Skeeved Out

A very close friend of mine lives about five miles up the road. Her neighborhood is a bit rough: a lot of rental houses, a lot of gang activity. I've never felt unsafe there, though and her house itself is adorable. They are putting their house on the market, but a couple of weeks ago she received a post card in the mail informing her of a high-risk sex offender that moved in three houses around the corner. He was convicted of aggravated sexual assault on a 10 year old and a 12 year old boy. He was in prison for 10 years and is now in his early/mid-thirties.

There was a picture of him on the post card and he looked like any normal guy. That, I guess is the scary part. She said she'd seen him several times and she would have never guessed by looking at him.

So last night C and I took the boys to dinner. We went to a restaurant, a buffet that I've been to a million times over the past 7 or so years. It turned out to be kids eat free night which was pretty good news. We ate and stayed about an hour/hour and a half. I did notice a guy that worked there, he was very friendly and smiley and nodded each time I passed him, boy in tow. I didn't feel any particular feeling when I passed him even though for some reason, unlike some strangers I did notice him and he stuck in my consciousness. Maybe because I've been there so much and never seen him before.

Today I talked to my friend and mentioned how crappy I felt after eating gross buffet food last night. She said 'oh! that's where the sex-offender guy works.' I froze, knowing immediately which one he was. The guy. The smiley one. The sex offender working on kids eat free night.

I flashed back to a moment last night when LeeLee squeezed food between his hands. I got annoyed and ordered him to go wash his hands. "Alone?" he whined. Yes! I said. He seemed so pitiful that I grabbed his hand and took him to wash his hands in the ladies' room. I always go with the boys to the restroom. I'm not overly paranoid usually but the idea of the wrong person being in a restroom with my boys has always made me uncomfortable. But I almost sent him in alone this time. The idea chills me to my core.

I guess sometimes people aren't what they seem. I'd like to believe in rehabilitation, turning over a new leaf. But not for this. Not when children have been hurt. Not when I have two boys of my own.

We had vowed never to eat buffets again after waddling home but now we are definitely not going back.