Heckled

Christmas shopping on Covent Garden last week, I got heckled by a street performer.

Yes, I got heckled.

Covent Garden was heaving, you could hardly move. This street entertainer had an audience of, ooh I think maybe two people. I was in a hurry, could see that he was doing his act, so I walked behind him rather than walking between him and his audience. As I walked off he turned to me and yelled “Oi mate, I don’t walk through your bedroom while you’re performing.”

Now I have a couple of problems with this. First, obviously, is the fact that I walked behind him, though it’s possible I did walk between his back and some of his stuff, thus breaking the magic, sacred bond between Perfomer and Scrappy Suitcase. But mainly the thing that annoyed me was drawing a parallel between my own bedroom and the sodding pavement in one of the world’s busiest shopping areas at the busiest time of year.

Or maybe he was just so pleased with the hilarity of his line, he couldn’t resist using it. Even if it didn’t really fit the situation.