There’s a well-known athlete who lives in my city. He had his best athletic performances in this same city in which he still lives, and his physical stature makes it impossible for him to hide amongst mere mortals. I see him every now and then in public places — supermarkets, malls. I saw him in the Apple Store the other day. Though he had his shades on, I could see him looking my way: Aside from employees, we were the only tall Black guys in the store.

He had his default expression on his face: A stern, hard look that reads one way: Do not approach or talk to me. 

Now, we all have these moments/days where we don’t want to be spoken to by anybody and we do our best to make it know without having to say it in so many words. I’ve seen this famous guy often enough to know this isn’t just one of those days. He’s always like this.