luck be a lady tonight?

Was it a sheer luck, or total unluck? Was it a sixth sense or a sense of idiocy? I don't know, but the good news is, it could have been worse, and this was a good lesson and wake up call for me and hopefully for you. Be constantly aware of your surroundings.

After having dinner in the district tonight, I took the metro home and got off at the Rosslyn station. Having had a large dinner I made an effort to walk up the escalator and hoof it up the hill to my apartment. As I approached my apartment, headphones in and enjoying the evening, I though how nice it would be to continue my walk and burn off a litte more of that meal. I've recently gotten fond of walking, so I chose to walk to the bridge overlooking the highway about a hundred yards past my apartment driveway. I only got about twenty feet though before realizing that the streetlights had ended past my driveway and everything was very dark all the way to the bridge. I slowed and decided that I didn't feel comfortable walking that far alone at 10:30pm. I just couldn't justify it. I had this feeling that if anything were ever to go wrong, it would most likely go wrong in this short stretch of darkness. So I turned around and headed back toward my lit driveway. I only got a few feet before I crossed a man who had been walking behind me. He looked to be in his late 20s or 30s and was a big fit guy with a shaved head, but nothing really menacing. He stopped me and asked which direction the Rosslyn Metro was. I pointed back the way he had come from, and as I answered 'that way', he reached forward and grabbed my chest. I was stunned. Before I could register if he was going for my purse or my phone in hand, or me, he turned around and began running in the direction of the metro. I stood there dazed for a moment. Honestly, my first reaction was awe that he hadn't tried to steal my purse, but then it hit me what he had done. He grabbed my chest. I ran up the driveway to my apartment, shaking as I opened the gate and shut it behind me.

Thank God my roommate was home. By the time I told her the story I was crying, not because of what happened but because of what could have happened. A slew of other possible outcomes attacked my imagination. So many strange coincidences ran through my head. Why tonight of all nights, did I decide to pass my appartment? What would have happened had I continued on into the darkness, headphones in, oblivious to my surroundings? Why did I decide to turn around when I did? Once I got it out of my system, I took a quick shower to recompose myself and then decided to call 911 and report it. Note to self: if something like this ever happens again, call 911 immediately, not 3o minutes later. Because then there's very little they can do in terms of finding the guy, and the officer who arrived at my apartment let me know it. He took down any detail I could provide, and told me to expect a call in a few days, citing that some people recal details days later. I didn't really believe him, but nodded my head. He left.

I don't know how else to look at this experience other than as a warning. I feel like I got off easy and I need to learn from it. I will. No more headphones when I'm walking alone at night. Never again will I walk down an unlit street. Tomorrow, I will figure out where I can buy pepper spray. To anyone reading this, please be aware of your surroundings, even if it is in a relatively safe neighborhood like mine. Try to avoid walking home alone when possible, or at least take the more populated path. Don't listen to your ipod when you're alone at night. Be vigilant. Be prepared. Stay safe.