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Hey Pandas, AITA For Feeling Threatened By An Old Man And Calling The Police?

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My husband and I live out in the country, in the woods. We have neighbors, but not within shouting distance. We recently had a baby, and since then, I’ve become a stay-at-home mom (SAHM). I had a C-section and have been struggling to get my strength back.

Before we got pregnant, we purchased a new-to-us truck. Nothing fancy, nothing special, but it got us from A to B. However, once we got pregnant, we realized we needed a vehicle with a backseat, so we put a For Sale sign on our truck in case anyone drove by.

An older man stopped by once to have a look at it while we were home

Hey Pandas, AITA For Feeling Threatened By An Old Man And Calling The Police?

Image credits: Barthelemy de Mazenod (not the actual photo)

He was interested but didn’t have the money. We told him we couldn’t hold it but to get in touch when he could afford it, in case it was still available.

One day, we came home to a note on the door from this man, saying he had the money and wanted to buy it. He left his number. We called him back but got no answer.

A few days later, there was another note saying he wanted to buy it. We called him back again but got nothing.

A third note was more “cranky,” saying if we didn’t want to sell to him, the least we could do was tell him. We called him back, but still no answer.

A few weeks passed. We still hadn’t sold the truck, and I went into labor. It was a dangerous delivery, so we spent a week in the hospital. When we came home, my husband took an extra week off work, and we never left the house. By this time, it had been weeks since a note was left, and we figured the guy gave up.

The day my husband went back to work, I was anxious about being alone with the baby, but I knew to take it slow since I was still recovering from the C-section

Hey Pandas, AITA For Feeling Threatened By An Old Man And Calling The Police?

Image credits: Jenna Norman (not the actual photo)

Around 10 a.m., a car pulled into our driveway. I peeked outside, and lo and behold, it was the man who wanted our truck. I didn’t want to go down and open the door—I was in pain, in the middle of nowhere, with a new baby, and a man was approaching my house. No thanks, I’ll take the bear (lol!). I watched, and he didn’t even come to the door but started walking around the house, peering into the windows! At this point, I was terrified. What did he think he was doing? I heard him jiggle the doorknob to see if it was unlocked. Finally, he went away and sat in the bed of the truck for sale!

Meanwhile, I was on the phone with my neighbors who live about 10 minutes from our house. They decided to drive over and tell the man to leave. When they got here, they found him peering through the window again. My friend told him, “Look, you are scaring the people who live here. You have to leave the property.” He was all apologetic, saying he didn’t think anyone was home. So he left, and my friend left.

Then this man had the gall to come back and start writing another note. At this point, I was fed up. I called the cops

Hey Pandas, AITA For Feeling Threatened By An Old Man And Calling The Police?

Image credits: Scott Rodgerson (not the actual photo)

I told them I had someone trespassing. They came and escorted him off the premises, and we haven’t seen or heard from him since.

My husband says I took things a bit too far, that he was just a harmless old man, and I should have gone down and spoken to him myself instead of calling the neighbors and the cops. He thinks I overreacted. So, AITA?

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Please note that the images included in this article are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the actual individuals or items discussed in the story.

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Hi there! I'm Gabrielė, but you can also catch me responding to Gab, Gabi, Gabert, or Gabe – take your pick. Professionally, I'm the senior community manager over at Bored Panda, helping people share their awesome work and connecting artists with a worldwide audience. Beyond work, you'll catch me traveling, listening to vinyl and diving into movies, art exhibitions, and concerts. I'm a culture buff at heart, always eager to explore and embrace the richness of the human experience.

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What do you think ?

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Annabelle 2 months ago

Your husband is an AH for telling you that you overreacted. Does he also tell you to calm down when you're upset? NTA.

37points

Pandaodboredem22 2 months ago

NTA. You felt threatened, called a neighbor who came and told him to leave, and he still came back knowing he wasn't welcome. You have no idea what he'll do next. Maybe it's another note, maybe it's lighting the truck on fire so nobody can have it. I don't get in what world it's wrong to call the police on somebody who knowingly breaks the law, he could have chosen to not come back after he was told not to come back.

29points

JB 2 months ago

Your and your baby’s safety are your top priority. I disagree you were an AH. It’s all very well for hubs to say you overreacted but what did *he* do to prevent the situation from happening? He had the same information you did. Old guy (OG) doesn’t reply to calls, he puts notes on your door. DH could have left a reply note for OG on your door or on the truck giving a time to speak with DH about the sale. OG was an AH. Peering in your windows is wildly invasive, inappropriate and disrespectful; he should not have come back after being told to leave. At that point, calling the police to remove him was the right thing to do.

20points

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