There is no simple walk from point A to point B

I live in the UK and use public transport, which means I walk. A lot. Without exaggeration, I will be bullied, harassed, and mocked at least once a week.

I caught a bus to meet a mate in town, who then texted to say she was running an hour late. Under my breath I cursed and the bloke sitting in front of me turned around and launched a tirade of abuse at me because how dare I swear in public. He stood up and hovered over me and told me someone should wash my mouth out with soap. I’m 59. He couldn’t have been older than 25.

I’m walking on the pavement in a cut-through that is made up of cobble stones. I picked the small pavement because I had ankle surgery (pin, screws, and a metal plate) and walking on the cobbles was excruciating. Here comes a chap pushing a buggy. He pushes it on to the pavement and aims at me. When I asked him where he expected me to go he exploded on me with a face full of rage and hate. Called me a cunt, among other things.

I was walking a shared path from work en route to the train station. I’m a smoker; I was having a fag. Skinny bearded fellow on a bike stops next to me and waves his hands in my face to get my attention (I was wearing headphones). I pull my headphones to the side and he lectures me like I’m 5 asking me “is it really smart tor smoke when the grass is so dry?”. My response was “oh, you just stopped me to give me grief” and he gets enraged, calls me a dumb cunt and then flips me the bird whilst he cycles away.

Last week I was walking into a shop to get coffee and as I’m walking toward the door from one direction there’s a bloke walking from another. I’m behind him and he turns around and yells at me “what was that face all about?! What are you pulling faces at me for?!”. I was not making a face. I didn’t respond at all to that.

Which leaves this evening. Walking a shared pedestrian and cycle path heading to the station from work and two blokes on bikes are coming toward me. One moves but the other kept aiming at me – cycling directly at me. He thought is was hilarious. I said briefly “it’s not funny” and I was verbally abused for my efforts.

Do you know who doesn’t do this shit to me? Women. It’s always men. I’m 5’ nothing. I’m no threat. So that makes me the perfect person to fuck with; these bullies see no consequences. I’m  beyond fed up. I am quite literally minding my own business, bothering nobody and yet somehow I’m still the target of male abuse. Not to mention that every single day at least one man will cross from his path to walk in mine in order for force me to move out of the way. 

I experienced all of these interactions in the last six months or so. I just want to be left alone. Is that too much to ask?