A walk, and a meeting…

[alicephilippa]

As regular views should have noted by now, over then last month when the weather is ok I try to get out for a walk on a Sunday. I know to day is not Sunday, but the weather forecast being rather rubbish for the rest of the weekend, persuaded me, once I'd woken up, to drag some clothes on and go out in between showers.

The walk up thought the wood to the canal was perfumed with the smell of wild garlic, which will be in flower soon. Considering it was early afternoon on a Bank Holiday there were few boats moving, and few people out and about. Walking was less of a pleasure, not because of the weather, but because it was very slippery underfoot.

I walked along the canal for a while, and then left it to cut through the flashes into town. As I left the canal I was hit (literally) by a heavy hailstorm. Large hailstones bouncing off your nose hurt!

I was crossing Witton Mill meadows when I caught up with a couple (1 female, 1 male), and their somewhat nervous dog, heading in the same direction as me. As I was passing them, and we exchanged greetings, as you do, the following conversation took place:

F: "I'm sure I know you." …looks at me again… "No, I think I've got you mixed up with someone else."
Me: "Oh?"
F: "Do you know Steve and Hayley?"
Me: "Yes."
F: "I thought you were Alan, a friend of Hayley's brother. David, is it?"
Me: "No, Adam's Hayley's brother. I used to be Alan."
F: "Oh. I'm Claire."

And the conversation turned to other things, and no mention was made of my "I used to be Alan" comment.

I left them and their somewhat muddy dog and walked up through Carey Park, where the thorn hedges are just starting to blossom.



Alice.

Comments

[femsc.livejournal.com]

no mention was made of my "I used to be Alan" comment.

Be fair, what would your response have been to that sort of comment, say 5 or 10 years ago? It must have been one heck of a confusing conversation!

[alicephilippa.livejournal.com]

Thinking about it. I have utterly no idea, other than it would have been a

"huh"

moment.

Alice.

[femsc.livejournal.com]

You'll probably find you were talked about after the encounter, but that neither he nor she had any idea how to respond to "I used to be..." - unless of course they already knew that one of the friends-of-friends was undergoing changes.

I've got to admit, before I got to 'know' you, I'm not sure what my own response would have been.

[alicephilippa.livejournal.com]

TBH, it was the type of encounter that I'd given utterly no thought to. I was caught a bit flat footed, as I do forget that there are people I've not seen since I started to transition.

Alice.