Giving Me Some Personal Space
I was running at the City Stadium this morning. A man, about twenty four, was running with me shoulder to shoulder.
All of sudden he said: “Hi, man!
“Well, hi!” said I offhand.
You may think only of that as an average start for some conversation. The truth is, that was the start of my misfortune.
Have you ever been tired of someone who kept badgering you all day long to meet his requests? Have you ever been surrounded by a flock of wasps buzzing around and not able to get out of the way? Did you say: “Get out of here, buddy!”? If it just happened to you, how would you feel?
I stopped to stretch body and exercise, so did him, whom I was not bothered with so far. It seemed to me that it was normal for two strangers talking a little with each other. I mean I talked a little bit. Nothing was showing that we had some things in common. He was not the man, one of the soul mates I found.
I would not mind if I could have one more friend. To my disappointment, just like the shadow of mine, he followed me and sat close by my side when I was resting on the steps. How he was so dying to express himself that I seldom interrupted him out of politeness. But he spoke too much, and too much is too much. It was really difficult to stand the loudspeaker broadcasting nonsense around your ears all the way.
As he was excitedly chattering on the world and his life without considering my feeling, I just continued on in silence. If I could speak some words came with disgust. I said, “Oh, yeah, come on, wow, gee, boy, goddddddd!”
I guess no people in their right mind could bear listening to his endless preaching. To make things worse, when he spoke to me, he reached his neck so close to me and, endlessly, squawking. Above all things, he was wearing some kind of perfume. I hated it. The mixed smell of perfume and sweat was so stifling that my respiration became difficult, which brought me to the edge of passing out.
Close your eyes and imagine you are in the situation, and you know how bad it is! Oops, it’s toooooooooo bad, indeed. So I’d got to get rid of it by cooking up a story. Yet, at the moment, I knew not what to say! I mean I never intended to put him on the spot by some sharp remarks.
With a faint smile, I rose to my feet before he finished his talk and said, “Oh, man, don’t you wanna walk around, I wanna do it for a while.” Without his permission, I went away!
He said, in stunned silence, “Oh, yeah! Well, see you next time!”
“You are about to leave! Ok, see you!” said I. And I dared not to say: “NEXT TIME.”
The golden and warm light of dawn seeped down from the leaves of trees above. I breathed a sigh of relief when he was out of my sight! Perhaps out of sight, out of mind. Now I was able to free my heart and enjoy the nature given by God.
