I got home from work today and there was a car sitting in the parking lot that I didn't recognize. Not a big deal, the parking lot for my apartment building is also the parking lot for two other buildings in the complex, so there are often extra cars around. When I got out of my car, though, the car turned it's engine off and rolled down the window. Turns out the guy (total stranger to me) was looking for me.
This stranger who was literally waiting for me in the parking lot told me that he never got paid for a job he did on my house four months ago. I did pay the contractor (a friend of mine) for the entire job. Whatever this guy did as part of the job was unbeknownst to me. Yet he's sitting in my parking lot, waiting for me, telling me the contractor cheated him and that he's going to sue me unless he gets paid, since the work was in my house. I told him to keep me out of it, and that I'd give him a letter and proof of my payment if he needed it, but to keep me out of it.
Then he goes on to tell me that he doesn't want me to tell anyone about this, as his attorney wants it quiet until he does whatever he needs to do to sue the contractor. At this point, I'm so freaked out I agree to keep it quiet. He asked for contact info, so I gave him my email (easier to disconnect an email account than a phone) and he left.
I went inside and lost it. Complete an utter tears. This contractor is my friend, and I just promised not to tell him this guy is threatening to sue me and him? Long story short (too late, I know) I spoke with an older attorney friend, and was encouraged to tell the contractor what had just happened. I also notified the local police department and asked for some extra patrol.
Now I'm scared. It's midnight my time, and I'm wide awake. Doors locked, deadbolted, and chained. I was out for the evening and as I pulled into my parking lot, I panicked. What if the guy shows up again and is pissed I told the contractor? What if he shows up again and tries to hurt me? What if he starts stalking me? I mean, he knows where I live, what kind of car I drive, my license plate, he even knows where I work.
I'm scared. Am I going to be looking over my shoulder every time I leave my apartment and come back? I'm going out of town for a few weeks, am I going to come home to bad stuff happening to my apartment? To my car? I can't leave it parked at my apartment while I'm gone now, what if the guy comes back? I did nothing wrong! I hired a good friend to do a job, paid him in full for the job, and that was it. This was FOUR MONTHS AGO, and now some crazy guy is showing up threatening to sue me?
I'm freaked out. I can't go to sleep. I couldn't even eat dinner (which is really a bad thing right now, I can't afford not to eat) and I don't know what to do. I want to talk to my T, but I don't think a phone conversation would be helpful, as there's nothing she can do about this. I want to rewind today, and not come home from work so that this never happened.
