The Walk
In a big urban center like Washington DC, walking is a common form of transportation, much more common than it is in cities like Tulsa. I'm getting more used to driving here, but driving can be a pain that's made worse by the scarcity of easy, convenient parking (our kids' school, for example, has none). Even if people choose to ride the Metro bus or train, there is still the walk to the station or stop, as well as the walk from the station or stop to the destination. I enjoy being in a place where people are constantly out and about on the streets. And I find myself walking more than I used to, which is usually a good thing.
However, there is a stretch of sidewalk outside a liquor store and dilapidated strip mall near our house that's fairly shady (not just because of the trees) and usually occupied by a colorful cast of characters.
It's a stretch that's directly on our path to the bus stop we use to get to Capitol Hill and on our way to the kids' school, so we walk it almost every day. We don't know exactly what kinds of interactions and transactions go on between these characters, and we don't want to know. We try to be friendly and smile (like Elaine on Seinfeld: "I want to make the freaks feel comfortable"), but we don't stop or look too closely. As much as I try to avoid confrontation, however, there have been a few interesting comments come our way.
A few weeks ago, I was hit on and proposed to on the same day. I was wearing my workout clothes and pushing my stroller, so I'm not sure what the allure could have been. And I will admit that it's likely that both the offers came from men who were not altogether sober; remember, it was near a liquor store. The first guy said, "I want to date you!" I joked back, "I don't think so, I've got four kids." But it didn't faze him; his response was "I'll take care of all of you!" Ha! I forgot to mention I also had a husband, but maybe he would have taken care of Harvey too and we'd have gotten a sweet deal!
A little farther along, after I crossed the street, which is usually a pretty benign area, an older man said he wanted to marry me. At that point I didn't get into the many, many reasons that would never happen. And a couple days ago I was told I was "very attractive." That same comment came my way once before at Safeway, and the man there actually asked me if I was a model. What a laugh I had at that one! I guess these guys are short on pick-up lines.
I think Harvey knows these sidewalk guys better because he walks past them twice a day, sometimes more when he walks Benjamin to football practice. They chat with him and even sometimes give him a report on the kids and me if they saw me earlier in the afternoon. The other day, one of them said something about seeing me walk the kids home from school. Harvey said something like, "Yeah, she has her hands full," and the man's reply was, "No, she was taking care of her business!" The same guys also tell Harvey they like the way he "takes care of those black kids." Harvey says, well, they're my kids, so I'd better!
Sometimes I'm a little uncomfortable walking in these areas. But so far no one has harassed me or directed obscenities at me (they just direct them at other people). If that happens, I might rethink my walking route, or I might start driving to the Safeway parking lot across from the school and walking from there every day. For now, I'm surviving the concrete jungle. I know how to take care of my business.
However, there is a stretch of sidewalk outside a liquor store and dilapidated strip mall near our house that's fairly shady (not just because of the trees) and usually occupied by a colorful cast of characters.
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| Our lovely neighborhood liquor store and "marketplace" |
A few weeks ago, I was hit on and proposed to on the same day. I was wearing my workout clothes and pushing my stroller, so I'm not sure what the allure could have been. And I will admit that it's likely that both the offers came from men who were not altogether sober; remember, it was near a liquor store. The first guy said, "I want to date you!" I joked back, "I don't think so, I've got four kids." But it didn't faze him; his response was "I'll take care of all of you!" Ha! I forgot to mention I also had a husband, but maybe he would have taken care of Harvey too and we'd have gotten a sweet deal!
A little farther along, after I crossed the street, which is usually a pretty benign area, an older man said he wanted to marry me. At that point I didn't get into the many, many reasons that would never happen. And a couple days ago I was told I was "very attractive." That same comment came my way once before at Safeway, and the man there actually asked me if I was a model. What a laugh I had at that one! I guess these guys are short on pick-up lines.
I think Harvey knows these sidewalk guys better because he walks past them twice a day, sometimes more when he walks Benjamin to football practice. They chat with him and even sometimes give him a report on the kids and me if they saw me earlier in the afternoon. The other day, one of them said something about seeing me walk the kids home from school. Harvey said something like, "Yeah, she has her hands full," and the man's reply was, "No, she was taking care of her business!" The same guys also tell Harvey they like the way he "takes care of those black kids." Harvey says, well, they're my kids, so I'd better!
Sometimes I'm a little uncomfortable walking in these areas. But so far no one has harassed me or directed obscenities at me (they just direct them at other people). If that happens, I might rethink my walking route, or I might start driving to the Safeway parking lot across from the school and walking from there every day. For now, I'm surviving the concrete jungle. I know how to take care of my business.
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