Followed

  I have always been a little paranoid.  A psychiatrist once diagnosed me as having paranoia.  Probably because people followed me.  During my anti-war activities in the early 70's, there was an FBI guy following me.  When I was in Europe, there were a few instances where one or more of us were followed.  Being a little paranoid has kept me alive.  It is not paranoia to be aware of one's surroundings.  They teach you that when learning karate.  And, when I was bullied all the time in junior high, I found it necessary to have eyes in the back of my head to keep from getting jumped from behind.

 One Sunday night, I had just left a house in a rich neighborhood of Columbia.  I had gone to a friend's house for a church youth fellowship.  I was driving my Mother's 1956 Dodge that was black and silver.  It was a great car, but it drove like a bus with fins.  I was in a neighborhood that I was not familiar with.  It was dark and no streetlights.  I took a wrong turn trying to get out of the area and found myself lost.  

 As I was trying to find my way out of there, a car pulled up behind me.  It was filled with high school kids.  The headlights were pretty bright, shining in my car.  They got up on my back bumper and started honking the horn.  I got scared, so I speeded up.  They stayed on my back bumper.  I had no idea where I was, so I made a turn on another street.  They kept following me.  I have no idea how many turns I made, but at one point I didn't see their lights.  I thought I was home free.  Then, I heard their car approaching me.  I turned off my headlights, and they drove past me.  I could tell they were looking for me.  After all, I wasn't from around there, and my car was a '56 Dodge.  I saw them turn around to try a find me again.  I pulled out from my hiding place with no lights and drove right past them.  I waved.  I kept on going in the opposite direction, and I found my way out of the neighborhood.  

 I know my parents wondered why I got home so late.  I never told them.  I didn't want them to take away my driving privileges.  I never went into that neighborhood again at night, until I was an adult.  Not Paranoid.  Just Survival.