At night, a homeless man in dirty clothes and barefoot followed me — under the pedestrian underpass he finally caught up with me and did something that still shocks me to this day 

I was walking home around nine in the evening. The street was already dark: the dim streetlights cast a weak glow on the sidewalk, a few passersby hurried by, and cars sped past, leaving streaks of light behind them.

At that hour, it’s not always safe for a woman to be outside. I knew that, so I walked quickly, clutching my bag tightly and glancing over my shoulder now and then. My heart was beating faster than usual — at night, everything in the city seems more dangerous.

Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps behind me. Slow, but steady. A man.

I quickened my pace and turned the corner, hoping it was just my imagination. But the footsteps didn’t stop — on the contrary, they grew closer.

I glanced back discreetly and saw him: a man in his fifties, barefoot, with a tangled gray beard and long hair, dressed in filthy, torn clothes. A homeless man.

He was walking right behind me, almost in step, and when he noticed that I was walking faster, he sped up too. I could feel the blood pounding in my temples from fear. My chest tightened, and my breathing became shallow. It felt like my legs were about to give out.

— Oh God, please… not me… — I whispered as I crossed the street.

But right there, under the pedestrian underpass, when the light suddenly turned red, he caught up with me. I felt his heavy hand on my shoulder and flinched, almost screaming.

— What do you want? — The words escaped on their own. — If it’s money… take the bag! Just don’t touch me, please!

But what the homeless man did next left me completely shocked 
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The man raised his hand, and I saw a wallet in his palm. My wallet!

He tried to say something, but only unclear sounds came out of his mouth. Moving his cracked lips, he murmured something like:

— …found… dropped…

And then I understood everything. He simply couldn’t speak. I must have dropped my wallet when I left the store. He saw it and followed me barefoot along the cold asphalt, unable to call out to me.

I stood there, stunned. Just a moment ago, I had seen him as a threat — but in truth, he only wanted to return what I had lost.

I felt ashamed of my fear and for judging a man solely by his appearance.

That night I learned something important: sometimes, the encounters that scare us the most turn out to be the most human.