breaking down the invisible barriers

last night, as i was biking home from swimming, i noticed that there was another bicyclist riding behind me. i wasn’t wearing my rearview mirror, so i kept hearing the bike and when i’d check behind me, i could see that someone was there, but i couldn’t get a really good look. and then i’d think she had turned off and i’d relax a little (otherwise, i felt obligated not to slow down and be in this person’s way) only to hear the click of her gears or the whir of her tires on the pavement. at one point, i caught a glimpse of her skirt and realized that it was the same person that i had seen on my way out of the locker room at the pool. i had noticed on my way out that she was headed in my same direction towards the bicycles but here she was, right behind me! after a few blocks, she said, “i’m really not following you! i just happen to live in this same direction!” i love it when people break the invisible barrier of silence that separates strangers to talk like normal people (when they talk crazy talk it’s a little more disconcerting. yeah, i’ve got a story about that somewhere…). i am always sad when i sometimes get weirdo responses when i break the silence to talk like a normal person to someone, so it was nice to be on the receiving end.