On a cool morning in the Tallahassee, Florida suburbs, Amy is walking her cocker spaniel, Sunshine, along the edge of the street. There are no sidewalks in front of the houses, but the vehicle traffic is light this morning. It’s a Tuesday, around 7:00 a.m. As Amy and Sunshine approach an intersection with a major street, a man comes around the corner walking his dog, a terrier mix. Just as Amy is about to look the other way, so as to avoid eye contact, the man says, “Good morning,” with a smile. Amy is taken aback a bit, but she doesn’t want to appear rude, so she replies with a “Good morning,” back. But she feels a bit nervous as she comes closer, and decides to turn around and run home, Sunshine running along with her. As she closes the front door to her house, bends down and unfastens Sunshine’s leash, Amy thinks to herself, I know it’s common for people to greet each other in this town, but something just didn’t feel right.
Stumbling along the sidewalk 