The Uninvited Guest

Hello readers,

Kindly brace yourself for a story that is quite horrifying after 5 years and I still feel very brave to have survived it.

But before I start, here is some background of my living situation back then :

With the help of some extremely generous distant-relatives in Toronto, I was able to get myself a 1-bedroom apartment within 3 weeks of getting here. Unlike a lot of other first-year students, I was more comfortable with the idea of living alone than having to live with a stranger. I felt like I needed the time, space, and confidence to be able to adjust with a roommate. My parents, nervous that I would drop my education and chicken out of this whole living abroad plan at any point, understood that I was the type of person who would do better alone. They agreed to finance my living expenses without any hesitation and I cannot put into words how grateful I will always be for that.

Back to the horror story:

It was October 2015 (coincidence? I think not). I had my dinner and was preparing to go to bed. I left my room to go to the washroom when I saw somebody trying to enter my apartment. The chain lock was in its place so they were not able to get in, but I thought it was somebody from the management’s office since they are the only people who would have the keys. I went to look and it was a lady in her late 40s who asked me to let her in saying it was her apartment. She seemed to be under the influence which scared me even more. I immediately found everything I had at home – my table, 2 luggage, and a chair to force the door shut and locked myself in the bedroom. I was confused so I called my uncle here who was my go-to person for any concern. He was at a dinner party in Brampton and he was confused about what was going on as well. He had my building manager’s number and he was going to call them when I told him the lady left. I checked through the door's peephole and she wasn’t there so I told him I’ll let him know if she comes back.

In about an hour, she came back so I immediately called my uncle. He asked me to call 911 right away. I was hesitant because I was so new to everything and I was scared to interact with the police but there wasn’t any other option left. I gave the police my location and they arrived within 10 minutes – I was so scared that I asked the lady on the phone to stay with me till the police arrived. Two policemen knocked on my door and they checked my ID before taking down the details of the incident. Meanwhile, another officer came in with my building manager and changed the lock on my door. This was the biggest relief for me as I realized I was safe as long as the woman doesn’t have the keys. The police asked me to call back if she comes back because they weren’t able to find anyone suspicious matching my description, in or around the building.

After everyone left, I let my uncle know, and then there was a moment of pin-drop silence when I actually processed the whole incident and had a breakdown. I wasn’t sure if I should tell my parents and make them worried but I really needed to talk to someone so I called. I did not cry to them and assured that the police took care of everything.

The next day, I was anxious and kept checking my door every now and then. In the evening, the woman was back. This time she was knocking on the door as her key was not working anymore. I called 911 again and the police were back in my apartment. As I described the woman to them (again), the building managers came in and mentioned that they got a call from the previous occupants of my apartment. The woman who was trying to enter my place was mentally unstable and escaped from her institution. Her sister has called the building to inquire if she returned. She had the keys to my place because the managers never changed the lock when the old tenants (the two sisters) moved out…

I couldn’t sleep properly for the longest time after this happened. I did not move from that place because of how close it was to my campus and it would not be easy to get a new apartment so soon. I was finally settled and I wanted to focus on my studies instead of packing and unpacking. It was quite scarring and people still get terrified when I tell them about this. Later I was informed that the lady came back during the day for the third time when the management office saw her and called the police to put her back in care.

It's been 5 years that I live in this apartment and this story hasn't gotten any easier to talk about with time. But nonetheless, Happy Halloween, folks! Stay safe, keep your doors closed, and...

...never forget the chain lock.