July 10th 2026
I’ve started walking two miles almost every day, and the only way I can manage it (because I’m lazy) is by walking along the canal and feeding the wildlife. Yes, I even left some bread for a rat I saw.
If you saw me striding along with two loaves of bread in hand, you’d never guess I’m the way that I am. I cheerfully say hello to people, beaming across my grid, and generally come across as a super‑confident person. I’m honestly surprised I don’t call out “Oi oi, saveloy!” to everyone I pass.
There was a guy living on a boat with his dog; the dog looked lovely and well cared for. He looked like he was smoking weed. I found myself thinking that maybe I could build a sort of social life around this – just passing the time of day with strangers. They move on after a while, which is ideal for me.
I gave his dog some canine chews I’d bought by mistake for my cats, and the man was very grateful. It made me feel important or worthy, depending on how you look at it.
The next day I went back for my usual walk, armed with veg and porridge for the ducks (they hated it), and I was looking forward to seeing the man with the dog again. But he’d gone. I’d seen that he’d been there for well over a week in the exact same spot, but no, as soon as he meets me, he’s off. This is exactly what happens, and I’m laughing as I write this, because it’s true: people don’t want to know me.
Maybe he thought I was going to steal his dog, or maybe he just thought I was too weird to see again.
I also bumped into my neighbour from several houses down – the one I went to the pictures with twice before freezing on our second outing and never bothering again. She asked if I wanted a Red Hot Poker.
Charming, I thought, until I realised it was a plant. “Yes, that would be great,” I said. She hovered for a chat, and I just about managed to keep it together for the few minutes we talked.
She mentioned she still had my number and would text me the name of a good film she’d seen recently. But she didn’t, and now I want to kill her. Why do people say things they don’t mean? I know I see everything as rejection, and I’m far too bothered about what people think of me. Now I’m contemplating how I should react if I see her again. Part of me wants to totally ignore her so she gets the message, but really – is it that bad?
Would other people without this shitty thing be bothered? I think they’d just brush it off and stay polite, so that’s what I’m going to try to do.