Who are you looking at&;#063;

WHO ARE YOU LOOKING AT?

The man looked at my reflection quizzically and for a second I
thought
'Do I know him?'
But my very next thought was
'I'll have to get out of here!'
He looked very menacing, was gaping almost open mouthed, staring at me
in a way that was making me feel intensely uncomfortable and he was
attracting attention. A woman nearby started to stare also, she nudged
her companion and pointed so that she too began to stare at me.

I moved away from the shop front window in which I had been gazing at
nothing in particular and walked off at quite a swift pace for me, as
I'm not that fit, up the High Street with him in pursuit. I could hear
his boot toe caps striking the pavement behind me.

I reached a corner and looked back anxiously but he was still following
me, and at the same time talking into his mobile phone.
I had left my car in the multi-storey car park right over the other
side of the shopping precinct, and quickly decided it was probably best
to return to the car and to get out of there pronto.

I didn't like the look of him, my pursuer. He was a large young man,
tall and broad, in his late twenties I would guess, with an ugly rough
shaven head, a crucifix earring in one ear and tattoos probably,
although I hadn't actually seen any.

I hopped into one of the large stores, knowing it had another entrance
at the other side, which opened straight out into a covered mall. I
could get lost in the crowds in the shop itself or in the mall if
necessary and hopefully he would stop following me.

He must think that he knows me, was my initial and quite logical
conclusion. And I am someone he doesn't like. Someone he has a grudge
against. He looks like the sort of person who holds grudges.
If I dodged out of his sight, maybe he'll give up or I could lose him
altogether.

The store was busy with lunchtime shoppers, particularly the food
section, so I weaved in and out of there and then back again around the
clothes displays edging towards the back doors. I seemed to have lost
him, as I could not see him anywhere, although I hardly dared to stop
to look properly in case he caught up with me. Best present a moving
target, I thought.

But he must have guessed what I was up to, as he was there as I reached
my exit, blocking the way just as I got there, squeezing between the
dried flower arrangements and a huddle of young women with pushchairs,
toddlers in tow.

One long, bulging hairy arm hooked out and caught me, unceremoniously
by the collar.
"Where you off to in such a 'urry?" He asked.
I decided to play it cool, act out a role perhaps of a forgetful uncle
or absentminded schoolteacher.
"I'm awfully sorry young man, but I don't know you, I can't seem to
remember you."
He laughed and his fist tightened on my jacket neck. I squirmed
slightly but didn't want to antagonise him. I couldn't escape, that was
certain, he was far too strong.

"Course you don't you daft old prat." He said "You've never seen me
before?but I know you."

It was then, as he said that he knew me, that I guessed at what might
be going on, why he had followed me, was holding me in such an awkward
position, but before I could even begin to try to explain, the young
women noticed what the man was doing.

One of them screamed, although it was more like a squeal.
It started off one of the babies in one of the pushchairs, squealing
also like a little piglet. One of the toddlers howled as well, but
stopped when its mother cuffed him.
The man's grip did not flag however even though by now I was really
squirming.
This was embarrassing and it was painful. My shirt collar was cutting
into my throat.

"You're strangling me" I managed to say, my voice sounding just
frightened enough, but not too terrified.
"Stop struggling then, you stupid old basket " He replied. I think he
said basket, it could have been something worse.

We had attracted a small crowd by now. Not just the women and their
kids, the baby still crying, the women standing huddled in a horrified
silence, with their toddlers hanging onto their legs but other
shoppers, older women, a man or two. Some school children.

From the corner of my eye I could see the store security man on his
mobile, calling for back up, I surmised, perhaps the police. I hope
they came soon, this guy, my assailant was looking murderous.

But the back up that did arrive was not what I expected.
Suddenly behind Shaved Head was an even larger man, longish greasy
hair, and I could see his tattoos, his lower arms were covered with
them and they were all over his neck in amazing Technicolour, with what
looked like flames curling up into his hair line.

"Ello, mate." He said to Shaved Head. "Is it 'im?"
"I reckon." Said Shaved Head.
The store security guard came over at that point, obviously having
picked up enough courage to see what was really happening, now he knew
that others were likely to be on their way.

Shaved Head thrust me towards the guard, like a trussed chicken but
still managing to keep tight hold of me. I reckoned I must be bright
red in the face, I felt hot, and my eyes seemed to be bulging,
certainly my vision was blurring.

"It's my reward." He said " Me and my mate here are claiming this
reward. "ave you called the filth?"
"Yes." Said the guard "Who is he? What's he done?"
"He's not robbed in here." Said Tattoos. " Building Societies - that's
what he does. And other like, cash offices. Not shops."
"How do you know?" said the guard.
" E was on telly last night." Said Shaved Head "Watched it on the BBC.
Daft prat shouldn't ave come out today with his face all over the telly
last night."
"Yeah. I saw that." Said one of the push chair women, their frightened
silence over. "It looks just like him, don't it?"
"You should let go of him." Said the guard "I think he's going to pass
out..He's gone a funny colour."

Shaved head reeled me back again and turned me to face him.
He then dropped me into a heap on the floor and placed a large foot on
my chest. Really helpful.
I struggled for breath.
"It was me?" I started to say when a policeman shouldered his way into
the knot of people and looked down at me with some disdain.

Shaved Head's foot disappeared.
I pulled myself into a sitting position and straightened my collar and
my hair.
"What's occurring here?" the policeman asked, glaring straight at me,
as if this fiasco was my fault!
"It's the geezer from last night's 'Crime Scene' " said Tattoos.
"The one that does the building societies. My mate here saw him
planning his next blag."
The police man turned to Shaved Head, who had, for some reason, shrunk
round the back of his mate.
"Takes one to know one, eh, Tel?"
Shaved Head muttered something about the reward and being clean.
The policeman lifted me up, not exactly gently but with an element of
respect and stood me on my feet.
I dusted myself off.

"Are you going to arrest him, then?" called someone from the
crowd.
"No." the policeman said just as his colleague appeared.
"Now move on everyone, there's nothing happening here, move along." And
he started to disperse the crowd with a sweeping gesture of his
arms.
The crowd was reluctant to leave, they hung around, even when the
policeman started to literally shove them.

The guard joined in, prodding and pushing until everyone was cleared
away, although they still hovered from a distance, watching what
happened from behind the displays.
The policeman then bothered himself with Shaved Head and Tattoos who
were still going on about the reward.
His colleague, a young female PC gave me a sweet smile as she escorted
me into a corner for a short chat.
"Happens a lot, does it sir? This mistaken identity?"

I don't walk around that area anymore. Even though I was born and bred
there I haven't gone back.
I've moved in to a flat in Notting Hill, it's more anonymous, there are
more minor celebrities, bit part actors just like me in the area and
people don't assume that they know you.
The money from a Building Society job paid for the flat. It's
incredible what you can learn, and what props you can pick up, what
confidence you get, from small acting parts in TV programmes.
I'm playing a small role in a psychological drama about medical con men
next week. Should be very interesting?.