Yesterday's strange occurrence

Since this blog is meant to be used to share exciting, interesting things that we experience during our time in Abu Dhabi, I (Jill) figured I'd write about the incredibly weird/slightly scary occurrence that happened to me yesterday.

I had a few errands to run downtown so I decided to hit one of the grocery stores in town on my way home since it's bigger and I can usually find everything I am looking for there.  No big deal.  I was driving on the highway towards home and after about 10 minutes I notice that there is a silver Lexus sedan with dark tinted windows that has been behind me the whole time since I got on the highway.  I only thought this to be strange since usually the only time you notice a Lexus out here is when it is flying by you at a speed well over the legal limit.  Even on a 4-lane highway with plenty of chances to pass me this guy was still following me.  Ok, whatever, I'm just being paranoid.  I get off on the exit to merge onto another highway, which is the main road to Dubai (exit for our house is off this road).  The Lexus also exits, and eventually passes me, so I have a small feeling of relief.  However, when I go to get off at our exit I notice once again that the Lexuas has managed to get behind me and is exiting as well.  I just tell myself that he's going somewhere in Khalifa City A (the small town-ish area near our housing complex).  Wrong.  When I go around the round-about and eventually turn off to go through our gated entrance, he is still behind me.  Begin minor panic attack... 

The entrance to our housing complex has two entrance gates - one for residents and one for visitors.  There is a small building next to the gates with guards at all times as they are the ones that have to let you in.  Since they know me and recognize my car they open the residents gate no problem for me and of course, the Lexus follows in right behind me as the guards assume he lives there as well.  Which he may very well so I just keep driving.  I tell myself that if he is still behind me when I get to our street I won't stop at the house but will keep driving until he goes some other direction than where I am going.  I know this guy doesn't live on our street (never seen this car driving or parked anywhere on our street before) but I try to tell myself maybe he's got a friend here or something.  He's still behind me as I turn down our street so I pass our house and turn onto another street and drive all the way to the other side of the community.   The whole time he is still behind me.  So now I know he is following me ( and I am freaking out) and I need to go somewhere that has people around because I have no idea why this is happening.  The first place I think of is our community center.  As I pull up to the front entrance of the community center the Lexus stops in the roundabout in front of the community center less than 15 yards behind me and just sits.  I'm too afraid to get out of the car so I just and pretend to fish my phone out of my purse and when I look up the guy is pulled up next to me with his window down (in traditional Emirate dress) saying "Excuse me".  He didn't look pissed off (good sign) so I wind down my window and he promptly asks me "Do you want to sell your license plate?"  HUH?!?!?  I look at him like he has three heads and yell "WHAT?!?".  He goes on to explain that my license plate numbers are almost identical to his except for the last number so he thought it would be nice if he could buy my plates for his wife's car.  After taking a massive sigh of relief and laughing to myself I explain that the car is a leased vehicle and unfortunately I do not have the ability to sell the plates to him (since we don't own the car).  He politely says "ok, have a good afternoon" and drives off. 

I have no doubt that this will be chalked up as one of the strangest things to ever happen to me while living here!