"Pay Attention To Your Surroundings"

#PokemonGO: I apologize for the length but I have to tell this story but I have to post it because, my god, it was crazy.So background, I had to go to a dealership this morning to get a critical software update and oil change for my car. I thought it would be like a 40 minute thing max. They tell me it's gonna be over 2 hours. So I say call me when it's done and decide to go on a walk around the area to play Pokemon Go, of course.Going through neighborhood after neighborhood and they're not the worst places I've seen but they're definitely pretty low income housing. After almost 2 hours I get the call to come back for my car. It's kind of hard to describe but basically based on where I'm at when I get the call, I could either turn back the way I came and go the long way back, or based on the map I see on Pokemon Go I can hop a waist-high fence and go through a different neighborhood to get back a lot faster. Of course I pick hopping the fence. Come out into the neighborhood and continue walking to the dealership. Right as I walk around a corner, I get a cluster spawn of a good variety of rare mons, so I stop to catch them. Look up and there's this dude who was further down the street on the opposite side now crossing and walking towards me.Assume positive intent.Keep playing til he gets up to me and I get a little better look at him. Dude is about the same height as me, really skinny, bald, and of Latino descent, can't quite tell which though. Probably mid-twenties, lots of tattoos and a couple piercings in his bottom lip. Both hands in the pockets of his sagging black jeans. I'm thinking it's a little weird he just walked up to me so I start walking in the direction I was going and say good morning.He replies, really slurring his words in a strange fashion and with a heavy Latino accent, "Hey, what's up man?"."Not much just passing through."Now, I wouldn't consider myself racist or the profiling type at all (assuming positive intent, right?), but something about the way this guy just changed the direction he was walking to come talk to me in an empty neighborhood freaked me out a little. Dude is walking along side me now, I'm on the sidewalk, he's on the street. Still speaking in a very strange manner, with lots of slurring, "Oh, what are you doing there?" He motions to my s7 edge."Just playing some Pokemon Go. " At this point I'm pretty weirded out, but he could just be a lonely guy looking for some conversation with a stranger, idk.I have no idea what he said next. A long string of sounds that sounded like they were based in English, but no real words. I could make out something like, "Oh, do you have a lot of pokemon?" (he used way more syllables than necessary to say this).I casually put my phone in my pocket, even though there's some sweet, rare mons that just popped up (Gengar and Marowak). "Yeah I have quite a few. "(still slurring) "Oh you have all of them?"Now I'm feeling a little more defensive. He's moved from the street along side me to the sidewalk right next to me."Well not all of them but I'm proud of what I have. I haven't been playing that long." (lie)The crazy thought crosses my mind, would this guy be more likely to take my phone if he knew it had a good Pokemon Go account? I dismiss it but still decide it's probably in my best interest to act like there's nothing special in my hands."What level are you, though? ""Like 12, I think?" (lie; I'm level 27)Again he used waaay more syllables than necessary to say this next line. "Can I see?"Now I'm thinking, okay, definitely don't take your phone out of your pocket. This guy is now basically rubbing elbows with me and he's walked with me a good 50 yards or so."I, uhhh, my battery is actually getting pretty low so I, uhhh, trying to conserve it." (lie; I'm at like 85%).I'm full on ready to book it out of there now if he makes a move. For some reason I decide, why is he asking all the questions? I should ask him something. So I say, "You live around here?""Why?""Oh I'm just wondering, does this road come around and go out to the highway?"(I know it does)."Yeuhhhhh... yea I think so...why?"He's getting nervous so I decide to keep on with the questions."I'm meeting someone. Right around here right? " (I motion to the corner we're approaching)He's now starting to back away from me. Veering his walking back onto the street."uhhh...i don't know...yeah...i don't know."I keep walking where I'm going."Nice talking to you!", I say with a big smile.He doesn't respond. He's now walking backwards, in the opposite direction of where I'm going and he turns his back to me. I turn the next corner and start to fast walk. A husky bolts out of a door next to me and I jump like I've never seen a dog before. Wave at the dude who let the dog out and gtfo of that neighborhood.TIL, when playing Pokemon Go, pay attention to your surroundings. via /r/TheSilphRoad http://ift.tt/2dUvx1j