The Jane Genie

I was walking back from Rachel's last night, and I'd just turned down Colney Heath Lane and I saw up ahead of me an old person. I wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman (because of the dark and the fact they were wrapped up against the cold). Anyway, I was walking along at a pretty brisk pace because I was listening to music and I wanted to get home quickly because I knew I might be a bit late for dinner.

I was wearing boots which make a clicky noise on the ground, and they were obviously echoing down the empty street, and as I slowly got closer to this person, they began to walk faster too. They were walking exactly the same way as me, turning down my street in the end, and as I walked behind, minding my own business and enjoying some Kasabian or whatever they burst into a brief jog. They stopped jogging, but remained at a faster pace than before a way ahead of me.

And then a thought struck me. Did they think I was following them? This continued all the way home. I'd keep walking at my pace, and the elderly person would break into short jogs when they realised I was getting closer.

I realise I may have sounded a bit ominous, in the dark with my shoes clacking on the empty pavement - but I felt even worse for this old person. I mean, it suddenly became horribly obvious to me the effect we have on other people nowadays. I get freaked out when I walk home and I see people standing up ahead of me, or walking behind me, especially in the dark. I don't know what else to say really, other than what an unfriendly environment we now live in, where people's fight or flight response kicks in on an empty street at 6:15 on a Wednesday evening.