Monday 26 March 2012

Close

“Thank you so much for coming, I wasn’t sure if you’d make it as I know you work far away.” “Don’t be silly” I say, “I said I’d come – you were terrific as ever.” N2 is a singer/songwriter and an old travel buddy of mine who I’ve known for a decade. She’s been playing a gig in North London although it’s now late and we’re saying our goodbyes before I go home.

I head to the Northern Line to get back into town and ponder the journey home from there. I could get the Central Line from Bank to Liverpool Street and then catch a bus that goes practically past my front door. ‘No, screw it’ I decide to catch the DLR to Shadwell and then walk from there. It’ll only be around midnight when I get to Bank and so the DLR should still be running. I make the change at Bank, and as expected, the DLR is indeed still running and I manage to jump onto one of the carriages just as the doors start to beep before closing. After one stop I’m at Shadwell and get off to in order to walk the final leg of the journey back to Wapping.

It's a chilly night, as I walk down Wapping Lane, and I zip up my leather jacket and put my hands in the pockets. The time is just after midnight and it’s always very quiet in the area at this hour, although you can usually spot one or two people on their way back from a night out. And this is what I see as I turn into my road. I’m not sure I have even seen where they have come from, but two guys seem to be walking in my direction.

I walk briskly because of the cold air and I’m looking straight ahead. They cross the road at the same time as me, as I walk further down the road to get to the entrance to my building. At first I have assumed that they are two friends on their way home from a night out. However, my internal alert tells me that something doesn’t feel quite right. Despite my walking at a brisk pace, they seem to be getting closer. My hands are in my pockets and I can feel my door key and the entrance fob to get me into my building as I continue to walk. One of the men who has been walking not far behind me has now caught up with me and is on my right. He has slowed down so that we are now walking at the same pace. I glance to my left and out of the corner of my eye, I can see that his friend is walking about three feet behind me. The guy to my right is almost brushing against my arm as I walk. I can see that he’s taller than me and is wearing an oversize trapper hat that hides his face. I feel a chill as I realise what is happening.

‘How am I going to get out of this?’
I feel like I’m about to be jumped at any moment. There are two of them, they are both bigger than me and I can’t remember the last time I had a fight. Fear brings with it a rush of adrenalin, and in a second I scan the immediate area for possible exits out of this situation. There should be a gate here on the left that I can quickly duck through. ‘Shit, I’ve passed it already’ The next gate is 10 meters away. ‘Look straight ahead, pretend you haven’t noticed them’ 6 metres. I can’t run. If I make a run for it then it’s game over, 4 metres. I need to look like I’m walking straight down the road and hope for the tiniest element of surprise when I make a sharp left at the gate, 2 metres. My heart is pounding as I get closer to the gate and I just hope that I'm not jumped before I reach it. 1 metre. ‘One more step - Now!’

I make a sudden turn on my heal through the gate entrance and almost immediately make another left. I pull the key fob out of my pocket as I reach the entrance door of my building. In an instant, the door beeps and I am inside, pulling it closed behind me. I glance over quickly to see both guys standing still and looking at me. ‘Are they following?’ I don’t stop moving and my flat is on the 4th floor. ‘Stairs of lift?’ My paranoia tells me that I’m safer on the stairs, which I run up, two steps at a time until I reach my floor. I haven’t heard anyone come through the security door behind me, although I don’t slow down for a moment. I walk briskly along the walkway and within a minute I am at my front door. I am slightly out of breath and my heart is pounding in my chest, but I am home and I am safe.

I open my front door and sling my leather jacket on the sofa as I walk past the lounge. It’s then that I contemplate the last few minutes and what a close run experience I have just had. And now I feel angry, fuelled by the adrenalin, as I think of the I-phone inside my jacket on the sofa, the cash in my wallet, still in my jeans and the bank cards that I now won’t have to cancel. ‘Fucking bastards, how fucking dare they...’ I am too wound up to go straight to bed and so I undress in the bathroom, leaving my clothes in a heap on the floor and stand under the shower whilst I brood over what might otherwise have been. 10 minutes later I dry myself as I continue to mull it over. I toss the towel over one of the bedposts and climb naked under the duvet. I close my eyes and 10 minutes later I am asleep.