Five years ago I met a woman who would cause me to question everything in my life. It was at a time when I wasn’t sure I would ever want a partner. The insanity began after I reluctantly attended a friend’s dinner party. She and I were seated next to each other. She was introduced as Doris, but she insisted I call her Dory. I asked her where Dory came from and she said she’d tell me after we got to know one another. I told her that my name was Tom and that she could call me Tom.

She said, “Taking life a bit too seriously, are we?”

I resisted her charms that night, turning to the person on my other side thinking that might be enough of a hint to keep her quiet, but alas, it didn’t work. I recall there were a couple of times when she either turned my head toward her or raised her voice to get my attention. I wasn’t sure if I was being set up. Dory was not exactly my type. First of all, she was aggressive. I like quiet, passive women. Second, she was a vegan; I mean, she couldn’t even look at meat. Lastly, she was way too cheerful. Morose and sullen were the way I preferred the women in my life.

Dory and I spent a solid two hours getting to know one another. If I’m going to be honest, I learned more than I needed to know. For example, she told me that her husband died on a hike in Colorado. Apparently, he stumbled and went over the edge of a cliff and plunged to his death. I couldn’t help but question her reasoning behind telling me this.

“Where were you?” I asked.

“Oh I was there,” she said, ” about six feet away.”

I was somewhat conflicted that evening; I wanted to know more about what made Dory tick, but I was fearful about what I might learn. I’m still not sure why I was so turned on. I only know that I left the dinner party wanting to see Dory again.

On our third date, I found out why Doris was called Dory. Apparently many of her friends thought that she behaved like the Dory in the Nemo film and they gave her that nickname. Fortunately or unfortunately for her, it stuck. I think she might have thought I’d consider her a dizzy cartoonish character, if she’d shared this with me the night we met.

Dory had terrible mood swings. Sometimes she’d cancel a date, claiming that her social media fans needed her. I don’t spend a lot of time on social media and I didn’t want to start then. One time we were out on a date at a very high end restaurant. She kept insisting that because of her TikTok presence, she’d be judged on our choice. She told me that she liked that I wasn’t on social media, because it made her feel that I wanted to be with her for her personality, not for her fame.

One time when we were in bed she asked me if I minded that many men lusted after her. I asked her why she thought that was the case. She told me that men wrote to her all the time; they asked her to visit them or even marry them. I mostly ignored these comments because the sex was good. If I’m going to be honest, I thought she was a bit off. I had never dated anyone like her; I found it strange that she didn’t seem to have friends or a job. Whenever I asked her about work, she would say things like,

“My fan page pays well.” Whatever that meant.

I asked my friend who had introduced me to Dory, what she knew of her. She shared that in fact she didn’t really know Dory. She said that Dory was a neighbor who moved in a few months back and that she thought it would be nice to invite her over in order to get to know her. Jane seemed surprised that Dory and I had been going out; she said she had not seen Dory since the dinner party.

As time passed, Dory became increasingly more cagey about her life. She claimed that she had to be cautious because a lot of people were jealous of her and that worried her. I started to think that she might be having delusions of grandeur. I quickly dismissed the notion being that I wasn’t a great judge of people’s character.

Dory and I would mostly go out for dinner, sitting at discreet corner tables at small out-of-the-way places. She said that she didn’t want to be approached while she was with me and that the unwanted attention was starting to wear on her. I had never noticed anyone wanting to come up to her, but what did I know about fame?

Months went by and nothing changed, we saw one another a few times a week for dinner. Dory kept me away from her apartment, claiming it was still unfurnished. Weirdly, neither of us had met anyone in the other’s life. I was too wrapped up in work to notice the stagnation in our relationship.

We were a few weeks away from a three day weekend. I thought it might be nice to get out of the city. Knowing Dory’s desire to stay away from others in public places, I suggested a quiet cabin in the mountains. Although I have always enjoyed hiking, I figured her husband’s death might trigger a negative reaction, therefore, I did not suggest it. To my surprise, Dory was excited about the getaway idea; it even seemed to lift her spirits a bit.

The time had come to make our way to Aspen. Dory suggested I bring hiking boots in case we felt like hiking. I assumed she was humoring me, but I packed them anyway. After a few hours in the car, we stopped for food. The grocery store had all of the foods Dory loved and I hated. My debit card didn’t work when I tried to pay. It surprised me when Dory pulled out cash, as she never offered to pay. We arrived at the cabin in the early evening. We cooked an all vegetable dinner and then relaxed by a fire.

While Dory was getting ready for bed, I went on-line to look at my bank account. I had well over $70,000 in my savings account, but my balance was down to $150. The same was true for my checking account — wiped out. I was about to call the bank, when a thought popped into my head. The times I had left Dory alone in my apartment, my bank pin number carelessly left out on my desk, Dory’s willingness to pay for the groceries, and her suggestion to go on a hike. When she walked into the living room and asked me if everything was okay, I said that I was just tired.

We went to bed, but I didn’t sleep at all. The wheels were turning and I was certain she intended to get rid of me. She had somehow figured out a way to acquire all of my assets without leaving her mark. I was sure she’d attempt to make me disappear the next day when we were hiking. I had to stay calm so she wouldn’t suspect that I knew what was happening.

The next morning I noticed some valium in her makeup bag. I figured she intended to drug me before or during the hike. I made it look like I was drinking coffee and then water, but I was only taking a small sip and then spitting it out. When Dory wasn’t looking I put some strong twine in my pocket.

It was quiet on the mountain and that concerned me a bit. Fortunately, my cell phone showed that we had service. Dory tried to argue that we didn’t need our phones; that it was better to live in the moment and not worry about calls. I told her that I was expecting an important work call.

When we reached the peak of the mountain, Dory suggested that we take a selfie. I agreed, but I was careful to stand beside her not behind her. After the selfie she said that she wanted to take a picture of me for her TikTok page.

“It’s time for my fans to see that I have a boyfriend.”

I quickly turned her around and tied her hands behind her back. She had no idea what was happening, she thought I was playing some sort of game. I gagged her, called the police and waited. She silently sobbed until the police showed up in a helicopter. They didn’t fool around in Aspen.

After many hours at the police station, I was told that Dory had not wiped out my bank accounts. I had been hacked by a foreign actor. The prescribed valium in Dory’s bag was indeed for anxiety. The police had the cups in the cabin and my water bottle tested, there were no traces of valium anywhere. Dory’s husband had indeed fallen to his death on a hike and there were multiple witnesses to his fall. The police told me that Dory did not want to see me, further, she was considering pressing charges. I was charged with harassment and released pending a hearing.

I later learned that Dory had millions of social media followers and that she had indeed been harassed and even stalked. Dory did not press charges; however, I was fined thousands of dollars for fees and damages.

Please provide your email in order to subscribe. Thank you.

We are days away from the U.S. elections. I’m not only concerned with the presidential race, all branches of the government are in a precarious state. I, like many, have been feeling that we are at a pivotal moment in time and the possibilities could be dire. It’s not only U.S. politics, instability and unrest appear to be a permanent state of being everywhere. I know that worrying about it will not help the situation, but I’m at a loss about how I can effect change. I can only control my own life and even that seems delicate these days. Unfortunately, my inclination is to retreat, pull back, hide; probably the worst thing I can do. There is a great deal to be said about the cocoon we create around ourselves in order to shield us from pain and/or discomfort.

Hoping for a favorable outcome.

Note: All current stories are works of fiction. Trust me, my life is not that interesting.