Ex friend

Ron Erickson was weird, vulgar, and broken: like many men can be in the military. We knew he had a sordid past and we knew his upbringing was strange to say the least.

He seemed like a harmless man.

My husband, Ben, went to the same post-boot camp school as this guy. He and a handful of boys were bonded by the shitty conditions and even shittier higher ups while attending school.

Ben married me while on leave, we've been together a long time and known each other much longer than that. Eventually we moved into an apartment together at his duty station in Southern California. It was wonderful. Ron would come around occasionally and spend weekends with Ben. Sometimes he even slept in our home on the sofa or an air mattress in the living room. Eventually we moved to a larger house on the military base and Ron had to deploy to Japan. It was a long six months! Life went on normally without him. Friends came and went. This isn't unique.

Eventually it was Bens turn to deploy. It was hard to cope but fine, we said our goodbyes and smooched and he was off to strengthen his sea legs for the next six months.

When Ron came back to California, one week after Ben deployed, he wanted to pick up a box of his things from our home we had tucked away for safe keeping for him. I was excited to see the familiar face! He picked up his things, shared small talk and left. Nothing strange at all, honestly.

Knowing he was back from his journey and many of his friends were deployed with Ben, I extended some kind and friendly words over Facebook messenger occasionally: wishing him well, being polite. Unfortunately for both of us mistook my kindness as romantic gestures.

One night at 2am Ron called me via facebooks calling feature. Concerned for him, I answered. I thought the worst: had he become depressed? Maybe suicidal? I can't in good consciousness deny a listening ear to someone who maybe needed it, especially someone my husband is somewhat fond of. The conversation started somewhat normal, as normal as a strange unwarranted 2am call could be. He was loud, possibly drunk, and sounded desperate for conversation. He rambled on fora while then admitted to me that as a child he had a sexual relationship with his younger step sister. He talked in a lot of circles but a few statements that stood out to me were "I just can't trust myself around women, especially alone" "I've always liked you" "I think you're hot and I remember the way you looked in your bikini at the beach"

During this conversation I should've hung up on I made several attempts to keep the content friendly and uplifting assuming he was having some sort of episode.

It was all horrible and made me feel disgusting. He then told me he was near my house at another girls house, I assume with some poor guys awful cheating wife. He said she wasn't really anything to him and he wanted to come over to my house. He knew Ben was an ocean away and that I was alone in my house. I told him not to come and he hung up on me. I panicked and closed all of the first floor windows and doors, making sure they were all locked. I turned off the lights as well. I took my dog and cat up to my bedroom and locked the door, wedging pieces of furniture into the door to create a barricade of sorts.

He showed up.

He walked around my house, pulling on the doors, calling my phone, messaging me horrible things.

I screamed for him to leave both on the phone and through my upstairs window. It was a nightmare realized.

"I could get in if I really wanted to" he messaged me. A clear threat in luv opinion.

I called the police and then I called my neighbor, a big navy doc who I fell I owe my life to.

After being chased off by Hunter, my neighbor, and having long talks with PMO, NCIS, and my neighbors I received a protection order against Ron. I'm disappointed there wasn't any brig time for the fucker. But I'm pleased I have documented evidence in case he ever tries to contact me or my husband again.

You really NEVER know someone.

Stay safe, friends. And exercise your right to bare arms if you so choose.

Edit to add: yes, my husband is well aware of what happened. I was able to call him that night and he also spoke to the police and gave them al of his ex-friends information so he was under arrest the following morning. My husband and I have been to counseling together and separately because of this incident, all provided by the USMC. I still take zoloft to cope with the mental toll this interaction took on my mental health. It was also a few years ago now and we have since moved back to our home state in the Midwest living happily and safely near family.

Your kind words mean the world to me, by the way. I appreciate everyone taking the time comment their empathy for the situation. I'm lucky nothing horrible happened and my husband is forever grateful for my neighbor and the great neighbors who had spent many nights checking on me and bringing me meals, sharing kind words, and sharing prayers in our time of need. We were well supported in this time by so many great marines, sailors, chaplains, law enforcement, and medical staff.