A Strange Incident During My Evening Walk

A strange occurrence took place last evening during my evening walk. No, it was not by the Owl Creek Bridge, or anything nearly so severe as that.

Still, it was strange. And since there have been numerous similar strange occurrences due, apparently, to my appearance, it just seemed worth noting. Thought it would be worth sharing here, for that matter.

So yes, I was just really beginning my walk, when an older guy, who was riding his bike and heading the opposite way (but he was on the road and close to the sidewalk that I was walking on) sees me. His face seems to brighten up a bit for some unknown reason, although I am sure that we do not know one another. He slows his bike down before stopping, which he does basically right next to me.

Right away, I got the feeling that this was not going to be a wonderful exchange. Sure enough, he begins talking. Excuse my language, but every other word for the first stretch of his conversation was either fuck, or some form of it.

I am paraphrasing here, but here is a sample:

"This fuckin' Chinese bike. Those fucking cheap bastards. Look at this fucking shit!"

Now mind you, we are across the street from a playground. It is still daylight, and so there are children nearby, playing. Within ear shot.

That did not seem to both him. In fact, he hardly seemed to take notice. All he seemed to see was me. Or rather, what he assumed I surely was. In short, a sympathetic member of the MAGA cult. Surely, I would sympathize with his anti-Chinese stance.

He went on to say that they renamed the bike, but that it is lower quality than he has ever experienced before. Eight times, spokes came loose.

By now, he noticed that my facial gestures were no longer hiding my lack of enthusiasm for this particular conversation. I had initially smiled, mostly out of politeness, as you will when someone comes up to you for help or to ask a question. But this guy was doing neither. In fact, he was obnoxious and beginning to get on my nerves, interrupting a nice walk to spout hateful bullshit. Simply put, I had no interest in what he was talking about, or him more generally. 

I felt like telling him that we were strangers, and that we probably should remain that way. But I don't want to be outright rude. Also, you never know who these people are, what they might have on them (Trump supporters generally love arms, remember) or what they are capable of. 

So after noticing my lack of enthusiasm for his constant swearing and going off on how cheap and poor quality Chinese products are, which I took as code for his support for Trump and MAGA, and him assuming that I was surely just as enthusiastic a supporter as he was, he suddenly ended all suspense and asked me point blank:

"You better be a fucking Republican?"

What I felt like asking him, with some provocation, "And what if I'm not?"

But again, there seemed no benefit to continuing this particular conversation any longer, and I did not know this man, or what was in the bag on his bike, or anything like that. So it seemed better not to escalate the situation, but to end this ridiculous discussion as quickly and completely as possible.

I lied, and told him not that I was, but that politics really does not interest me. That's not true, but there seemed no purpose to continuing such an asinine, draining conversation. 

Finally, he got the hint. He spouted off "That's bullshit" before riding off towards whatever destination he had been heading in to begin with. 

Now, I know that I look like a conservative, having been told that my appearance seems to be that of a cop or the military (perhaps now that I am older, an ex-cop or ex-military). In truth, however, this is a case of appearances being deceiving. His opinions were, frankly, stupid, and I did not appreciate him interrupting my walk and assuming that I was surely as xenophobic, obnoxious, and crass as he was. Again, all of this occurred within easy earshot of kids playing on a playground nearby. 

What an asshole.

Sorry, but I'm just being frank here myself.

Anyway, the rest of the walk was nice. That buffoon was quickly forgotten, and my thoughts soon turned to other matters.

Not long afterwards, I saw this beautiful tree, and thought it unique enough to take some pictures. You see how the inside of the tree has pink blossoms, while the outside has white? That looked particularly beautiful, at least to me. Worth sharing some pictures below.

Enjoy.