When I Walk

(Or, 5 People I Didn't Say 'Hi' To Today)

1. The old woman walking her dog. A German Shepherd with a limp. I saw a large bird with a limp later on as well, and it wasn't a seagull.
2. The man in the chip shop. He stepped away from playing the fruit machine in the corner with his friend to serve me, and he smiled. First visit to the chip shop since I got back, and this one is 10p more expensive than the one near my old house.
3. The girl in the evening dress. It was pink and shiny, and she was beautiful. The thinnest straps and the skirt flaring out as she walked, ending just below the knee. I could see the shape of her thighs as she stepped whilst carrying her bags, and she looked straight out of a tv show. She had polished mousy blonde hair and she also smiled at me. I smiled back wondering what on earth she was doing out dressed up so pretty, and I was about to blurt out that I liked her dress before I remembered myself. We both walked on, and then she was gone.
4. The man outside the theatre on his mobile. He was all in black with curly brown hair a little too thick to be hobbit-like. He laughed carelessly on the other side of the street, chatting away busily.
5. The child that fell over. He fell over twice, tottering around unstably in his tiny jeans and camel jacket with the hood up. Seemed to me as if he'd only just learnt, and he struggled to get himself back on his feet each time. He had to be helped by his mother, swung up and set back down again to meander off and stop to examine things. Resilience at falling on concrete gets to me everytime I see it, but he made it look easy, bouncing around, up and down. I tried not to get in his way and attempted to walk around, but his direction changed suddenly and he stared at me as I passed, turning with his constant wobble to watch me go.