Nearly mugged, is it possible, is it paranoia, lets forget it

At lunch time I decided to take a few photographs of the Thames, it was foggy and chilly out with the scattered remains of snow, turned to ice and then turning to slush. I like my little camera. It's a great little compact and has excited a hobby I used to have many years ago. However the fog was pretty thick and the shots were not quite to my liking.

As I stood there looking across to the East side of the Thames I noticed three persons walking along the path. They were late teens in age or possibly early 20s and wearing the typical baggy jean delinquent look. Two were white one was black. As a precaution I immediately decided to put my camera in my coat pocket. But I still wanted to take more photographs. And the place I had to take them from was immediately in their path. By the the hand rail overlooking the Thames. They were walking in my general direction as well. By heading towards the hand rail I was going to put myself directly in their path. My reaction was it's a free country and I should be able to go where ever I want without worry. Also there was apprehension. The little voice which says, "watch out" well it starts of little but can quickly shout out as the situation is continually assessed. The three delinquents were getting closer to where I was. Then a moment of paranoia did hit me. It was "you could get mugged." I realised although this was a big public pathway there were no other people around. Now two mind sets began to argue, both rational and their arguments swung like a pendulum. Each winning in part and creating a semi-stalemate situation. I stood and waited a little more as they wondered even closer. Where were they going? What were their intentions? Now I was walking in an intercept to a point behind where they had come. The three were side by side. Which was fine my panic monitor said. Then one of them peeled off from his companions and was now walking directly towards me. The alarm began to ring. He had no reason to walk towards me, or should I say he had only one reason to walk towards me. To accost me. He was now about 15 metres or 45 feet away. My heart jumped, and the very real feeling of "you are just about to get mugged" hit me. If I carried on towards him there something would happen. My earlier considerations of freedom and rights went out of the window. These were three youths. The scenarios now running through my mind were along with "I'm going to f*cking hit him" then "the three of them are going to kick the shite out of me, I'll be robbed and senseless." I recalled newspaper articles of people getting mugged and dying from stab wounds. My choice now was to turn around and walk away at as brisk a pace as I could muster at a tangent. The direction was towards a main road about a hundred metres away. As I strode off I heard one of the delinquents say "go on do it." Fortunately for me the do it part didn't happen. I was both afraid and angry at them at the same time. They carried on walking the direction they had intended while I back tracked on myself so I could get the photo's I had set out to get in the first place.

Back at the fish factory I told my colleagues and we then all joked about it. I asked if they would like to go back with me and we could then kick the shite out of them. For some reason the girls were not up for it, and it was way too late anyway. I know there was mischief in those juveniles. I can't say for sure what would of happened. I did the best thing I could and avoided confrontation. As one of my colleagues said, if they wanted to have mugged me then they would have, this has some consoling merit to it. Suggesting my paranoia and cautious view of delinquent 20 somethings was unfounded. However, at the same time, I know how mad I also felt and I was going to go full out and hit back. The problem was whatever physical action I took I was going go come off the worst. And it is so easy to see or note how quite bizarre and trivial situations rise into big mountainous affairs. Things which are out of control and just happen.

I asked my so wise companion Little Monster boy "what do you call it when two people can not agree on something?" His answer was an argument. When I was looking for something like disagreement or dispute. Quite rightly, disagreement and dispute easily becomes argument. When one reasoned view point is unable to change or persuade another. So it seems my own stubbornness led me to a mental argument. And my own fears or affects also had their say.

When I asked a colleague whether it was an offence to carry knuckle dusters he said "yes" emphatically. Oh well it looks like I am going to be left with my continued self dilemmas it's either this or carrying around a portable electric fence. Which has also got to be out, the weight of the batteries will make it much too hard work.