Stories from the Street

She had heard of the kidnappings; women on the street being grabbed and pulled into a car. They would be missing for days, and then they would show up again, physically and emotionally traumatized. Few talked about what had happened to them. It wasn’t hard to guess.

Erin had never seen an actual incident, but she did see victims. They were hard to miss, as they appeared to be only a shadow of themselves.

Erin shared a block with a young man on the street. He had always offered her protection, but she didn’t want to ask for it, for fear of what strings would be attached.

One night, as she stood in her spot, a car screeched up and a man ran out, pulling her toward the car. She screamed for her block-mate, and he came running from around the corner. He fought the man off and she was saved from near abduction. From then on, he protected her. He never asked for anything in return.