Images of the City: Bike

Schwoom!

A car speeds past me, a little too close for comfort. 

I usually bike down a side street, thinking a quieter street would be safer. Not sure that's the case anymore. I hear another car speeding towards me from behind. Bracing myself, I try to ride a straight line to make it easier for the car. Just as the car is about to pass me I see it.

A pothole.

It's huge! Ginormous! Ridiculous! Absurd! Too large to charge straight through yet I'm moving too fast to stop in time. Swerving is not an option given the speeding car behind me. I'm running out of options, and time. I thought dodging potholes in a car on the weather-ravaged streets of Chicago was rough. It's not any easier on a bike.

I do not want to crash today. The weather was nice when I left so I didn't change out of my dress pants, my $200 dress pants. I'm going to regret that decision.

Deciding to attempt a quick stop, I squeeze the brake handles hard. The tires squeak and skid. These tires are not coming to a crisp stop as I'd hoped, probably should've paid for that tune up.

My bike barely slows down. These brakes are a joke. The front tire slams into the crater taking up half the street (exaggerate much?). The bike, along with myself, flips over and I land on my back, half in/half out of the hole. I glance up and notice my pants are still pristine.

Success.

Giving Directions

Waiting at the corner. Red Light forever frozen. Woman standing next to turns and looks me in the eyes. She's in her mid-forties, short with olive complexion, wearing a casual cardigan and black slacks.

Is she going to ask me for money? Oh please don't ask me for money. I really don't want to deny anyone today.

She speaks but the words only jumble about in my head. Not her fault, my heart is racing like a jackrabbit. I am unable to focus on her words. 

Her eyes look expectantly at me, waiting for my words to answer her recent request. I have no idea what she said. No. I. dea.

"What?"

"Where is State?" she asks again as pleasantly as the first time.

"State street? Oh, that's two blocks straight ahead of us," I say while pointing in the direction we are facing. "That's actually where I'm headed."

She smiles at me and tilts her head as if consoling or pitying me. She also creases her forehead looking confused. Did she say State? Did I answer her question? I'm sure she said State! She definitely said State. Maybe she meant a different State?

The Red Light finally thaws into Green. Deciding I'd completed my civic duty I crossed the street, still wondering if the woman is going to follow my instructions. I don't want to look suspicious or get into another hard-to-understand, heart-unrelentingly-beating conversation so I don't turn around to check.

The next corner is also frozen Red, giving me an opportunity to look behind me as if I am looking at incoming traffic. I notice the woman is following my instructions, but she is walking slowly with her forehead still creased.

She must be a tourist, unsure of where she is supposed to go. I'm starting to doubt she meant State Street.   But I can't show her I'm second-guessing my advice. I can't look like a fool to someone I'll never see again. Too much to risk.

The Red once again melts to Green and we cross the last street to State. I steal another glance at traffic to see she also continues her wayward journey to State.

Arriving at State I look around as if wondering where to go next, giving her an opportunity to ask me another question, in case this isn't the State she expected to arrive at. Instead she turns left, still walking at her deliberate pace seemingly confused. Maybe she doesn't want to play the fool either, already appearing helpless once to a stranger in the city.

I turn right towards my destination wondering if she will remain lost in this vast city continually looking for State. Are we all looking for State?

Passing a Stranger

She's coming down the hallway. Do I say hi? Too far away, thankfully.

Our eyes lock.

Crap. She knows I saw her. At the end of the hallway I can still ignore her. There's a hallway just to her left; please turn please turn, please turn.

She doesn't.

Maybe someone else will come that knows her. Is she walking faster? Now she's too close to ignore.
I must do something; head nod? "hey"? "My name is..."? handshake? Maybe she'll initiate.

She doesn't.

Instead she suddenly becomes interested in the blank wall to her right.

Clever.

Instantly I become an expert on blank walls, analyzing the wall to my right. She's obviously too busy to say hello, I'm obviously too busy to say hello, concentrated as we are, on parallel walls, passing without a hint of recognition.

Awkward escaped, intro avoided, as I walk down the hallway.