Unexpected Incident

I had a great, lighthearted entry planned for today.  I was going to joke about it being another public holiday.  It was going to be witty and provide further insight into life out here.  I was working through it during my morning run.  I jogged along the River Walk, playing with words, contemplating lines, formulating quips.  It distracted me, preventing me from fully noticing my surroundings.

I saw him coming toward me, though.  He was young, dressed in a white tracksuit jacket and slouching shorts.  He looked like a typical, teenage (early 20s at best), wannabe-gangsta-thug – no one of concern.  He approached me, entering my personal space, as if to ask a question.  I ignored him and continued running.  From my peripheral vision, I noticed him jogging behind me, as if to catch up.  I remember thinking he was annoyingly persistent.  Then he lunged. 

The physical contact snapped me into reality, made me realize what was taking place.  He was attacking me.  This can’t be happening, I thought.  It’s broad daylight.  There are people around.  After that, there was no time to think, only to react.  I turned to face him.  Got in his face.  I fought back and shoved.  I screamed at the top of my lungs.  Shocked, he stumbled backwards and ran off.

He hadn’t hurt me, hadn’t even been able to steal my iPod (which is what I’m sure he was after), but I was trembling, shaken to my core.  A strange mixture of adrenaline, anger, and fear pulsated through me.  People stopped to help, to make sure I was OK.  Someone offered me his phone.  I called the police and gave a full report of the incident.  Other witnesses called, too.  I ran home to meet the police.  They took down my details and instructed me to pick out chins, noses, and hairstyles out of a book.  Someone will fingerprint my iPod tomorrow.

It’s all so strange, so surreal.  I moved to a city with a significantly lower crime rate than most places I’ve lived and this happens.  Everyone at work was shocked.  I was in such a safe place.  The whole situation is so unexpected and random.  But that’s life.  Just when you think you’re perfectly safe, that nothing bad can happen, life teaches you a lesson.  I’m thankful I’m OK, with no real harm was done.  My nerves are shot, but I will survive.  I just need to work up the courage to run again, because I will not let that jerk affect my life for one more moment.