DEAR ABBY: A man came to my home today to fix a tech problem and proceeded to hit on me. Abby, he was at least 10 years older than me (I'm 23), and it was so unprofessional. I was home alone, and being faced with that situation caused me to turn red. He then commented on my blushing, and I just sat there saying nothing.
I am berating myself for not speaking up, and I'm disgusted that he assumed I was blushing because I liked the attention when it was the opposite! At the same time, I am fearful of a man reacting aggressively if I were to say something.
I was hoping you could tell me what to say or do in order to better handle these situations in the future. I want to be more vocal; I just don't know how to be. -- BLUSHING IN TEXAS
DEAR BLUSHING: Whether you were red with embarrassment or pale with anger is irrelevant. You should report him to his employer to make sure he will never come to your home again.
A way to protect yourself in the future might be to arrange to have someone else present under those circumstances. If someone behaves inappropriately during a service call to your home, you are within your rights to tell the person you want him to leave immediately, and that is what you should have done.