When I got out of the subway and turned the corner, there was a fight happening in front of my destination, so I turned around and started walking in the other direction.
I would have to go to the 7-11 instead of the Rite Aid, I decided.
All I saw at first was a quick burst of isolated action among a loosely gathered crowd of people. I thought two kids were rough housing, joking and shoving. And people were always loitering on that block. I thought of maybe just making a wide arc around them to get to the front door. If I minded my business, they’d leave me alone.
But then I noticed one of them had his belt in his hand, doubled up, and as he backed away from the other guy, he took swipes at his head. Continue reading ‘Conflict avoidance’
