Learn English through Stories Level 3 The Dirty Old Man - Emotional English Story for Listening

[00:00:01]My name is Evelyn. I am 26 years old. I moved  to London three months ago. I live alone in a small apartment. The rent here is very cheap. I  met my neighbor on my very first day. His name was Mr. Thomas. He was 71 years old. Mr. Thomas  looked at me and smiled. He said, "Hello, dear.

[00:00:29]Welcome to the building." He seemed kind and  polite. His back was slightly bent from age. He reminded me of my own late grandfather. I missed  my grandfather every day. Days passed. I found a job and spent my evenings relaxing. I cooked  dinner and watched television. I often saw Mr. Thomas. He was an old man and sometimes he needed  help. So I began to help him with small tasks. I carried his grocery bag. Sometimes I pushed the  elevator button for him when we were together. He always thanked me. Mr. Thomas called me an angel.  I did not think anything was strange. I thought he was just a friendly neighbor who lived next door.  One afternoon, Mr. Thomas invited me for tea. I said yes. His apartment was clean and tidy. He had  pictures of his wife on the wall. She passed away 5 years ago. We sat at his dining table and drank  tea together. Mr. Thomas asked about my life.

[00:01:50]I told him about my new job and my future dreams.  He listened carefully to everything I said. I felt safe in his home. I was happy to have found a  new friend in the city. Then something strange happened while I was talking about my work. Mr.  Thomas slowly put his hand on my knee. I stopped talking instantly. My whole body froze. I thought,  "What is happening right now?" I tried to think it was just an accident. He is 71 years old. So maybe  he needed to hold on to something for balance. I tried hard not to think bad things about him.  I tried to ignore the sudden bad feeling, but his hand stayed on my knee. My heart began to  beat fast. I moved my chair back a little bit away from him. I knew I needed to leave the apartment  immediately. I made a quick excuse to leave early.

[00:03:03]I said, "I think I need to go now. I forgot I have  a meeting to attend." Mr. Thomas's face changed a little, but he did not stop me from leaving. I  went home quickly and locked the door behind me.

[00:03:24]I kept telling myself that it was nothing, but  deep inside, I knew that the feeling of safe friendship was completely gone. 2 days later, Mr.  Thomas knocked on my door. I opened it slowly.

[00:03:46]He held a laptop in his hands. He looked  gentle and a little embarrassed. He said, "Evelyn, dear, can you help me? My laptop is  broken. I cannot open my email." I decided to help him. It was just a small task. I went into  his apartment again. I looked at the computer.

[00:04:11]It was a very simple issue. I showed him how  to fix the email problem. While I was working, he moved closer to me. Mr. Thomas stood  too close. Then he touched my hand. He held my fingers softly. I froze. Mr. Thomas  looked at me and said, "You are very pretty, Evelyn. You are very sweet. You make me feel alive  again." I quickly pulled my hand away from him. I stepped back. I said, "No, please don't." He  did not listen. He tried to kiss me. I said, "No, stop." I turned around and ran out of his  apartment as fast as I could. My hands were shaking. I ran to my door and locked it quickly.  I leaned against the door, trying to breathe normally. Mr. Thomas was not a safe grandfather  figure. He wanted something that I did not want to give. I realized that my kindness had led to this  problem. The next morning, I was still feeling very shaken. I was afraid to leave my apartment.  Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. I opened it.

[00:05:44]It was Mr. Thomas. He held a large bouquet of  flowers. His eyes looked wet like he might cry at any moment. He said, "Evelyn, I am so sorry. I  behaved very badly. I am very lonely since my wife died. I should not have touched you the other day.  I just I fell in love with you too fast. I did not know how to respond. I waited for him to leave,  but he did not. Then he did something that shocked me. Right there in the hallway, he dropped down  onto one knee. He looked up at me with sad eyes.

[00:06:28]He said, "Will you marry me?" I gasped. I could  not believe what I just heard. Marry him? I was 26 years old and he was 71. This was not a real  question. I said, marry you? No. I am so sorry, Mr. Thomas. But no, I said the word no clearly.  Mr. Thomas looked hurt. He stood up slowly. He said, I understand. Then he looked down at the  floor and walked away. I closed the door quickly and locked it. I realized I could not just ignore  this. This was too serious. I realized I needed to take official action. I decided to speak to  the building manager. He was the landlord. I walked to his office. The landlord was sitting  at his desk. I told him about the afternoon tea and the moment he put his hand on my knee.  Then the laptop problem and the kiss. Finally, I told him about the marriage proposal in the  hallway. The landlord looked surprised. He said, "I am sorry that you went through this experience,  Evelyn. He promised to help me. He said he would talk to Mr. Thomas right away. I was glad I had  told someone. I hoped the complaint would stop the problem. That evening, I returned to my floor.  I looked at Mr. Thomas's door. It was closed. I waited for him to come out. Nothing happened.  Weeks passed. Mr. Thomas did not talk to me anymore. He did not smile. He did not look at me  when we were near each other. When I came home, I often heard his television through the  wall. I knew he was there right next door.

[00:08:39]He never came into the hallway if I was there. I  thought I would feel happy after the complaint, but I felt sad instead. I never wanted to hurt Mr.  Thomas. I did not want to be cruel. I only wanted him to stop his strange behavior. One evening,  I heard him cough loudly. I wanted to knock on his door and ask if he was okay, but I did not. My  kindness had been misunderstood by him. I was kind because he reminded me of my late grandfather.  I never wanted a romantic interest from him. I always believed that older men were safe, but I  learned that age does not mean safety. Sometimes people hide their loneliness behind a sweet  smile. I handled a very difficult situation alone. Now I think twice before helping someone  new. I am careful with my smiles. I am a much stronger person now. If you liked this story,  please like, comment, share, and subscribe.