Day 24
Temperatures in the mid-sixties with partly sunny skies drew me out to my street for my Tuesday telephone date. I did not need to drive anywhere; so, I decided to stay close to home. My telephone date walked outside somewhere else. The sound of the wind was so loud that at times we could not hear each other and had to talk loud. I hoped no one could hear me while I was walking by. I have a feeling someone did when two neighbors turned who were walking away from me. I waved and smiled like I was talking to them.
Less than a few tenths from my house I saw a slow moving gray and white colored car heading towards me. I always walk against traffic so I can see what is coming. As I got closer the car slowed down, then stopped as I was passing by. The male got out of the car. I heard him say something to me, but I kept going like I had not heard him and walked further away from my house. I walked about five houses away and crossed the street and started walking back towards my house on the opposite side of the street. The guy who had gotten out was walking up the driveway of my neighbor across the street. I slowed my pace to see what he was doing. He had papers in his hands. By the time I was close enough he was crossing back to the side of the street my house was past his car. It looked like he was passing out flyers. I had not seen this person when I was walking earlier up the street. So I walked past my house again and kept walking to the end of the street. My husband had just left the house minutes before and I did not want to walk up to my house until I knew it was safe.
I told my girlfriend on the phone what was happening. On my way back down the street I looked for the man. As far as I had walked he should have been past my house and dropping off flyers at other houses. As I got near my house the car was a house away from mine. Then I started to pull out my defense spray just in case. Then I saw the car move and pull into one of the driveways and turn around and went the opposite direction. In the other hand I had my keys ready to get into the house and to use as a weapon. (I had pulled my keys out the second time I passed my house.) Once he was gone I went into my house.
I will probably never know if that guy was a legit flyer distributor. I just know he did not finish the rest of the street and I did not see him when I was at the long end of the street where I had just walked before coming home.
What drives me crazy about walking alone is, as a woman I have to preplan all of my walks and never walk the same place twice. I have to walk in areas I feel safe and even in those areas I have to always be alert. It is so unfair that I have to always take such defensive measures to stay fit and do a simple walk. Walking in a park alone is not an option, no matter how “safe” the area is. Women disappear, are injured, or a raped anywhere. I can hardly wait until I can walk miles around the new Jerusalem without a care about danger.
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