Yesterday I met some people at a playground down the street from my job. It was a nice, sunny day and I walked down to meet them, arriving a few minutes before they did. Looking around, I noticed an educational sign about bats on one of the fences and went over to investigate. While I was standing there reading it, a couple of older women were walking by on the sidewalk on the other side of the fence and paused to admire the view looking out over the pond.
The fence itself was about 4 1/2 feet high, made of wooden planks with not gaps in between. Short enough to see over, but built to keep curious toddlers away from the water’s edge. This information is vital because from the other side of the fence there is no evidence that there is anything on the fence to look at.
So, from the perspective of the women talking on the other side, there was just me, standing alone directly behind them and staring in their direction.
I vaguely noticed the conversation faltering, glancing up casually in response to see both of them eying me like I might attack at any second. It took only a couple of seconds for me to realize what had happened. I said something along the lines of “Oh, sorry, I wasn’t listening to your conversation, there’s a sign here about bats!”
We laughed it off and they chatted with me for a minute until I found a way to politely excuse myself.
While the interaction started in a fairly awkward way, it still turned into a fun and casual encounter. Just another reminder that people are people.
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