Sundry Sightings

Just some curious (and often scary) things

• Soon after I moved here, I made my first trip to Walmart to pick up all the things you need after moving. I got my cart at the front of the store and immediately noticed a group of about 15-20 dark-skinned men in the produce section. They were carrying knives and machetes and cutting up fruits and vegetables and eating them. I had never seen anything like this, so I guess I stared a little too long. One of the men then motioned his machete at me. I left my cart and left the store as quickly as I could.

• After sitting in my car and crying (what had I moved into?), I decided it was just a fluke and headed to Big Lots. I pushed my cart around and there was an extended family of again very-dark-skinned people in the store with me. The only other people there. In the house cleaning supply aisle, two men appeared and just stood at one end of the aisle. Then, another two men appeared and stood at the other end. They just stood there. I didn't know what to do, so I just kept pretending to read a label on something. I put something in my cart and headed toward one end and they moved out of the way. I still don't have an explanation for this, but apparently, I'm not alone. This happens. Younger women are stalked and followed and even worse in public and in stores.

• My next door neighbors had a few things to donate when they moved in, as people do. The two Haitian men pulled up in a white, unmarked, shiny new Mercedes van, parked in the middle of the street, and spent about 15 minutes loaded the bounty. Hmmm.

• The Bank of America line is around the building on Fridays and Saturdays.