I heard her shout at the pedestrian in front of me, but I couldn’t make out what she’d said. We were separated by about 20 yards and she was walking my direction. I had time before our paths crossed to perform a quick visual assessment and prepare myself for my own interaction. Her appearance and behavior were not inconsistent with what I see near this train station every day.
As we neared one another on the sidewalk I smiled, as I do, and said hello. She shushed me loudly and yelled, “I’m the police! I’m undercover!”
Life in this city holds wonders and heartaches in the same bodies.