A woman on Reddit claimed men driving by her rural property would often approach her for “free emotional labour.” The woman posted about being approached by men she described as middle-aged and married while working on her rural property.
The woman chose not to disclose her location in the Reddit thread. However, she recalled her experience as a single woman.
She described feeling astonished by how often men would stop to approach her while driving past. Allegedly, if they saw the woman working in her garden, they’d stop their cars, exchange pleasantries, and dive into conversations about their wives.
The woman claimed they’d share lengthy monologues about issues in their marriage, landlords, and bosses. The woman said the discomfort came from the fact that these were complete strangers.
She said, “I don’t know these men. Sometimes they start dumping on me before even introducing themselves to me.” The woman further claimed that they don’t care to get to know her; they just wanted to vent.
A Recent Encounter Made Her Concerns Concrete
The woman on Reddit shared a recent incident involving an allegedly married, middle-aged man. According to her post, they had exchanged waves on multiple occasions as he drove by. As a friendly gesture, she too claimed to wave back at him.
Although he’d continue to drive by, this time she claimed he decided to stop his car and make conversation. The woman said the man appeared to take her open garden gate as an invitation to enter.
As soon as he entered, he apparently shared details about his work life and how his wife had left town. After a short while of listening to the man, the woman politely cut him off by claiming she was busy. And just like that, he left her property.
Reflecting on the incident, the woman claimed she had no intention to appear unfriendly. But she had concerns.
She said, “The eagerness with which this grown (supposedly married) man bounded out of his car and walked uninvited up my driveway just didn’t feel right.”
As a result of these allegedly random venting sessions, the woman claimed she’s begun hiding when she sees a car drive by her property.
As mentioned earlier, the woman did not reveal where she’s from. But she did share her frustrations in the aftermath of allegedly repeated incidents like this.
The woman wrote, “It’s ridiculous and somewhat infuriating that in this space with so little people, I still have to deal with random dudes trying to use me for free emotional labor.”
The Comments Section Had Plenty to Say
Redditors on the forum empathized with the woman by sharing similar instances. They each also shared their opinions in light of her story. Some even shared alternative solutions for her to avoid such interactions.
A Redditor recommended leaving men's boots visible on the porch, noting that her aunt had used the same strategy successfully.
Comment
byu/Kalinka777 from discussion
inTwoXChromosomes
The individual said, “She said this works 10/10 times lol. She lives alone, but strangers don’t need to know that!”
Another commenter wrote, “It’s sad she has to use the “hint” of a man to deter weirdos.” A third one suggested, “Take the wife’s side. Every time. They will stop talking to you.”
A fourth asked, “What kind of crazy dude comes up to a woman, doesn’t even ask her name, and then goes into a long story?” One commenter wrote, “I can’t imagine the mindset needed to approach random women and expect free therapy.”
