Over the Rail and into the River

In nice weather I often take a longer route to work for more pedal time.  This morning I headed over the river to Lawrenceville and returned across the sidewalk of the 40th Street Bridge to Millvale.

As I pedaled up the bridge, the man walking toward me stubbornly remained in the middle of the sidewalk.  I slowed down and clicked off my flashing headlight to avoid excessive annoyance on the part of the pedestrian.

As we passed, he stayed centered on the path and began to shout things like "Get off the sidewalk! Get back on the road! What's the helmet for, pussy?! Oooh, and you've got lights too!"

The mocking continued as I sped on up the hill.  And that was it.  Nothing else actually happened.  But I recognized the young man as a former student at the high school - he hasn't changed.

Then again, maybe he has changed.  An unprovoked verbal attack like that may represent an acceleration of stupidity.  I could see him wearing a wife beater, beer in hand, smackin' his girlfriend around in front of her kids.  He's the kind of boy-man who starts a bar fight over a bet.

Thinking back, I'm glad I didn't stop.  Plenty of people carry weapons and some even taunt others just for the chance to use them.

And I don't think I'll be riding the sidewalk across bridges in the dark any more.  He could have tossed me over the rail and into the river with a well-placed hip check.