The Wrong-Sided Man by Dennis Friedman

I usually go for my four-mile walk before sunrise. I like to get an early start to my day. I’ve gotten to know a few folks who I see on my way around the neighborhood. We exchange pleasantries as we pass each other.

But there’s one gentleman who is not so friendly. He looks like he’s in his early thirties—about forty years younger than me.

All the people I encounter walk on one side of the sidewalk, as if they’re walking on a moving walkway at the airport or driving a car. This guy is determined to walk on the same side as me, even though we’re going in opposite directions.

I was surprised the first time we met that he was reluctant to move over. The other times, he would move over at the last second to avoid a collision. The last time, we came to a dead stop and stared at each other. Then he intentionally bumped my shoulder as he went around me. Each time, I kept thinking he would finally get it and walk on the opposite side, like the rest of the folks in the neighborhood.

One morning, I was late for my walk and saw him walking, as he usually does, on the wrong side. Another younger man, about his age, was approaching from the opposite direction. This time, the wrong-sided man moved over in plenty of time to let the other guy go by. There was no confrontation like there was with me. He knew what side of the sidewalk he belonged on.

I really don’t know what I would do if I ran into the wrong-sided man again. If I move over, I feel like I’m letting him push me around and not standing up for myself. If I don’t, then we might get into an altercation.

My wife says I’m too old to confront him. “Just move to the other side when you see him coming. He doesn’t care that you’re an elderly person. If he did, he wouldn’t be acting this way.”

My wife is probably right about him not caring how old I am. One day, I was walking from the parking lot to Trader Joe’s. A fairly young man in his car was waiting for an elderly woman to walk by. He was laughing. At first, I thought he was laughing about something he heard on the radio. But he was actually laughing at the elderly lady because of the way she was walking as she struggled to get to the store. He had no sympathy for her plight.

I read in the newspaper that two women beat up and killed an elderly man while he was waiting for a train. He was about my age.

Scammers and con artists see the elderly as easy marks, too. When my mother was alive, I always told her not to answer the phone if she didn’t recognize the number. Now, I find myself susceptible to the same criminals I warned my mother about.

I received a phone call from the Geek Squad, saying they were going to renew my service contract unless I called a certain number. I had once used them to help with a computer problem, but I didn’t know I had a service agreement with them.

I called the phone number I used before when I needed help. I told them what had happened. The man said it was a scam and to ignore it. I asked him how they knew I had used their service, and how they got my number. He kept saying, “Ignore it and don’t call them.” He sounded like me when I was taking care of my mother.

We should all beware of the wrong-sided man — especially the elderly, who may be more vulnerable. Don’t assume because you’re a senior someone is going to be kind and thoughtful.

Meanwhile, I changed my route so I don’t run into the wrong-sided man again. I thought it was childish to get into an altercation over something so meaningless. But I also knew that if I met him again, I wasn’t going to budge.

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