Cycle Hire

I've had a recent routine as of late on Sundays. In the morning I pack up my things and my work for the day, and leave my house at about 10:15 am to walk to Shu's place. I usually reach there around 10:35 am, and we leave at about 10:45am for church on Tottenham Court Road. After that we grab lunch, study, have dinner and I leave at about 9 pm to go home.

As I leave at about 9 pm for home, it usually means I walk home after the sun has set. Not only that, but I walk through fairly deserted streets as all the shops and cafes have closed for the day. Every single walk home is filled with little pockets of paranoia, and I always make sure to loop my fingers around my laptop bag's handles and get my keys ready in hand before I reach home.

Today as I was just about to step into my lobby however, I was stopped by two men at the Barclay Cycle Hire stand right outside. Naturally, I was really suspicious, as the entire road was empty. They said they were tourists, and one was curiously East Asian while the other was Caucasian. They were trying to get a bike but they said they didn't quite know how to work it. I hesitated, but walked slowly forward towards them. As I got closer and stepped into the light of the Barclay's stand they saw the unmistakable look of suspicion on my face, and they themselves looked a little taken aback.

Needless to say, nothing bad happened to me. Still, as I stood there for those moments and watched them trying to struggle to get the bikes out of the rack, I thought about how things had gotten this way. About how it's hard to be friendly and helpful in London because one is just so fearful, especially as a female, that Bad Things Might Happen.

Thus is life in a big city, I suppose.