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I do not greet any more.

There was a time when I traveled daily from my home town of Dartford to London. The wheels of the train made the familiar noise that I remembered so well nothing seems to have changed all is as it used to be. No not all, the old familiar faces are missing. The faces that greeted or returned my greetings. Have people changed I asked myself. No damn it, now I will greet every one that just passes me by. Let me see if my greetings will be acknowledged. Now this little old lady she is my first test. Putting a smile on my face I loudly greeted her with, Hello Lovely day today is it not? If looks could kill I would have dropped dead at the answer the little old lady gave me. Who are you grinning at and as for a lovely day. Have you just lost your handbag with all of your money in it. Some good advice for you young man do not speak unless you are spoken to. I would have made excuses for the woman but telling me to stop grinning and only to speak if spoken to this was too much. I raised my Cap and wished for her to find her handbag with all of her money. In front of me a Policeman the size of a giant, He asked the old lady if I was bothering her.. Me Bothering her, why if greeting someone is a bother then I ask myself what has the world come to while I was abroad. The Policeman Looked long and hard at me. He spoke , I will not charge you this time but if you go around annoying peaceful citizens then I will escort you to the Police Station. I was I must say really perplexed. A well over six foot tall Policeman threatening to arrest me because I wished an elderly lady a good day. What are you doing here on the railway Station, I hope that you are not up to any mischief. Have you any means of identity with you? Yes I have my Passport will that do? I showed him my passport. He looked at each and every official stamp that had been stamped on it over the years. Been around quite a bit haven't we? Yes I am a traveler for the Government I go to wherever I am sent. I did not annoy this person. I wished her a good day, I will make a report to my Chief officer now if you will be so good and tell me your name and number. This I could see did not please the Officer of the law. He turned to where the elderly woman had been standing. The woman was gone. You say that you only wished her a good day and this is what upset her. Shall we forget the whole matter. The woman was after all quite old and perhaps she did not like being addressed by a stranger. I told the Policeman that I had already forgotten the incident and wished him a good day and walked off. Later at my friends home, I told him about the episode. He smiled and told me that people are indeed very suspicious and it is not done to greet strangers. Did you really show him the passport? Yes I knew that you would not mind but that was all that I could think of on the spur of the moment. I will never see the elderly woman again my car will be ready in a day or two so no more railway Stations and definitely no greetings unless I am spoken to first. You know that the Policeman accepted the Passport and not querying the name now that did surprise me, why our faces are not really alike. He did not look at the face he was too impressed with all of the stamps and where you have been. I know it sounds a bit silly for me to ask but have you really been to all of those countries. Yes the passport I asked you to pick up for me is an Official Document. It surprised me that the Policeman did not compare the face on my passport photo and your face. Let us say that you and I were very lucky. I would have had to say why I did not pick up my own Passport. The Official that gave it to you would have been in serious trouble and the old lady that you greeted walked away as if it did not concern her. Think of what that simple greeting could have done to damage the reputations of at least six or seven people. I think that you have learned a good lesson today and will not greet and strangers again.