Scathe with Crime

On Saturday night my friend Mateus dropped me home about a block down the street. I urged him to do so to save some time and expensive gas. It was late in the night and I was alert of any potential danger. As I was walking down the street to my flat I noticed a man infront of me. I made a mental note that he looked a fair bit larger than I was in height and mass. He called out to me, "My friend, Can you give me directions". I went through the possible scenarios to which he would be asking me for directions.

1) He could be genuinely lost and roaming the streets late in the night. I thought this was highly unlikely since he obviously spoke Portugese based on his broken English and postcard Mozambican English "My friend..."

2) He could be trying to lure me in close to him so that he could potentially mug me or threaten me. I thought this scenario was a much higher probability than scenario 1.

My course of action was to respond back "Sorry, No falo en Portugese" (I do not speak Portugese). I crossed the street and he actually continued to pursue me. I stopped and called my friend Mateus who had just dropped me off and asked him to return. He actually was already on his way back because I left my house keys in his car.

When Mateus returned the man was nowhere to be seen. As I opened the front door to my apartment building the man reappeared in a car, again, asking for directions. I made it inside and into my apartment safely.

I am still not sure whether or not the man posed a threat, but when you are in a new land and a new culture, better safe than sorry.

Lesson learned, always stay alert when walking the streets after dark.