A few years ago I appeared on Dateline NBC. I had done several major media appearances for one of my books, and I came home to find a gigantic camera crew in my living room, with the furniture and all other contents emptied out.
The lights and cameras infiltrated my house, and they asked me personal questions. In the back of my mind, the question lingered.
Where was he?
Years before in St. Petersburg, Florida, I had been continually contacted by a stalker. Repeatedly.
He called me several times a week, used expletives and graphic words, and always said something sexual in nature. One day, tired of his calls, I agreed to meet him. We met in a restaurant. I had many people with me, seated at a nearby table, and I got a good look at him. My goal was to know the devil who knew me.
What good would it be if I had let him get away and didn’t know who he was or what he looked like?
I was surprised to find that he was a normal looking guy. Tall, handsome, with a square jaw. He had given me one name, but when I grabbed across the table for his credit card receipt I saw who he really was. I won’t mention his name here. But I do know it.
Throughout the years I considered him, and where he was. I told him never to contact me again. I contacted the police.
But since he was an attractive, tall, young man, I suspected that by now he’d be married with kids. I considered writing an article for the New York Times titled Stalking the Stalker. His wife would read it, and immediately she’d know who her husband really was. But he’s not married. He’s single, and has children. How do I know this?
I found my stalker recently on Facebook. In a twist of fate, I stalked the stalker and found him. Now he is a “friend” and sends me nice messages about my new book, The Compass and other things he has done lately. He tells me when he’s traveling. I know his friends, his address, where he lives, and even if he disappeared tomorrow I still have his birthdate and all of his vital information. It’s a strange new world. Transparency, is truth and power. Now no one can hide.
