Disturbia in Suburbia

A couple of weeks ago, I was in my local park walking the dog after work on a tranquil sunny evening. Or at least it was tranquil until I came across some guy out with his family, disturbing the peace by throwing water bombs against the closed aluminium shutter of the park cafe. He was having fun and entertaining his daughter who was about four. The water bombs were making a hell of a racket as they hit the aluminium, and when some of the water sprayed some old geezer who was sitting nearby having a quiet fag, he told the bloke 'That's enough!'

Water-bomb-man was incredulous and started saying how it was only an effing water bomb, not doing anyone any harm etc.

Old Geezer: You've just splashed me with water.
WaterBombMan: F**ing hell! It's only water *swear *swear
Old Geezer: Well, that's enough now, I'm soaked.

WaterBombMan (whose name I shall now change to Psycho) suddenly took on an insane expression and rapidly strode over to the OldGeezer, swearing and making threats- "come here after dark and say that!" - all still in front of his child and another older girl who may also have been his daughter, as well as an older girl who may have been their mother and was surely his girlfriend. Both those children had started to look rather frightened, but this man was far from being able to notice or care about such things. This man wanted to start a fight with the OldGeezer. He was probably in his early to mid twenties, wearing ridiculous over-sized leisure-wear that may have been something to do with American baseball.

I thought (briefly) about asking him whether he was aware he was scaring his children, but thought better of it. He was actually starting to scare me now, even as I walked hurriedly away with the dog. He carried on shouting and riding around on an undersized bike. He rode past me very fast, shouting something about f**ing rednecks and f**ing dogs. Luckily I was wearing dark glasses and so was able to carry on walking as if I'd assumed he couldn't possibly be talking to me.

I hope for their sake those weren't his children, but it sends a chill right through me to think that they had anything to do with such a clearly unhinged and aggressive individual.

Later that week I saw the mother and the two girls in a green car.

The follow week JP was hit by a flying egg from a passing green car when he was on his way home from a run one evening. At least he thought it was a green car. I couldn't help thinking...water-bomb throwers are possibly quite partial to chucking the odd egg out of their windows to entertain themselves and their passengers. Mmm...perhaps I'm just being paranoid.

Is it me, or are there more furious psychopaths out there than there used to be?