What big cities do to you
So, in my view, any kind of appreciation of the Shepherd’s Bush area must be an acquired taste. Like people actually taking a like to playing golf, ‘team building’ or getting pierced in places where the light never shines. Having established that Shepherd’s Bush and I are not exactly ‘buddies’, I found myself walking through that very part of town yesterday.
As is normal in this vicinity, a gentleman carrying lots of plastic bags and wearing a couple of dirty down jackets on a hot summer day attempted to grab a share of my attention. He was uttering something indecipherable in a foreign language and tapping my shoulder repeatedly. I increased my already brisk pace for this ménage à deux to come to an end, but his chasing of me continued for a good couple of minutes. Go away. Disappear now. Please!
Finally, giving in and turning around to confront him, he waved a £20-note that I had just dropped out of my pocket, placed it in my hand and walked away. With a big smile on his face.