I really should have just let this go.

I told her I appreciated her asking, but really it was the opposite.

One of my BIGGEST, possibly THE biggest pet peeve of mine is when people try to impose religion on me. I've never met someone so pushy before. When I first met her, I thought she was just friendly-- until the point she whipped out a fucking card on me and I thought, oh crap.

It's not like I don't have religious friends. I have plenty. I'm not even sure if I have more friends who are religious than I do friends who are not. But none of them, NONE of them devote quite so much time to trying to get me to go out and "check out" your goddamn cult.

There aren't very many people that I dislike. I can count the number on one hand. One, two. Three.

Mostly if you leave me alone, I have no problem with you.

So I met this girl. Here's the story: I was on Library Walk, helping to advertise for Habitat's Bake Sale (Christian foundation, I know, but they don't even TRY to change my mind), and this girl walks by, basically asking me if we know each other. We don't. As she walks past, she introduces herself, and I do likewise.

Btw, she didn't stop to donate.

Later on, I see her again and we give a more formal introduction. She tells me why I look familiar (because of a mutual friend), and I promise to look for her on facebook, and then she pulls out a little note where she's written her name, number, etc. I laugh because I thought she just carried them around, but it turned out it was her last one, and I guess it was to make it easy on incoming newbies for KCCC (Korean Campus Crusade for Christ.) She asks me if I'm interested in their get-together or whatever it was they were having.

At this point, I'm starting to figure out what kind of person she is. Yeah, I can drop you right into a category, because you FIT. You're EXACTLY the stereotype. Normally, I would have done nothing from there.

But I had her contact, and a promise is a promise. So I looked her up. Mostly I think I felt guilty for taking her last card. Which I didn't want.

First thing she does is try again to advertise. On my wall. I politely refused. Thanks, but no thanks. Insert smiley.

Fine, fine, things are gravy.

Yesterday morning I saw her at a dc, waved but didn't chat. Later on the same day I saw her at the same place.

I swear to Verra, she said to me something along the lines of: "Caroline, it's so weird that I saw you here twice today. I know I already asked you, but I feel I should ask again..."

Like it was a bloody sign from your God that we were MEANT TO BE? Oh, honey, it is a small, small world. Get off your rocker, and LAY THE FUCK OFF.

Okay, so I responded several degrees more kindly than that. I felt my body becoming extremely tense when she asked me again, but instead of snapping the way I wanted to, I told her that I really did not want to go. She was persistent. Oh, did you have a negative experience? No, woman, I haven't had negative experiences, I've made up my mind and the reason I'm not religious is because of people like YOU. Jesus Christ, don't you get it? No means NO.

Of course, I couldn't say that.

I don't even remember what I said to her. I'm questioning whether I should have been less patient, because now it bothers me that I made it seem like it was okay. I mean, obviously the answer is no, there's no need to be *quite so frank with someone I barely know. It would have been rude. But THREE TIMES? Fucking hell, she's asked me more times than we've had face-to-face encounters. Hours later, when I wasn't distracted anymore, it crossed my mind again, and I felt really irritated.

I do remember telling her that I appreciated her asking.

That was big fat lie.