How I almost became a psycho’s daughter

Sometimes I think about how I can get a man’s attention. I am pretty, smart, and funny, but I know that a little cleavage and a smile can go a long way- and I definitely use that to my advantage. I was about 20 years old at the time of this story- definitely in my looks-centric phase. <br><br>I met this man at my family’s church. He sat next to me in the pew, and smiled and said hi. He was older, so I thought of him as a father figure, but I think it was in his 40s, which I later learned is the age of his ex-wife, not himself, he was in his 60s. <br><br>I had some trouble with my phone, and he helped me fix it, and we talked for a while, about school and stuff. He asked for my number, so I can get a hold of him if I need anything else. We both had the same phone provider, so it was free to text him anyway, so I figured why not. <br><br>He was always texting me, for the entire next year. He was always so nice to me, talking about his kids and grandkids, and asking about my college and work. I would usually just keep the texts short and sweet, but it was always so nice. <br><br>He would occasionally offer to buy me something, usually coffee or food, but sometimes little gifts. I always turned him down, but it was still very kind of him, and I liked the gesture. <br><br>I remember one time, he saw me working as a server, and he came up to me and gave me $100, and said it was for my college tuition. It was so sweet, but I always felt like I had to pay him back- and I didn’t want to feel that way towards someone I saw as a friend. <br><br>He would occasionally make jokes about me being his 5th wife. I obviously didn’t take him seriously, and I thought it was funny he joked about it. Looking back, I can’t believe I didn’t pick up on that. <br><br>There was a time when he asked my mom if I could come live with him, and she said yes. I never had any idea. I was still living with my parents at the time, because I was in college, but I would have gladly moved in with him. He was wealthy, so I would have had a much better time. <br><br>I think that’s when he started to act differently. He started asking me to go out with him, he would always see me at church, but he wanted to go on dates. I would always say that he is too old, and I see him like a dad. He would ask me out anyway, sometimes multiple times a day. <br><br>He started talking about how he wanted a little girl, and how he always wanted a daughter, and now I could be his little girl. I didn’t really know what to say, I tried to change the subject. <br><br>I started to see him less and less, and I would only see him at church. I made sure to always sit somewhere else, so I wouldn’t be near him. <br><br>One day he called me and told me he had left his wife for me, and how he wanted me to be his girlfriend. I was still in school, and he was still married- I was so shocked. I tried to say no, but he wouldn’t let me talk. He called me multiple times, and I didn’t answer, so he came over to my parent’s house. <br><br>I hid in my room when I heard he was there, and my mom answered the door. I don’t know what happened, but he left after a while. I later learned my mom told him I had a boyfriend, and he was no longer welcome. <br><br>Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I had said yes.