Things you don't see every day

I’ve seen the same person on the way to work for the last three mornings. Nothing particularly unusual about that, people have routines and it’s almost inevitable that sometimes yours will coincide with someone else’s. This person has made themselves standout despite the early hour and cut through the fog of my usual walk to the tram. Ordinarily my mind will be on other things and I’m not really that aware of the people I pass. Monday morning, the first time I saw this person, I noticed them straight away. They cut right through the half awake state I was in. I thought the woman approaching me was incredibly drunk, she was all over the pavement and I was starting to wonder if I’d be able to pass her without some sort of collision. She wasn’t dressed like she’d been on a night out and was just returning home, but she was clearly unable to walk without weaving all over the place. As she got closer it became clearer that this wasn’t some young girl, but someone definitely older. The clothes weren’t fashionable, more conservative in style and she was wearing what looked like a home knitted scarf and hat. A very weird ensemble to be wearing considering the state she appeared to be in. As I drew close to her it became all too apparent what the cause of the problem was. This wasn’t a woman, but quite clearly a man. He was teetering along the pavement because of the high heeled boots he was wearing, which he was clearly unused to. I hadn’t spotted a manly gait, because there was no discernable pattern to the walk, he was just trying to stay upright, and just about succeeding. It reminded me of a newborn foal, or that scene in Bambi where he tries to walk for the first time. I was so surprised at the sight that I manage to avoid smirking or worse, and thought no more of it, each to their own and all that. Yesterday morning I saw him/her again – the erratic movement on the pavement caught my attention again. I had more time to reflect on the apparition this time. It was clearly a middle aged gentleman, about 5’ 7” tall, so not unfeasibly large to pull off being a woman, but the walking in heels was something he clearly hadn’t mastered yet. As he got closer I noticed that he’d gone for some make up today too. There was a lot of blusher and eye shadow, but it didn’t appear to have been applied with much finesse. I realised that the hat was there to try and cover most of the straggly, black, long haired wig he was wearing. This morning I saw him again, still wearing the same outfit from the previous two days, still struggling to walk without tearing all the ligaments in his ankles. Today the scarf was obscuring most of his face, (which wasn’t aiding his mobility) and I could see why when I got close. Today he’d had no time for make up, or even a shave, and the scarf was designed to obscure his stubble. Clearly this guy is endeavouring to learn how to dress and act like a woman, but he should have mastered heels before leaving home. I have so many questions buzzing round my mind : what do his neighbours think? Or is that why he goes out so early, to avoid them seeing? Has he spoken to anybody about his interests? Where did he get those boots from? Why didn’t the shop assistant selling him them advise something a little flatter? Doe he think that wig looks life like? Living in a city brings a lot of diversity into your life!