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"Meeting Nicola"

Personally, I'm not all that comfortable with Frank's version of events - especially in light of what his narrative can be interpreted to indicate about him.

He was a young man chatting up an attractive young lady he chanced to see along the river. His description of her and his interactions with her are pretty shallow and one-dimensional. He has a rich memory of how she looked (i.e., how pretty she was), but seems to retain nothing of what she'd said beyond her name and residence location. He can't even specify her clothing. He describes how he approached his quarry and how acceptance of the invitation for a walk signified he was 'in'. He admits he was nervous about the interaction, so he was highly sensitized to the immediate situation whether or not his underlying attitude was 'predatory'.

He describes how he noticed himself becoming apprehensive as they walked farther along the path, solely in terms of how he felt about strolling alone with her and how it might appear. He doesn't seem to have considered whether Nicola was growing more apprehensive herself. She was wandering off with a stranger, and by his own admission she was no match for him physically.

After they'd distanced themselves from the few other people in the area, Frank shifts from the 'light and casual' chatter and prods her with a trivia question about astronomy / the calendar.

I'm not sure her irritated / angry reaction is all that unusual - especially if she'd been sensing the same sort of apprehension Frank confessed (about being alone with a stranger, distanced from others, etc.). The unexpected interrogation about solstice trivia could well have been the final straw in her deciding she didn't want to continue the stroll. Notice that it was at that juncture where she proactively took control of the situation - acknowledging a third party of whom Frank was unaware, telling Frank to walk along until she caught up again, and then leaving the scene (by whatever means).
 
Notice that it was at that juncture where she proactively took control of the situation - acknowledging a third party of whom Frank was unaware, telling Frank to walk along until she caught up again, and then leaving the scene (by whatever means).
Entirely plausible. She may not have been walking to somewhere secluded with him but rather towards where she knew the man with the motorbike would be. As from the description, the spot was already quiet and secluded. The dog was maybe just a random one that she said was her nan's in order to indicate to Frank that she had a big dog to protect her. When it didn't put him off she went with him to motorbike man, keeping him talking along the way.
 
Personally, I'm not all that comfortable with Frank's version of events - especially in light of what his narrative can be interpreted to indicate about him.

He was a young man chatting up an attractive young lady he chanced to see along the river. His description of her and his interactions with her are pretty shallow and one-dimensional. He has a rich memory of how she looked (i.e., how pretty she was), but seems to retain nothing of what she'd said beyond her name and residence location. He can't even specify her clothing. He describes how he approached his quarry and how acceptance of the invitation for a walk signified he was 'in'. He admits he was nervous about the interaction, so he was highly sensitized to the immediate situation whether or not his underlying attitude was 'predatory'.

He describes how he noticed himself becoming apprehensive as they walked farther along the path, solely in terms of how he felt about strolling alone with her and how it might appear. He doesn't seem to have considered whether Nicola was growing more apprehensive herself. She was wandering off with a stranger, and by his own admission she was no match for him physically.

After they'd distanced themselves from the few other people in the area, Frank shifts from the 'light and casual' chatter and prods her with a trivia question about astronomy / the calendar.

I'm not sure her irritated / angry reaction is all that unusual - especially if she'd been sensing the same sort of apprehension Frank confessed (about being alone with a stranger, distanced from others, etc.). The unexpected interrogation about solstice trivia could well have been the final straw in her deciding she didn't want to continue the stroll. Notice that it was at that juncture where she proactively took control of the situation - acknowledging a third party of whom Frank was unaware, telling Frank to walk along until she caught up again, and then leaving the scene (by whatever means).
He isn't a shallow person in anyway, at the time I think he was just a young guy doing what young guys do, to be truthful he never expected her to give him the time of day. He is NOT a predator type in anyway. It's an interesting psychological picture you paint , and in all honestly at first it was close to what I was thinking, trying to cut out all the inconvenient strange stuff and rebuild it into something that makes sense. I was interested in seeing if there's a Streatham online group( I know it's along shot) but with the picture and time and name, maybe someone might remember something. Thanks for you interpretation.
 
Hang on, I’ve read this entire tale before somewhere in the last year or two. Where else have you posted it previously?
 
Personally, I'm not all that comfortable with Frank's version of events - especially in light of what his narrative can be interpreted to indicate about him.

He was a young man chatting up an attractive young lady he chanced to see along the river. His description of her and his interactions with her are pretty shallow and one-dimensional. He has a rich memory of how she looked (i.e., how pretty she was), but seems to retain nothing of what she'd said beyond her name and residence location. He can't even specify her clothing. He describes how he approached his quarry and how acceptance of the invitation for a walk signified he was 'in'. He admits he was nervous about the interaction, so he was highly sensitized to the immediate situation whether or not his underlying attitude was 'predatory'.

He describes how he noticed himself becoming apprehensive as they walked farther along the path, solely in terms of how he felt about strolling alone with her and how it might appear. He doesn't seem to have considered whether Nicola was growing more apprehensive herself. She was wandering off with a stranger, and by his own admission she was no match for him physically.

After they'd distanced themselves from the few other people in the area, Frank shifts from the 'light and casual' chatter and prods her with a trivia question about astronomy / the calendar.

I'm not sure her irritated / angry reaction is all that unusual - especially if she'd been sensing the same sort of apprehension Frank confessed (about being alone with a stranger, distanced from others, etc.). The unexpected interrogation about solstice trivia could well have been the final straw in her deciding she didn't want to continue the stroll. Notice that it was at that juncture where she proactively took control of the situation - acknowledging a third party of whom Frank was unaware, telling Frank to walk along until she caught up again, and then leaving the scene (by whatever means).
Yes, if she sensed Frank's state of mind and he then asked an out of the blue question about the solstice, she might have thought this is exactly the type of question a serial killer asks - at least in the movies.

On the other hand...
The whole story has quite a dreamlike quality. Could Frank have experienced a strange psychological event like a waking dream or some form of somnambulism?
 
Whilst the episode can be construed as dramatic as far as Frank is concerned and left him with a lasting impression, we have to remember that it was nearly 40 years ago and details inevitably will not be remembered or misremembered.
Frank was clearly mesmerised by the girl (what bloke hasn't been such by some female at one point or another?) and certain aspects may have taken on more significance than would have otherwise been the case.
The girl may very well have been visiting her Nan (whose dog it was apparently) and the dog simply ran back to its owners home. Remember that at that period in the UK dogs were free to roam and it was a common sight.
She may have been well acquainted with the area and walking down the lane in question held no fear, particularly if she had arranged to meet her biker mate.
One wonders whether there is a Nichole out there who tells her mates about the time 40 years ago, when some weird bloke tried to pull her at the riverside, kept blathering about the solstice, and wouldn't go away so she had to walk with him to where she knew her massive biker mate would be to get shut of him. :)
Whatever the interpretation it's still fascinating.
 
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Also having looked at the images, if I've got the right spot, could the biker have not lived in one of the houses on the lane and merely "rode" the bike onto the lane without starting it when he saw Nichole walking down? Could explain why there was no sign of them if the couple merely walked back off the lane into the grounds of the house. Pure speculation of course.
 
He isn't a shallow person in anyway, at the time I think he was just a young guy doing what young guys do, to be truthful he never expected her to give him the time of day. He is NOT a predator type in anyway. It's an interesting psychological picture you paint , and in all honestly at first it was close to what I was thinking, trying to cut out all the inconvenient strange stuff and rebuild it into something that makes sense. I was interested in seeing if there's a Streatham online group( I know it's along shot) but with the picture and time and name, maybe someone might remember something. Thanks for you interpretation.
YOU know he's not a shallow predator type. But you aren't a young girl being chatted up by him in a quiet location....

I would suggest that, from a female point of view, ANY lone man can appear to be a predator. We have to be careful out there, particularly when walking alone somewhere we don't know well, when there aren't lots of people about.

I'm sure there are stories told by young men who talked to women who 'mysteriously disappeared' all over the place...
 
YOU know he's not a shallow predator type. But you aren't a young girl being chatted up by him in a quiet location....

I would suggest that, from a female point of view, ANY lone man can appear to be a predator. We have to be careful out there, particularly when walking alone somewhere we don't know well, when there aren't lots of people about.

I'm sure there are stories told by young men who talked to women who 'mysteriously disappeared' all over the place...
I am personally really enjoying the idea that she scared him. :chuckle:
 
Yes, if she sensed Frank's state of mind and he then asked an out of the blue question about the solstice, she might have thought this is exactly the type of question a serial killer asks - at least in the movies.

On the other hand...
The whole story has quite a dreamlike quality. Could Frank have experienced a strange psychological event like a waking dream or some form of somnambulism?
The waking dream would make sense, but this actually happened whilst he was out walking, to meet his friend, he was worried at the time that it might be the onset to a brain tumor or something.
 
Also having looked at the images, if I've got the right spot, could the biker have not lived in one of the houses on the lane and merely "rode" the bike onto the lane without starting it when he saw Nichole walking down? Could explain why there was no sign of them if the couple merely walked back off the lane into the grounds of the house. Pure speculation of course.
Thats what I first thought but The houses are all fenced off and there was a chain-link fens bordering all the property
 
Whilst the episode can be construed as dramatic as far as Frank is concerned and left him with a lasting impression, we have to remember that it was nearly 40 years ago and details inevitably will not be remembered or misremembered.
Frank was clearly mesmerised by the girl (what bloke hasn't been such by some female at one point or another?) and certain aspects may have taken on more significance than would have otherwise been the case.
The girl may very well have been visiting her Nan (whose dog it was apparently) and the dog simply ran back to its owners home. Remember that at that period in the UK dogs were free to roam and it was a common sight.
She may have been well acquainted with the area and walking down the lane in question held no fear, particularly if she had arranged to meet her biker mate.
One wonders whether there is a Nichole out there who tells her mates about the time 40 years ago, when some weird bloke tried to pull her at the riverside, kept blathering about the solstice, and wouldn't go away so she had to walk with him to where she knew her massive biker mate would be to get shut of him. :)
Whatever the interpretation it's still fascinating.
Nicola wasn't acquainted with the area (She didn't know there was a lake down the lane when he first asked her) she said she was visiting her nan, I too have thought if there is a Nicola out there with a tale of taking a walk down a secluded lane. The thing is she was relaxed and totally fine with walking down the lane, I asked frank this a year ago and nothing indicated any fear or stress at all, until he asked the question, and it wasn't puzzlement on her face or confusion, it was complete anger and almost hatred. It's odd is all I can say.
 
Nicola wasn't acquainted with the area (She didn't know there was a lake down the lane when he first asked her) she said she was visiting her nan, I too have thought if there is a Nicola out there with a tale of taking a walk down a secluded lane. The thing is she was relaxed and totally fine with walking down the lane, I asked frank this a year ago and nothing indicated any fear or stress at all, until he asked the question, and it wasn't puzzlement on her face or confusion, it was complete anger and almost hatred. It's odd is all I can say.
But this is supposition on Frank's part. He didn't know her well enough to know whether she was exhibiting puzzlement or confusion, maybe she has the kind of face that looks angry when she's upset or confused.

I, apparently, have a face that looks worried and slightly scared when I'm concentrating hard. I've lost count of the number of people who've said 'don't worry, it's fine!' when I've just been performing a task but thinking of something else.
 
But this is supposition on Frank's part. He didn't know her well enough to know whether she was exhibiting puzzlement or confusion, maybe she has the kind of face that looks angry when she's upset or confused.

I, apparently, have a face that looks worried and slightly scared when I'm concentrating hard. I've lost count of the number of people who've said 'don't worry, it's fine!' when I've just been performing a task but thinking of something else.
Fair point.
 
The thing is she was relaxed and totally fine with walking down the lane,
Also (assuming this was a real encounter with a real woman) bear in mind that she does not know your friend and that he has accosted her in a secluded area. Bluntly turning a man down very often results in aggression. Going along with him and chatting until she caught up with her motorbike man is not strange or irrational behaviour. It would have been the only rational response available to her.
 
The thing is she was relaxed and totally fine with walking down the lane

Again, this is Frank's view of how she felt. Which may have had an element of wishful thinking about it.
 
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