I'm walking down a quiet street in my neighborhood at around 4:30 in the afternoon. It's a beautiful day, and it's Friday, and I'm on my way home from work. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts! Ahh.

Then, up ahead, I see a guy turn the corner, and now he's walking toward me. I try to act natural and not look at him and not look defensive, just pretend I don't notice, like he's a tree or a car or something, right? Because odds are nothing will happen--we'll pass each other on the sidewalk, and our meeting will pass from my mind just as quickly. But then there's the itchy, kind of nervous feeling that I can't help but feel. It is accompanied by the hope that the guy won't feel any compulsion to say or do anything as we pass on the sidewalk.

We pass.

He says (an overly conversational), "Hello!"

I ignore him, pretend I didn't hear. Look away.

He says, "You know, I speak sign language too," as I continue walking and ignoring.

God, I hate that.

Makes you wonder if the guy tried that tactic before and it worked...