the strange thing about it, to me , was that because of the 15 year age gap and the tone of conversation, I saw him as a child
I totally understand that.
I was knocked wholly off kilter a few years ago in my mid 40s when a lad in his late teens attempted to assault me. But you know, thank god he picked me and not somebody his own age. I had enough life experience to react strongly and trust my first instincts, which saved my bacon. However as a young, violent sex offender he has years in front of him to destroy lives. And so, despite the additional discomfort of raised eyebrows at the idea such a young lad would be interested in targetting a woman of my age (the idea that it is about sexual attraction rather than power and control still holds strong where I live), I reported him anyway. Becuase it was the only thing I had in my toolbox to help the women, or girls, who he would target next.
And while it wasn't at all fun, it felt good to take my power back. I was so shaken, so unprepared to be targeted for that sort of thing at my age (becoming invisible due to middle age had given me a false sense of security, which crumbled and left me very winded emotionally). But reporting was the one small thing that offset the ramifications it had for me.
Plus, I don't think I could have lived with the idea that a young girl might face "he says, she says" at perhaps the lowest point in her life when I had the choice to make it play out rather differently for her, if she was the unlucky one that he picked next.
I think the guy who targeted me is going to kill a woman some day. I can't give you anything concrete in terms of what he said or did, but all my instincts tell me he will. Becuase his ire and hatred of women just shone through. I was so lucky. But sooner or later somebody won't be. It is small comfort, but the idea I didn't participate in letting him maintain a clean slate that could be used against future victims is still better than the alternative.
sweetheart. I know this is horrifying on so many levels.