When I was 24 and lived all by myself, I read how a woman should carry her keys through her fingers. Not put the key in the hand but have the keys sticking out from between your fingers, so in case you are jumped or mugged, you can gouge the guy's eyes out.

So I'm walking home from work one warm March night. (All those years ago), and YES, I HAD THE KEYS STICKING OUT OF MY HANDS.

I glanced behind me and there were two young men following me. I don't know what I should have done but I kept walking. One of the guys jumped on my back and I was so busy holding on to my pocketbook, I never REMEMBERED I HAD KEYS STICKING OUT OF MY HAND. They never got my pocketbook (by the way, I was screaming my head off and not one person came out of their house (OR OUT OF THE CHURCH, BECAUSE THIS HAPPENED AT 7 P.M. AT NIGHT IN FRONT OF A CHURCH).. Never forgot this...

I screamed and screamed and they panicked but they got my Silver Fox Hat. My beautiful Silver Fox Hat. Of course I went to the police station. It wasn't far from my house. I looked at mug shots but nothing ever happened.

I think I was afraid to leave my house for weeks.

And I had just moved to that apartment TO GET AWAY FROM AN ABUSIVE BOYFRIEND WHO BEAT ME. Gee, you would think I would have been safe, hah???

He came looking for me after we broke up, went back to my original apartment, knocked on my girlfriend's door (she used to live across the street from me) and he was all dressed up and said "I'm looking for Melody, I want to marry her". He was with his friend (they were both italians and they spoke italian). What they didn't know that my friend who answered her door spoke perfect italian. When my ex-boyfriend told her "I want to marry Melody, where is she"??? my friend responded "oh, she moved back to Florida to move in with her mother (in reality, I moved 7 blocks away but she wasn't about to tell HIM this!!!!

My ex then said "but I went to her apartment and her name is still on the doorbell (my old landlord never removed my name from the doorbell). When my friend told this to my ex - the guy standing next to him said IN ITALIAN. "She's lying, we can take her". And my ex-boyfriend said (IN ITALIAN), "Shut up, this one's sister is a police officer". And sure enough, my girlfriend's sister came down the stairs (with her pistol hidden behind her), and said to the two guys "is there a problem"?????

My ex-boyfriend wised up and said "no, sorry to bother you". this happened at 11 p.m and my girlfriend immediately called me and said "you will never guess who just came looking for you???? YOUR EX-BOYFRIEND". "But don't worry, I didn't tell him anything". See, he once warned me, "IF I can't have you, nobody will" and one time when I was still living in my old place, he phoned me up to try and get together and I stupidly said "well, I'm seeing someone else and he said "well, he's never going to see his family again".

I then admitted "listen, there's no one else, just leave me alone" and the next week I moved.

I think all these hooligans who make us females have to move, have to be afraid, WELL I THINK THEY SHOULD ALL BE MEDICATED, LOCKED UP, WHATEVER AND WE SHOULD BE ALBE TO LIVE IN PEACE.

Just my two cents!!!!

I HATE TO BE AFRAID!!!!!

mel