreboding, and bullyish, while Dirk was skinny, short, and almost shy when I met him. He wore a polo shirt, slacks, and black socks with sandals.
He seemed wholly inoffensive.

Speaker 15 I decided that I could live with him without too much stress, and my mother assured me that his father was a sweet guy once you got past his rough exterior.

Speaker 15 She later admitted that he was actually a controlling dirtbag.

Speaker 15 Dirk and his father left to go back home with assurance that Dirk would move in with me in a few months when school started.

Speaker 15 My mother was leaving to go home as well, and as we were saying our goodbyes through the car window, she casually remarked, Dirk's father hopes you'll turn him around.

Speaker 15 He really needs a good influence.

Speaker 15 And then she hit the guess.

Speaker 15 What? I cried out, grabbing the door handle. She towed me a few feet before realizing I was clinging to the car, so she hit the brakes and continued.

Speaker 15 Oh, it's just that he has some trouble with the law, that's all.

Speaker 15 Again I echoed, What?

Speaker 15 Well, you know, that's why he decided to go to a college out of his state. The sheriff of the town that he lives in pretty much chased him out of there, my mother explained.

Speaker 15 I stood there, mouth agape, trying to form some kind of response. My mom just smiled, waved, and bid me good luck, then took off, and thus it began.

Speaker 15 Dirk moved in as planned, but his yuppy, suburbanite facade was gone.

Speaker 15 He swaggered in shirtless, wearing a bandana, combat boots, and camo pants. He proceeded to lay down the the rules.
According to him, women were to be totally subservient to men.

Speaker 15 Therefore, he said it was my duty to pick up after him, do his laundry, and serve him food. I stared at him for a few seconds and burst out laughing.
But he wasn't joking.

Speaker 15 Living with Dirk was difficult. He constantly stole my food, and he left teeth marks on the butter.

Speaker 15 He also relentlessly pursued the landlady in hopes of seducing her out of requiring his half of rent, so she stopped picking up calls from our apartment. The worst was the mess, though.

Speaker 15 I came home one day to literal remnants of McDonald's right at the door. The carry-out bag was on the welcome mat, and the burger wrapper was just past the threshold.

Speaker 15 There was mustard and ketchup sprinkled festively on the carpet, and a slouching tower of crusty lettuce, tomato, and onion dribbled down the side of my couch.

Speaker 15 There were chewed remnants of burgers crumbled on the coffee table and greasy prints where he wiped mayo off of his hands. There were smears everywhere.

Speaker 15 I called him out about this and asked what the hell. Clean it up, that's your job, he told me, as a matter-of-factly.

Speaker 15 Why do you keep making messes like this? I demanded. If I didn't, you wouldn't have anything to do, he replied.
I have homework, and all kinds of other stuff to do, I retorted.

Speaker 15 He scoffed at me and told me that we both knew that women only went to college to find a man with a degree.

Speaker 15 I stared at him like he was some kind of alien insect until he got uncomfortable and slunk back into his room. Eventually, I began dating a mutual friend of ours named Alex.

Speaker 15 One day Dirk walked in on us, making out on the couch.

Speaker 15 He screamed, punched the wall, injured himself, and fled into his room. After Alex left, he came storming out with the cordless phone.

Speaker 15 He thrusted it at me, and once I realized someone was on the line, I said, Hello?

Speaker 15 You need to break up with that boy and start dating my son, Dirk's father demanded. Um, no,

Speaker 15 I replied. Unless you're seeing my son, you're not allowed to date, young lady, Dirk's father said.

Speaker 15 I hung up, and after that, Dirk only continued ambushing me with the phone regularly.

Speaker 15 I would usually just blow a raspberry into the receiver and hang up, but now and then Dirk would get clever and claim that it was Alex to allow his father to get a shot in.

Speaker 15 What's wrong with your dad? I yelled at Dirk one day. Dirk responded with a full blown temper tantrum.

Speaker 15 His father had promised him that since women only attend college to find men, getting their degrees, he had picked him out a pretty one by moving him in with me.

Speaker 15 He had assured Dirk that I would immediately drop out of school to tend to his every need.

Speaker 15 His father also said that after he graduated and after the local sheriff had cooled off, we'd move back and get married. I would become a servant for him and his extended family.
I was speechless.

Speaker 15 Dirk then began breaking into my room and stealing my knives after this. He stole this particularly wicked-looking hunting knife and its sheath from me.

Speaker 15 He wore it everywhere, and when he spoke to me, he would always pull it out and gesture with it. I wasn't intimidated.
This kid was 90 pounds.

Speaker 15 Also, as he was continually stealing my knife and blade collection, he missed the fact that I actually owned a sword.

Speaker 15 After he stole knives from me, he would sharpen them on the furniture.

Speaker 15 The first time I caught him doing this, I snatched it back, but apparently, the knife was his whole personality.

Speaker 15 He needed to get one of his own, so he went to the dollar store, bought a cheap butcher knife, painted it silver, and wore it in a sheath made of duct tape, so that he could continue to be armed while speaking to me.

Speaker 15 One day, I noticed my car's hood was askew.

Speaker 15 I opened it and found little dings and pivots all over my engine block, sprinkled with flecks of silver paint.

Speaker 15 I called a mechanic who verified that it was nothing but cosmetic damage, but he said it appeared someone had tried to stab my engine to death. I immediately moved in with Alex after that.

Speaker 15 It sucked because we had only been dating a few weeks, but Dirk's attempts to smite my car seemed like the final red flag.

Speaker 15 He would later admit to intending to cut my brake line, but he said he didn't even know where it was.

Speaker 15 After I moved out, Dirk started dating a 21-year-old girl and promptly spent all of his money on alcohol. Then he flunked out of school and was forced to move back in with his father.

Speaker 15 Alex turned out to be just as crazy, but that, my friends, is another story.

Speaker 15 I'm a first-grade teacher in a high-poverty area. This is rough territory with a lot of gangs, hard drugs, and other crimes.
It was early September, and I had a new student, whom I'll call Grace.

Speaker 15 She was very timid, had low self-confidence, and always seemed nervous. I kept a very close watch on her because I knew that these could be warning signs of abuse.

Speaker 15 On Monday, as I took my class outside to play, I noticed strange-looking marks on Grace's legs.

Speaker 15 Little round indentations trailed from her calves to her thighs, and it was clearly visible as she was wearing shorts. The spots were red and looked very painful.

Speaker 15 I thought she might have some kind of skin rash, so I asked her, How did you get these marks?

Speaker 15 Grace then nonchalantly told me, I was being bad after school on Friday, so daddy had to take the brush to me again.

Speaker 15 I was dumbfounded, but honestly, a bit confused. A brush?

Speaker 15 And then I understood. Her father had beaten her with the bristle side of a paddle, and he was striking her hard enough to leave indentations on her skin that were still visible two days later.

Speaker 15 Now I'm a mandated reporter, and I take it seriously, so I called Child Protective Services, and they were there that afternoon to talk to Grace and photograph her injuries.

Speaker 15 I was out of the picture after that, and CPS took over, so I didn't get any updates on the situation and I had no idea what happened. Grace never returned to school.
However, her father did.

Speaker 15 He showed up one evening as I was preparing to leave school at around 5.30.

Speaker 15 He parked his truck in such a way that I couldn't move my car, and then he jumped out of his truck, clutching a baseball bat.

Speaker 15 He screamed at me about how I had terrified his daughter since she was in his custody.

Speaker 15 He told me that I was a nosy bitch who didn't know my goddamn place, and he said he was going to show me exactly what bitches like me deserve. Now, I knew he meant it.

Speaker 15 The man had cold eyes, and I knew that if he could, he would do serious harm to me.

Speaker 15 I didn't know what to do at the moment. I couldn't run from him.
He was massive, had at least a hundred pounds on me, all muscle.

Speaker 15 If I locked locked myself in my car, I'd be a sitting duck while he smashed my windows in with the bat.

Speaker 15 So I said goodbye to my dignity and started screaming for help.

Speaker 15 I'm petite, but years of teaching have given me the natural lung power of a megaphone, so I can be loud.

Speaker 15 As soon as I started screaming, people across the street heard me and came to see what was happening.

Speaker 15 The great part of working in a small community is that you know everyone and they know you, especially if you are a teacher.

Speaker 15 A couple of fathers of former students came over to help right away, while a nearby woman dialed nine one one.

Speaker 15 Grace's father calmed down, though. He kept screaming about all of the things he was going to do to me for turning him into CPS.

Speaker 15 Even when the police arrived he continued this tirade.

Speaker 15 They arrested him, but I am not sure what the charges were. I don't think they got him for assault, since he never touched me.

Speaker 15 And for the rest of the school year, I had an armed escort walk me to my car after school. Again, it's a small community, and our police are wonderful.

Speaker 15 Interestingly enough, I had someone from one of our local gangs tell me that they were keeping watch because I taught his little sister earlier, and she liked me.

Speaker 15 That was a surreal moment. So, to the crazy, abusive troglodyte, let's not meet again.

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Speaker 15 And by the time I came out, I almost passed out because I was so dehydrated. I was missing all of the electrolytes that my body needed.
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Speaker 2 Get ready for Malice, a twisted new drama starring Jack Whitehall, David DeCovney, and Carice Van Houten.

Speaker 4 Jack Whitehall plays Adam, a charming manny infiltrates the wealthy Tanner family with a hidden motive to destroy them.

Speaker 2 This edge-of-your-seat revenge thriller unravels a deliciously dark mystery in a world full of wealth, secrets, and betrayal.

Speaker 11 Malice will constantly keep you on your toes.

Speaker 10 Why is Adam after the Tanner family?

Speaker 7 What lengths will he go to?

Speaker 12 One thing's for sure, the past never stays buried, so keep your enemies close.

Speaker 10 Watch Malice, all episodes now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

Speaker 15 I'm a female, and back in May 2024, I was 32, and I was let go from a job because the company that I was working for was downsizing.

Speaker 15 When this happened, I received severance pay, and I got a good portion of the money I had saved in my retirement fund with the company as well.

Speaker 15 Since I had this little chunk of money, I decided to take a small break before looking at listings and applying for another job.

Speaker 15 My best friend, who was 28 at the time, had just inherited a car from her family back in California, and she wanted to fly there to pick it up and drive it back to New Orleans.

Speaker 15 She's from California originally, and she was missing home a bit, so she wanted to spend around two weeks in California before driving across the States back to New Orleans.

Speaker 15 After staying in California for two weeks, she also planned to take about two weeks to drive back so that she could take her time and see some sights along the way.

Speaker 15 Since I was job-free and had never seen California before, she asked if I wanted to join her for the journey.

Speaker 15 She even offered to cover my plane ticket, and she said that she would pay for all of our hotel and Airbnb stays and the gas, so that all I'd have to do was get my own food.

Speaker 15 I thought that her offer was overly generous, but she assured me and said that it wasn't going to put a dint in her finances at all, since she had a ton of money saved up, and was well off in general.

Speaker 15 Also, she thought that she'd feel safer going on a road trip with a trusted friend, and as a bonus, it would be a really fun friend trip for both of us. So I agreed.

Speaker 15 As someone who was born and raised on the east coast, I thought California was a huge change. Being out there was pretty amazing.
I especially loved the fresh air and lack of intense humidity.

Speaker 15 After collecting the car my friend inherited and spending some of the time in California, we started driving east through Nevada and Utah, and then we ended up in Wyoming.

Speaker 15 Right after crossing the Wyoming border, we stopped for gas and some snacks. We weren't hungry enough to go into the diner next to the gas station.

Speaker 15 My friend loves photography though, so she wanted to pull up to the Wyoming Welcome Center that was just across the street to take a picture of the surrounding cliffs and the railroad that was cutting through the lower canyon.

Speaker 15 Let me paint a picture for you. Aside from the small gas station and neighboring diner, there was the little welcome center across from them with the Welcome to Wyoming sign.

Speaker 15 But the entire area was pretty empty, so it was just us parked at the welcome center, and there were maybe two other cars parked at the diner across the street.

Speaker 15 While my friend went to snap pictures of the canyon and railroad, I stayed in the car to lounge because I wasn't feeling that great.

Speaker 15 I was hit with vertigo spells and migraines and was trying to rest it off. But then, out of nowhere, this guy sauntered up behind my friend.

Speaker 15 He didn't even call out to her as he was approaching to alert her of his presence. He only said something, when she whipped around and suddenly saw him.

Speaker 15 Even though I was reclined in the passenger seat of the car, I sat up immediately.

Speaker 15 I couldn't hear what the guy was saying to her, but I could tell that she was responding as calmly as possible to whatever he was saying.

Speaker 15 She also made a slight hand signal to me while I was in the car, so I grabbed my keys out of the ignition since it was the only weapon I could think of on the spot.

Speaker 15 Plus, I didn't want to risk having him bolt for the car and drive off with it. When I got out of the car, the guy seemed surprised to see me, and his entire demeanor seemed to become shifty.

Speaker 15 Hey, what's up? I asked in a tone that was direct, but casual.

Speaker 15 He said that he was just wondering if she could help him take a picture of himself with his phone by the Welcome to Wyoming sign.

Speaker 15 Now, my friend and I could have said no, sorry, but you never know how some people are going to react to being told no.

Speaker 15 He also happened to have a hand in his pocket, and I couldn't tell if he was holding a concealed weapon or not.

Speaker 15 As crazy as it seems, we agreed to help him out.

Speaker 15 While she played nice girl and chatted with him on the way to the sign, I followed closely behind both of them to keep an eye on him.

Speaker 15 As we made our way toward the sign, the guy kept faltering in his steps like he was trying to slow down enough until we were ahead of him, but I didn't allow that.

Speaker 15 Whenever he stumbled or slowed down, I would just stop and wait until he resumed walking. He never looked back at me, but he was acting so tense and fidgety.

Speaker 15 Meanwhile, I had the car keys between my fingers just in case I needed to jab him if he flashed on us at a moment's notice.

Speaker 15 I also glanced at the diner across the street to make sure that we remained in view of it, though who knows if any of the few witnesses would actually assist.

Speaker 15 I wanted to be ready just in case they went into bystander mode, so I stayed extremely alert.

Speaker 15 This was imperative because if anything happened, happened, it wasn't like there was a high chance of law enforcement appearing out of thin air to resolve any issues.

Speaker 15 The entire time that we walked towards the billboard, I listened to their conversation as well.

Speaker 15 The guy claimed that he was in the States on a business trip with his co-workers and said that he was from Brazil, but to me, he sounded Slavic. I'm not saying you can't be Slavic and live in Brazil.

Speaker 15 I just wanted to share the details that I noticed. He had a slight tan, very short dark hair, and a lean build.
He was about six feet tall, maybe slightly shorter.

Speaker 15 My friend and I are both around 5'5, and I'm more built muscle-wise. I've been told that I look a little intimidating for a woman, which perhaps was a good thing in this situation.

Speaker 15 My friend asked where his co-workers were, and he claimed that they were at the diner across the street, yet he hadn't parked his car there, which I thought was odd.

Speaker 15 His car was parked closer to the road of the welcome center.

Speaker 15 My vertigo and headache were completely forgotten as this was happening. I was running on pure adrenaline.

Speaker 15 Everything was happening in slow motion, and my mind was racing with every possible scenario that could happen, so I was trying to mentally prepare myself for what could happen next.

Speaker 15 When we got to the billboard, he gave my friend his phone, and she took a picture of him twice. When he came back to look at the photos, photos, he said

Speaker 15 These are good, nice. Thank you so much.

Speaker 15 Then he started rambling and asking how we liked America. He also asked if we had ever traveled outside of the country before.

Speaker 15 I was becoming even more uneasy because we were still just standing by the road, so I kept glancing to see if any cars were coming.

Speaker 15 I swear we stood there for five minutes before he finally started to walk back to his car.

Speaker 15 In a slow shuffle, I might add. It was like he was purposefully stalling, once again, and it seemed like he was trying to get behind me.

Speaker 15 However, I wasn't allowing that to happen.

Speaker 15 While his back was turned, I bent over to quickly stuff some gravel and sand into my pocket. I wanted every weapon at my disposal.

Speaker 15 We then walked a little more, and I bent down again while he wasn't looking to pick up a fist-sized rock, and I hid it barely out of sight so that he couldn't see it.

Speaker 15 My mind was also preparing to rationalize beating this guy's skull in if I had to.

Speaker 15 When we got back to the parking lot, my friend and I stopped, and he finally looked back and stopped before glancing back at his car, then back at us.

Speaker 15 He then continued rambling and making more conversation. He didn't urge us to go to his car, but he was once again very clearly stalling.

Speaker 15 He would literally finish a topic, go quiet for a couple of seconds, and then ask us another question and bring up another topic.

Speaker 15 It went on for another five minutes, and then I finally said, Well, we'd better get back on the road. We have people expecting us.

Speaker 15 He looked uneasy, but eventually responded, Oh, okay. Thanks for the help.
Goodbye.

Speaker 15 He then turned to walk very briskly to his car. My friend almost headed right for our car, but I stopped her and said, Wait, I want to make sure that he drives away before us.

Speaker 15 Remember, he said that his co-workers were at the diner across the street. Plus, I didn't didn't want to run the risk of getting in our car and being followed.

Speaker 15 The guy proceeds to sit in his car for a few minutes, and my friend and I pretended that we were just talking, just in case he was watching us.

Speaker 15 After some time, he drove off, while we stayed exactly where we were, until we couldn't see his car anymore. Then we went back to our car.
We felt that something was off.

Speaker 15 My friend said that she felt the guy was going to try and abduct her.

Speaker 15 She said, I'm glad that I brought you with me on this trip. Holy shit.
You had the response of a German shepherd when you sat up in the car and I signaled you.

Speaker 15 I've had close calls, but I've always managed to de-escalate a situation before it gets physical. And this seemed to be yet another one of those times.

Speaker 15 That being said, I had never been more prepared to kill someone in my life. Needless to say, we both bought ourselves some mace at the next stop.

Speaker 15 Thankfully, we didn't run into any further problems on our trip, but I'll never forget all the details that happened during this encounter.

Speaker 15 Something was just way off with that guy in the way that he was acting towards us. Who knows? Maybe he was scared of us, or maybe he was scared of me particularly, after I stepped out of the car.

Speaker 15 The thing is, he lied about having a friend at the diner. He took off by himself.
Maybe he thought that we were Thelma and Louise.

Speaker 15 Whatever the case may be, that's entirely fine by me. I'd rather a man think twice out of fear before preying on a woman.

Speaker 15 In conclusion, if you have to go on a road trip, try to have someone with you if possible, and stay alert whenever you stop somewhere.

Speaker 15 Stay very aware of your surroundings, and if there's a potential threat lurking about, keep a sharp eye on it and be prepared to use anything that's at your disposal.

Speaker 15 You're standing on a beach when you notice something strange. The horizon doesn't look right.
At first, all you can see is a thin white line. Then, the line starts to rise.

Speaker 15 When you realize, it's not the horizon at all. It's a 30-foot-tall wall of water, and it's racing straight toward you.
What would you do?

Speaker 15 On the day after Christmas in 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake hit the coast of Indonesia, triggering a devastating tsunami. It struck Thailand without warning.

Speaker 15 No alarms, no cell phone alerts, no evacuation.

Speaker 15 And this season of Against All Odds experience one of the deadliest natural disasters in history through the perspective of those who did everything they could to survive.

Speaker 15 Follow Against the Odds on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Against the Odds Tsunami in Thailand early and ad-free right now on Wandery Plus.

Speaker 2 Get ready for Malice, a twisted new drama starring Jack Whitehall, David DeCovney, and Carice Van Houten.

Speaker 4 Jack Whitehall plays Adam, a charming manny infiltrates the wealthy Tanner family with a hidden motive to destroy them.

Speaker 2 This edge-of-your-seat revenge thriller unravels a deliciously dark mystery in a world full of wealth, secrets, and betrayal.

Speaker 11 Malice will constantly keep you on your toes.

Speaker 10 Why is Adam after the Tanner family?

Speaker 7 What lengths will he go to?

Speaker 12 One thing's for sure, the past never stays buried, so keep your enemies close.

Speaker 10 Watch Malice, all episodes now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

Speaker 15 I'm a 34-year-old male and this happened a few years ago after I had an extremely stressful week at work. I decided to book a cabin on Airbnb at the very last minute on a Friday night.

Speaker 15 Once I had the place booked up, I packed up my dog and I drove us up to the cabin, which was about an hour and a half away.

Speaker 15 Along the way, I stopped and got a bottle of wine in a town about twenty minutes from the cabin. Then I went and got food at a restaurant that was just about a minute down the road.

Speaker 15 The general area where I was had very small town vibes. I arrived at the cabin at around 7.45 p.m., so it was just light enough outside to start a fire, and I did.

Speaker 15 The cabin was down a long gravel road that was about a five minute drive from the main road, so it felt pretty secluded.

Speaker 15 I know some places way out there are very desolate, but this cabin was only about 20 minutes from civilization. There wasn't any cell service around the cabin, though.

Speaker 15 It stopped a minute down the gravel road as I was driving in.

Speaker 15 I didn't mind this at all, since it was nice to decompress after a stressful work week. The reviews of this place were all great, it had electricity and clean, updated bathrooms.

Speaker 15 The microwave and fridge weren't anything fancy, but they were clean.

Speaker 15 There was also a nice front porch to sit on, and there were windows on every wall of the building which looked out into nothing but woods. The woods completely surrounded it.

Speaker 15 The driveway came up the back side of the cabin and stopped right alongside the cabin, to the right. My dog and I sat around the fire until about eleven thirty.

Speaker 15 I put the fire out, went inside, and got into bed with my dog while I messed around on my phone. My dog kept snapping to attention after hearing noises outside.

Speaker 15 I just thought that the creaks and the snaps that we were hearing were just the woods doing their thing.

Speaker 15 After about 45 minutes of lying in bed, I heard a light knock at the door. To say that I was terrified is an understatement.

Speaker 15 My heart dropped to my gut.

Speaker 15 I didn't answer it, but I heard a light knock again about 30 seconds later. This made me wonder if something was wrong with the Airbnb.

Speaker 15 Since there was no cell service, I thought maybe something was up, and the owner just came over since they couldn't get a hold of me.

Speaker 15 I don't know, I was just trying to rationalize why on earth someone would be out there knocking on the door of a secluded Airbnb so late at night.

Speaker 15 In scenarios like this, it's so typical for all sorts of thoughts to run through your head. The door was solid and locked, but there was a window to the right of it, which looked out onto the porch.

Speaker 15 I turned the porch light on, peeked through the window, and saw a guy standing there. He didn't necessarily seem scared, but he seemed like he may have been inebriated.

Speaker 15 He wasn't smashing down the door or screaming, or being disorderly or anything like that, but he immediately saw me when I looked out.

Speaker 15 The windows were old and a bit shitty, so I could tell that he'd be able to hear me through them even if they were closed.

Speaker 15 Without saying anything, he motioned his head toward the door, as if nonverbally asking to be let in.

Speaker 15 Why? I asked. I had a bit of an attitude.
I mean, who the fuck is this?

Speaker 15 He finally replied,

Speaker 15 For sex.

Speaker 15 In my head, I remember thinking, what?

Speaker 15 Then I replied.

Speaker 15 That's inappropriate and you need to leave right now. I have GPS on my cell phone, and I'll call the police immediately.

Speaker 15 I actually didn't have GPS on my phone, but I've always been a fast thinker.

Speaker 15 I hoped that it would scare him off, and it seemed to have worked, since he then quickly turned around, stepped off the porch, and left.

Speaker 15 The cabin was essentially one open room, so I quickly walked back over to the bed and laid down again, heart pounding.

Speaker 15 I didn't know if he was going to go get a gun or something and use that to break in or what. Directly across from me was the window that looked out onto the driveway.

Speaker 15 I could see the running lights that turn on before you actually turn the lights on in your car, and I could see them backing up.

Speaker 15 I was just frozen there in bed as I thought of stuff that I had to use as a weapon. This was at the beginning of COVID, and there was rubbing alcohol and a lighter right there on my bedside table.

Speaker 15 My plan was to light him on fire if he somehow got inside.

Speaker 15 I got up a few minutes later and pushed the dresser and chair in front of the door. The cabin was elevated, so I wasn't terribly worried about the windows except for the one on the porch.

Speaker 15 I then laid back down in bed with the lights off, but I was wide awake and terrified until the sun came up.

Speaker 15 He never came back, though.

Speaker 15 I packed up and left as soon as it was bright enough and messaged the owner of the Airbnb as soon as I got cell service.

Speaker 15 They said that nothing like that had ever happened, and they offered to help me file a police report. I didn't because I lived far away, and I figured it had to have been an isolated incident.

Speaker 15 The whole ordeal has left me with a few questions, though. How did the man know that I was there?

Speaker 15 The only thing I can think of is that he must have followed me from the small town where I had stopped about 20 minutes away.

Speaker 15 I'm a gay man and I'm not necessarily feminine presenting, but if you have the eye, you can definitely tell. So maybe he got the vibes and connected the dots from there.

Speaker 15 I've also been wondering, how did he manage to get his car down that long gravel road quietly without any lights on?

Speaker 15 Maybe he had his lights on as he drove in, but if that were the case, did I really not notice him with that window right there?

Speaker 15 I find it hard to believe since it was pretty quiet out there except for the woodland noises.

Speaker 15 I swear, I didn't hear anyone.

Speaker 15 I've had this same Pikachu backpack for several years, and I got it at a store where the target demographic is essentially little kids.

Speaker 15 This place primarily caters to little girls and they also sell accessories and plush toys. I even got my ears pierced there when I was seven.
I swear, this setup is important.

Speaker 15 It's a tiny detail, I know.

Speaker 15 In my small town, 7 p.m. is considered late night, so aside from the local arcade and a few other establishments, everything is closed past eight.

Speaker 15 One of the few places open late was the grocery store. One night, my mom and I wanted a soda, so we headed over there.

Speaker 15 I was about 16 years old at the time, so I was old enough to go into the store by myself just to grab a thing or two of fago and leave.

Speaker 15 Just as usual, I walked around the store. I kept an eye on my surroundings, but nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.
I saw a few creepy men in the vicinity, though.

Speaker 15 I knew that I didn't want to be stopped for a late-night chat by a man old enough to be my father or my grandfather, so I just proceeded to get the sodas and snacks.

Speaker 15 My hands were kind of full, so I walked to the open register.

Speaker 15 When I got there, the conveyor belt was full of junk food, grilling food, and alcohol. So I just stood there.

Speaker 15 This guy ahead of me had a cart with quite a few bagged groceries already in it, so he had been in the process of checking out for a while.

Speaker 15 He was also chatting up the cashier, who was a very nice lady who had been working at the store for a while. If I'm being honest, it was more like he was talking at her.

Speaker 15 He was talking about his life, the recent out-of-state move that he went through, and the party that he was having.

Speaker 15 The cashier was nice, but she was just trying to do her job, and by our town standards, it was late. Meanwhile, this guy was just talking like he was talking to the whole store.

Speaker 15 He wasn't exactly yelling, but he was projecting with this tone that made him seem like he was full of himself.

Speaker 15 He was making everything that he was saying sound like it was something very important.

Speaker 15 I didn't care, though. I just stood there with my mildly heavy twelve pack of soda in one hand and chips in the other.

Speaker 15 And I had no place to set them down. I was just waiting to have space on the conveyor belt to place the little blocker down along with my groceries.

Speaker 15 Eventually, this guy noticed the little 16-year-old girl behind him. He turned around completely to face me and said,

Speaker 15 it's Pokemon, it's Pikachu,

Speaker 15 I said as I spun around, showing off my back.

Speaker 15 Then I faced him again and continued. My mom bought it for me at Claire's three years ago, when I was thirteen.
I added my age because I noticed he wasn't realizing that I was a kid.

Speaker 15 The cashier knew I was a teenager, and she looked horrified, but the man continued talking about his recent move and his party. He even gestured to the alcohol as he carried on.

Speaker 15 The cashier then sped up so that she could get him to quickly check out and go. The man paid and left, but it was too dark to see where he went off to.

Speaker 15 I then stepped up to the cashier to pay for my groceries. I was feeling a little unsettled about the man and thought about checking in with her to see if she was okay after interacting with him.

Speaker 15 But I ultimately decided she probably wouldn't want to talk about it. I just looked down and quietly waited to pay.

Speaker 15 She asked if I was was okay, and I looked up and told her I was. Then she asked if I had someone waiting for me in the parking lot.

Speaker 15 I told her my mom was in the car waiting, and I pointed out my mom's car to her. The relief that I saw in the cashier's eyes knowing someone was waiting for me was indescribable.

Speaker 15 We then said our goodbyes and I left, but I stayed inside of the cashier and the security cameras as my mom pulled up to the front of the store.

Speaker 15 The cashier didn't take her eyes off me until I got in the car.

Speaker 15 I hope I don't meet that guy again, especially because of his weird hand gestures suggesting that I should be drinking the alcohol that he was buying.

Speaker 15 I have too many weird stories involving men, especially from when I was a miner.

Speaker 15 I'm a female, and this happened back in 2016 when I was 23. I was moving from New York City to Boston.

Speaker 15 Two of my college friends, also female, agreed to live with me and we started looking for an apartment. We were fond of one place in particular, out in the suburbs next to the Forsted area.

Speaker 15 I got to talking with the landlord, an older man who seemed to be in his 70s, and mentioned that I repair antique dolls.

Speaker 15 He excitedly said that he had a doll that his mother's uncle had brought back from Germany during World War I.

Speaker 15 He told me that the elastic holding the arm had worn out. I said I could definitely fix it and we exchanged contact info.

Speaker 15 He insisted that the repair would have to take place at his house since he was nervous about moving a fragile antique.

Speaker 15 At the time, I didn't think anything of this, but now that I'm older and wiser, I know doll doctor house calls are not the norm.

Speaker 15 Ultimately, my friends and I decided to rent a different place closer to the city proper, but I didn't want to lose a prospective client in need of doll repair.

Speaker 15 So I called him a week or so after we got settled in.

Speaker 15 Once again, he seemed delighted to hire me to have his family heirloom fixed. Nothing seemed odd until I asked for his address to work out how to get there.
Don't worry about it, he said.

Speaker 15 I'll pick you up. What's your new address? My eagerness cooled a little.

Speaker 15 I tried to put him off by saying that I didn't want to bring him out of his way and told him it would be no problem for me to get myself there, but he kept insisting.

Speaker 15 He never told me what town he lived in. He just repeated over and over that he would pick me up, and it would be no trouble at all.

Speaker 15 Eager for the business and a bit embarrassed about my paranoia, I caved.

Speaker 15 I told him my address and we arranged a date and time for him to pick me up. Over the next few days, literally everyone in my life told me to call and cancel.

Speaker 15 My housemates asked if I had lost my mind. My mom and sister both told me I was driving them mad with worry.

Speaker 15 Since everyone seemed so concerned, I started looking for an excuse to call the whole thing off.

Speaker 15 It didn't feel right to me. I called the man the evening before the appointed day and left a message saying that something had come up.

Speaker 15 I added that if he was free the following Monday my housemate would drive me over so he wouldn't be inconvenienced.

Speaker 15 The next day, when our appointed time rolled around, I was sitting in my living room working on a sewing project, and a car pulled up in front of the house.

Speaker 15 I looked out the window and my heart jumped when I recognized the old man sitting in the driver's seat. He didn't look up, so he didn't appear to see me.

Speaker 15 He just sat there for what felt like a century until he finally started the car and drove off. I didn't see him after that, and he never contacted me about getting his mother's precious doll repaired.

Speaker 15 I had a bad feeling about the situation, and ultimately I think I did the right thing. The part that creeps me out the most is I almost had this man as my landlord.

Speaker 15 To the old man who tried to pick up a young woman in your car and drive her to an unspecified location, let's not meet again.

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Speaker 17 Some moments in your life stay with you forever.

Speaker 17 In a special segment of On Purpose, I share a story about a book that changed my life early in my journey and how I was able to find the exact same edition on eBay years later.

Speaker 17 There are certain books that don't just give you information, they shift the way you see the world. I remember reading one when I was younger that completely changed me.

Speaker 17 Years later, I found myself thinking about that book again. I wanted the same edition back.
Not a reprint, not a different cover, that exact one. So I started searching.

Speaker 17 And that's when I found it on eBay. That's what I love about eBay.
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Speaker 15 eBay, things people love.

Speaker 17 Listen to on purpose on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Speaker 2 Get ready for Malice, a twisted new drama starring Jack Whitehall, David DeCovney, and Carice Van Houten.

Speaker 4 Jack Whitehall plays Adam, a charming manny infiltrates the wealthy Tanner family with a hidden motive to destroy them.

Speaker 2 This edge-of-your-seat revenge thriller unravels a deliciously dark mystery in a world full of wealth, secrets, and betrayal.

Speaker 11 Malice will constantly keep you on your toes.

Speaker 10 Why is Adam after the Tanner family?

Speaker 7 What lengths will he go to?

Speaker 10 One thing's for sure.

Speaker 12 The past never stays buried, so keep your enemies close.

Speaker 10 Watch Malice, all episodes now streaming exclusively on Prime Video.

Speaker 15 Some time ago I decided that I needed to get back out there and start trying to meet people. I wasn't necessarily looking for a relationship, and meeting people at the bars wasn't working for me.

Speaker 15 So as most single college girls end up doing, I downloaded a dating app.

Speaker 15 I met a lot of people and talked to them online, and it gave me the confidence to actually go out on a date now and then.

Speaker 15 I didn't meet up with most of the guys in in person, but there were a few. Most didn't lead to a second date, but there was one that was worse than the rest.

Speaker 15 I met this guy Alex and we made plans to go out to dinner. He said that he wanted to take me to this nice restaurant in the town between us,

Speaker 15 but when the day came, he never answered his phone. The next day he reached out to me with this whole story about how he got stuck at work and forgot his phone at home.

Speaker 15 This seemed like it was just an excuse, so I wasn't really buying it, but he asked to reschedule.

Speaker 15 Against my better judgment, I said yes. So the rescheduled day came, and he told me to meet him at his house, but that he would drive us to this restaurant where he had made reservations.

Speaker 15 He said to come hungry like three times and kept reminding me not to eat beforehand. Now I don't really like meeting people for the first time at their home or getting into their car,

Speaker 15 but we had been talking for over a week so I figured what the hell.

Speaker 15 But when I was close to his place, he called me and told me to park in the parking lot down the road.

Speaker 15 This was a strange request, but I assumed maybe he had limited parking around his house, so I shrugged it off.

Speaker 15 The trouble is, I never told him what kind of car I drove, but he pulled into the parking lot right behind me.

Speaker 15 After he parked two spots down, I got in his car and we started heading to the restaurant. I didn't know where we were exactly.

Speaker 15 I wasn't familiar with the town we were in, but I knew the restaurant we were headed to, and it shouldn't have taken more than ten minutes to get there via the major highway.

Speaker 15 But almost 25 minutes later, we were driving down some dark back road. So I looked at him and said, Hey, where the hell are we anyway?

Speaker 15 He proceeded to tell me that he hadn't told me the full story. Apparently when he called to make the reservation, he had to call them three times before anyone actually answered.

Speaker 15 And when someone did answer, they told him that they had moved their location, and they told him the intersection.

Speaker 15 My stomach dropped when I realized he had passed that intersection.

Speaker 15 I also realized that he didn't have an address punched into his GPS, even though the GPS was running.

Speaker 15 So I pulled out my GPS, put in the name of the restaurant, and not only did it seem to be nowhere nearby, it also said that the business was closed for the day.

Speaker 15 At this point, I should have told him to bring me back to my car, but I stayed, and we hung out and talked as he continued to just drive.

Speaker 15 Eventually, he said he quote-unquote couldn't find the restaurant. so he said, Don't worry, I know a place we can go.

Speaker 15 And then we drove farther into the darkness until he pulled over next to a trail leading into the woods.

Speaker 15 He told me that was where we were going to stop, and we had to walk the rest of the way.

Speaker 15 He said that we were going stargazing.

Speaker 15 Now, the spot was beautiful and all, but that whole day he just kept cracking jokes about how he wasn't a serial killer, and he kept making me promise that I wasn't going to steal his keys and take his car and leave him there.

Speaker 15 Well, once we got to the clearing to Stargaze, we were talking.

Speaker 15 And he just kept telling me these big, elaborate, detailed stories, and then abruptly ended them with, Just kidding, that never happened.

Speaker 15 It wasn't the first time, but after two hours of this shit, I realized he had been just kidding about everything that he had said.

Speaker 15 I realized I didn't really know a single true detail about this guy.

Speaker 15 After we were done, we decided to go watch a movie at his house. He was all for it, but then he changed his mind and suddenly pulled the car over in front of a park with a playground.

Speaker 15 He said he'd rather go there instead of going to his house.

Speaker 15 He kept trying to dare me to run naked through the park, and he asked me these weirdly sexual personal questions that were so oddly specific.

Speaker 15 Then his tone shifted. He demanded to know if I was going to kiss him before the night was over or not.

Speaker 15 He said he needed to know since he wanted to put on chapstick first.

Speaker 15 He even made me dig through my purse to look for my chapstick.

Speaker 15 I told him I didn't have any, so he said, that's fine. Why don't you crawl on over here and show me what you've got? He then patted his lap.

Speaker 15 I told him I wasn't comfortable with that, with it being our first date, and on top of that, I asked him to consider the setting. We were at a playground where cops were frequently patrolling.

Speaker 15 This was beyond creepy and inappropriate. He then proceeded to reach around me and try to drag me over to him, using my butt as leverage.

Speaker 15 I told him again that I had no intention of sleeping with him or anyone else on a first date. He then said that's fine, but added, how about a little two-minute preview?

Speaker 15 He then tried dragging my head to his lap, but I had seen enough red flags at this point, so sirens were officially going off in my head. I was furious.

Speaker 15 I was surprised to see this kind of behavior from him, since he had spent several days telling me how much he hates when men try to force themselves on women.

Speaker 15 He also told me he didn't understand how anyone could do that, let alone get pleasure from it, and yet here we were.

Speaker 15 This was after he said he didn't want to sit too close to me while we were stargazing. He was claiming that he didn't want to make me uncomfortable, so it was like a switch had flipped.

Speaker 15 I told him that trying to force me wasn't going to make me any more likely to agree, and that I thought he was supposed to be a gentleman, like he had been leading me to believe.

Speaker 15 He told me that he thought I was scared of how big he would be, and that if I didn't want to use my mouth, there were other options.

Speaker 15 He again tried to grab my hand, and I told him, again, that was not going to happen.

Speaker 15 He pouted about it. I then racked my brain trying to think of an excuse to get him to drive me back to my car.

Speaker 15 Then he pulled out his phone and opened a text message thread. He wasn't hiding his screen, and I could see that the last three messages were sent by him.

Speaker 15 He then looked at me and told me that he got a text from his uncle, who he lived with, saying that something happened at the house and he needed to get home as soon as possible.

Speaker 15 I was done with this guy well before this point, but regardless, I hated being lied to. If he wasn't having a good time, he should have just called in a night.
Why lie?

Speaker 15 Why make up false intentions and then deliberately do the exact opposite of what you said?

Speaker 15 To make things worse, he dropped me off at my car in the dark parking lot at midnight and then just drove off before I even got into my car.

Speaker 15 Obviously, there wasn't going to be a second date, but here's the kicker. I drove by the old location of the restaurant that we were supposed to go to.

Speaker 15 It had never moved, and it was right on the highway where I thought it was.

Speaker 15 So, to creepy Alex from Bumble, I don't know why you kept changing the venue during our date and acting so dodgy, but please, let's not meet again. You suck.

Speaker 15 If you're a patron, stick around after the music for your extended ad-free version of this week's episode.

Speaker 15 If you want to get access, go to patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcast to support the show.

Speaker 15 Today, you'll get access to ad-free versions of all of the episodes at a higher bitrate, plus bonus stories every week in those extensions that you won't hear anywhere else.

Speaker 15 Again, that's patreon.com forward slash let's not meet podcast.

Speaker 15 And be sure to check out the new episodes of my other podcasts like Odd Trails and the old time radio cast at crypticcountypodcasts.com and follow me on Twitch at twitch.tv slash cryptic county.

Speaker 15 This week you have heard Betrothed to Buffoonery by Laugh With Me, Brush Beater by Anonymous. I think I saved my friend by OK Beyond 7697.

Speaker 15 I got a knock on the door in the middle of the night in a cabin in the woods by Anonymous. No, sir, I don't want to go to your party.
I just just wanted my soda by Lion.

Speaker 15 He Was Almost My Landlord by Miss March Payne.

Speaker 15 And finally, Driving in Circles, The Bumble Date from Hell by Anonymous. All of the stories you've heard this week were narrated and produced with the permission of their respective authors.

Speaker 15 Let's Not Meet, a true horror podcast, is not associated with Reddit or any of the message boards online. If you have a story to share, send it to Let'sNotMeetStories at gmail.com.

Speaker 15 We'll see you next week. Everybody, stay safe.

Speaker 15 This happened a couple of years ago, but it still freaks me out. I was working at a barbecue restaurant in my local.

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