In an attempt to fully appreciate the spate of nice weather we’ve been having I went for a nice long walk. There is something liberating about having a really long walk, with nothing but an MP3 player for company. I headed through a pleasant wooded area on the outskirts of our village, before cutting through on to the canals.
As I stepped on the towpath, a barge was travelling alongside. I remembered I was still wearing my earphones and didn’t want to appear ignorant, so I took one of the plugs out. I looked at the driver and gave him a puffy-cheeked smile and raised my eyes to him at acknowledgement. The man pleasantly reciprocated with a nod and mumbled a quick “Alright?” It was a brief exchange between two strangers both enjoying the solitude of nature on a beautiful day. I pressed on with my journey.
I like barges. It is nice when they are moored up and you can look at the spritely names and imagine what it is like to live inside. But if there is one thing I am less keen on about barges, it is that they travel precisely at walking speed. Because after about half a mile, we were still side-by-side. And the driver & I kept catching each other’s eyes, caught in a cycle of occasional acknowledging glances. And even though neither of us seemed particularly keen to instigate a proper conversation, it would have felt rude just to put my earphones back in.
We continued to ignore each other’s presence bar a few cursory glances, until eventually I couldn’t stand the awkwardness any longer. I subtly picked up my walking pace, whilst being carefully conscious not to appear like I’d burst into some sort of spontaneously bizarre power walk. Whoever said it’s nice and relaxing to get out into the country?
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