Religious and spiritual people consider the deeper meaning behind life events and will often make comments like "Everything happens for a reason," or "Everything is in divine order."

I don't necessarily hold these beliefs but I'm not deeply offended by them and I understand them.

Now, those of y'all who do, help me out here:

Why do y'all think I ran into my abuser, a former classmate from my K-12 years, in a shopping plaza parking lot, which led to our brief "friendship?" And why do you think I keep running into relatives of said abuser after severing ties?

Here's the story:
I allowed this person to live with me for a little over a year after reconnecting and realizing he was down on his luck. Unfortunately, he engaged in sexual, verbal, physical, financial and emotional abuse. I could not legally kick him out until I got a police report. By the time this happened, I lost my job. This was what religious/spiritual folks call a “blessing” in disguise. I put in a 30-day notice to vacate my apartment and we parted ways. Sigh. Of. Relief.

Now, three disturbing things have happened since I ended this “friendship” last spring.

1. While at a red light last summer, I glanced over at a car to my right. It was ex-“friend’s” stepfather, the same person he said abused him during his childhood. He was staring right at me.
2. A few months later, his little brother, a recent college grad, accidentally backed into my car in the Walgreens parking lot and caused about $500-1000 in damage. He didn’t have his insurance card on him and gave me about $250 in cash instead. I took a picture of his car and license plate for reference. I suspected it was ex-friend's younger sibling but I wasn’t sure. After all, I had last saw him when he was a very small kid. This summer, while riding past his family home, I saw the same car in the driveway of ex-friend’s childhood home. My first stepfather still lives in the same subdivision and I was in the neighborhood for a visit. Same car, same plate number.
3. Last year, I got a new job with a large corporate employer that is associated with a new university building. Ex-friend’s mother is a professor at this school. Saw her once this year while on assignment for the company as I work in communications and interact with many people, including her professor colleagues. She looked at me and I said nothing as I haven’t seen her in 20 years. I don't think she knew who I was.

And then there was yesterday. I was looking at one of my employer’s Instagram accounts. I often write blurbs to accompany the photos but I don’t manage the profile. My coworker had posted a photo of the ex-friend’s professor mom. Turns out she has been recently promoted to a major leadership position at the school. I may have to talk to her at one point, which scares me.

Like I said: why do I keep running into his people? Do you think these random encounters have a deeper meaning or is it just a coincidence and proof that the world is small. I’m leaning toward the latter, especially because I really don’t identify as spiritual and definitely not religious.

HOWEVER, since moving back to my hometown community more than two years ago, ex-friend is the ONLY person from my K-12 years that I’ve ran into, which is how the rekindled “friendship” and our living arrangement started. What’s more, his family are the only relatives of former classmates and longtime peers I have encountered since moving back.

Is the universe trying to mindf*ck me?

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"Music is not to be possessed; it's to be shared.” - James Mtume

"Just stay loose, keep it raw, and bang ya drums out sometimes." - Madlib