I've never been afraid of a man before - until now.

Quick background: I'm a mature student in my mid-30s. All of my life, I have been afraid of women. Due to a lot of factors - most of which I'm sure are rooted in childhood trauma, as I witnessed horrific scenes in my household between 2 and 8, and my family and I believe that the memories have been locked away due to extreme trauma. I have extreme anxiety in general, and I've always had nightmares of being attacked by women. The idea of being locked in a room with no escape and surrounded by a bunch of women that are intent on hurting me is my worst nightmare. <br><br>I've always been so much more afraid of women than men. I guess I've never been afraid of men, because I've never encountered a situation where I felt threatened by a male. Young and dumb, who knew? <br><br>Today was a normal day. Classes finished at 4, and I had to run errands afterwards, including grocery shopping. So, it was about 5:30 when I was done. I thought "hey, why not go to the mall? I haven't been in ages". So I did. <br><br>I walked around for a bit, saw a movie trailer that looked awesome, so I was excited for the release. Walked around some more, and noticed a SUBWAY in the middle of the hallway. I was hungry, so I decided to stop there. I ordered a sandwich, and ate there while scrolling social media on my phone. I was the only one there, as I'm sure it would have gotten busier later. Anyway, after 10 minutes or so, I finished my meal and threw out the trash. I walked out, and made a left down the hallway. I don't know what made me do this - I never do it - but for some reason I looked over my right shoulder as I took that left. And I saw this man. He was already looking around kind of suspiciously, but the second I noticed him he looked at me and smiled. It was one of those smiles like "oh, I got caught", you know? <br><br>I was a little confused, but I thought "oh well, I'm out now, whatever" and continued down the hallway. I didn't think about it that much until I got to the exit. I turned to make a right out the door, and saw him again, this time closer, AND walking towards the exit as well. I started to get a weird feeling. <br><br>I unzipped my purse and put my phone in my pocket - I have no idea why, but it made me feel better for some reason. I walked outside and made a right, and so did he. So I walked really fast and crossed the road. He crossed it as well. I walked faster. I started counting how long it took him to catch up to me. He was going at a normal walking pace, but he would catch up to me in about 30 seconds, so I kept walking faster and faster. At this point, it was pouring rain and I was *drenched*. I had no idea where I was going, but I had to find a place to go. Only thing I saw were restaurants. So I started going into random ones. I walked into the first one, and he walked past it. Wow. I breathed a sigh of relief, and then I noticed him walk past again, but this time he looked inside. So I got up and left and went across the street. Same thing happened. He walked by, then walked by again and looked inside. <br><br>By this point I didn't know what to do. I walked into another restaurant and asked the server if I could sit anywhere I wanted, or if I had to wait for her to seat me. I walked all the way to the back, and sat down as close to the wall as possible. About 5 minutes later, I saw him walk in, look around, and then spot me. He smiled, stood there for a second, then turned around and left. <br><br>I told the server what happened. She was very nice, and offered to sit anywhere I wanted to and she'd sit there with me until I was done eating. I told her I wasn't hungry, so she said she'd call my phone so I could come to the front and pay whenever I felt comfortable leaving. I left without eating, and called an Uber. <br><br>The driver was super nice, and I told her what happened. She was super shocked and amazed that I have been so afraid of women my whole life, and that "today was the day that it was reversed". I've never felt so happy to be home in my entire life. When I saw the house, I felt a rush of relief. I'm so grateful that I'm safe at home and nothing happened. <br><br>I'm also extraordinarily grateful to the server. Her name was Jessica, and she has no idea how much she helped me. She probably saved my life. I tipped her $50 and told her to put the $14 on the bill. When I left, I felt like I was supposed to do more. I should have given her $100. Or $200. Or written her a letter. Or something. She has no idea how much what she did helped me, both physically and emotionally. So, essentially what I'm saying is that I've never been afraid of a man, but I'm also usually not so grateful to them. <br><br>I don't know what would have happened if I didn't decide to look over my shoulder. I don't know what would have happened if Jessica wasn't my server. I don't know whether that man was planning something sinister or not. All I do know is that today was a lesson that I will never, ever forget. <br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>EDIT: WOW, this blew up. I feel so touched that I've been receiving so many kind messages and comments. I didn't expect this at all, and you all have made me feel so much better. Thank you so, so much. I'm trying to respond to as many as I can, but it's getting a bit overwhelming. Also, thank you to the people that have awarded this story. I had no idea that was a thing. <br><br>As for the chambers that this story is being posted on - I appreciate the concern, but I really wish this wasn't being posted anywhere. I posted it here, and it wasn't made to be seen by anyone outside of this community. I just wanted to share my story, and it seems like I've opened a whole new world. I'm not complaining, it's just not what I expected. <br><br>Also, I have no idea how to post updates - so I just want to say here that I'm really overwhelmed, and I won't be checking my chambers account frequently, if at all. I appreciate all the concern and kindness, but I need to focus on my real life right now. <br><br>Thank you all again.