Star Struck(75)
Mo said, “Seeing you two makes me wish I was in love.”
Hailey wiped the lipstick from Garrett’s lips. “Mo, you’ll find someone.”
“Maybe, but this is your time and,” Mo said, tapping his watch, “You’re a little late.”
“I’m sorry. I had to make time for my boo,” Hailey said, as she winked at Garrett.
Garrett remained behind as Hailey followed Mo to her dressing room. An hour later, Hailey walked out on stage. Hailey said, “Thank you all for tuning in today.” She scanned the audience and looked directly into the cameras. “Today’s topic is a serious one and unfortunately hits close to home. As you all know by now, I had a bad experience recently with a stalker who posed as a fan. On my panel today, I have a well known actor who just recently had his stalker prosecuted, a school teacher who survived multiple gun shots and a doctor who is well respected in his field as an expert on mental illness.”
Once everyone was situated on stage, Hailey began asking each one of her panelists questions. “Veronica, when did the stalking begin?”
Veronica responded, “As I look back on it, it started on day one. My stalker was the principal of my school. I made the mistake of going out with him on a few dates. After I realized he was not what I was looking for, I tried to end things easily.”
The audience became mesmerized as Veronica relayed her story of how the principal would sit in on her classes unannounced and send her threatening emails at home. Veronica’s eyes watered, “Nobody would believe me when I told them about the hateful things he said and did to me. They thought I was blowing things out of proportion.”
There weren’t too many times Hailey’s guests left her speechless, but this was one of them. Hailey gave Veronica a hug. “You’re a brave woman for sharing your story. Thank you.”
“I came on your show Hailey because I don’t want women to be afraid to speak out. Talk to your local legislators. There are laws being passed everyday but there’s still so much more that needs to be done.”
A number, 1-800-FYI-CALL, and website, www.ncvc.org, flashed at the bottom of the monitor for the home audience to contact if they were being stalked. Hailey said, “Let’s go to commercial. Women aren’t the only ones being stalked. When we come back we’ll talk to award winning actor Clark about his stalker.”
A few minutes later, Hailey said, “Welcome back. I don’t know what to say after hearing Veronica’s heart wrenching story. Clark’s ordeal hasn’t gotten much press. He feels mainly because he was a man being stalked. Clark tell us your story.”
Clark said, “Hailey, thanks. I’ve been wanting to talk about this publicly for some time but because we were in litigation I couldn’t. Now that my stalker has been convicted, I can say that these past ten years have taken a toll on me.”
“Ten years,” Hailey said. “I had no idea and I’m sure others didn’t.”
Clark said, “People close to me did. This woman would show up everywhere I was. I don’t know how she would know where I would be because I had sworn people close to me to secrecy, but she would always find out.”
“I read she came from a wealthy family so that’s why it took so long for the authorities to take her threats seriously.”
Clark said, “That and the fact that she knew the law. I had several protective orders against her. If the protective order said she couldn’t be within one hundred and fifty feet, she would be exactly one hundred and fifty-one feet. She was a sly one.”
In the next segment, Hailey asked Dr. Smith, “What signs should we be looking for when dating someone?”
Dr. Smith responded, “As in Clark’s case, he didn’t do anything to encourage his stalker. He had no idea who she was. They had never officially met. If a person has an obsessive type personality, anything can trigger that type of behavior.”
Hailey asked, “How can we protect ourselves?”
Dr. Smith said, “First make sure you report it—not just to a friend, but make an official report at the police station. Start keeping a log of incidents and provide that to the police. Make sure you’re aware of your surroundings and do not travel alone. And many may frown on what I’m about to tell you, but I suggest that you protect yourself by any means necessary. Women and men should take self defense classes.”
Hailey asked another series of questions. During the rest of the show, the audience was more informed of the warning signs and how serious it could be if someone was stalking them. Hailey said, as the show ended, “Thank you all for tuning in today. This show was close to home for me. If you are being stalked, please don’t take it lightly. If you are one who is doing the stalking, know that there are programs out there designed to help you. You can get the help you need.”