I just walked by the police station and just kept walking while I glanced over there
just in case he was watching
I know the dispatcher, Sgt., the captain, and the chief of police.
But just kept walking. I was on my way on walk the beach with a friend and it just wasn’t worth it.
Just two minutes earlier I was walking west on Pearl Street. As I approached a man from with a backpack, hood, headphones, a cell phone in his hand and as he walked I approached from behind them. The sun casting a shadow in front of me and about the time I got behind him and was trying to pass on the left, he took his next step to the left and as I was even with them and I said “Good morning”, he purposely tripped me. I couldn’t believe it.
I turned around to look him in the face and said “I say Good Morning and you trip me, what the fuck.” He looked surprised and serious and said “Don’t come up on me like that.” I turned and walked, a bit infuriated. I walked thinking after having looked him in the eyes that it was early morning and he was already having a bad day.
My day was starting and I felt determined not to let this aggression fuck up. I had walk only a short distance and was on the opposite side of the street from the campus police station, I thought about walking over in reporting the incident, but did not. He was already having a bad day and I was going to have a great one and let this go. The man could have been a homeless vet with PTSD for all I knew.
The longer the day went be, the better I felt about my decision.
Later at home I shared the incident with my wife and 13 year old daughter. They were both ready to track down the offender and do what I don’t know but their fearless protective stance was priceless.