The other night, I was enjoying a drink at my favorite bar in Rockford, playing mancala and catching the fight on TV when I noticed a guy across the bar watching me.

And no, it wasn't a "cute" stare, it was more of an "I'm about to approach you and bother you until I intimidate you enough to go home with me" death stare.

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The bartenders knew to keep an eye out on him if he did anything weird, so shoutout to them for keeping me safe!

He was playing darts and kept circling the bar whenever a new woman walked through the door.  Felt like he was scoping out the place to pick someone to hit on.  Of course, that someone was me.  Unfortunately.

He walks past me twice, walks over and stands next to me the third time around, and finally he approaches me and says, "excuse me".

I didn’t look up.

I knew what was about to happen.

He says, "I heard a rumor about you."

I said, "oh yeah? what'd you hear?"

He says, “I heard you have a man.  If you do, tell me to retract.”

Literally made me gag.  Ew.  What gave you the idea this was the best approach?!

Being a single woman at a bar doesn’t mean I’m inviting you to disturb my peace.  If I wanted to talk, I would’ve initiated it, but I didn't.

So I said, “bro, retract,” thinking that might be enough for him to take a hint. Yet, he waited until I asked nicely.  Here's the thing: I owe you nothing.  You don't deserve respect for not respecting my space, time or boundaries.  The entitlement is strong, bro!

Next time you're thinking about approaching someone, maybe try not to seem creepy or make it feel like it's a numbers game.  Because guess what he did when I told him to leave?  He found another victim just a few seats away from me.  Goodbye!