An Incident That Changed Your Life

Describe AnIncidentThatChangedYourLife here.

Being raped recently...kinda changed some things. I am now having to deal with all the other scary portions of my life that I have ignored for a very long time....frankly it is boring. -me

Yesterday evening i was on my way home, walking briskly down Queen Street deep in thought but content. It was dark+cold out but i hardly noticed cuz i was so cozy comfortable in my touque, mitts and leopard print coat. I heard a voice ask for change, i replied that i was sorry and then looked down. I locked eyes with a young woman about 15 or 16 wearing a halter, a mini skirt and these crazy blue+white platforms with soles moulded into flowers, sitting on a milk crate in front of a closed down restaurant. She wasn't wearing pantyhose. She was wrapped in a cotton sheet.

The voice that asked for the change belonged to a woman sitting next to her, she looked like she had been on the street for way longer. The older woman started to talk to her but the girl sat there shivering+silent staring into my eyes as i sailed on by. Actually, it was really the look in the girl's eyes that made me stop dead in my tracks, she looked so afraid. I wondered what she could be doing outside dressed like she had been thrown out of a party with nowhere to go, in nothing but a flimsy sheet to sheild her from the wind. Her long thin legs with the big shoes were totally exposed. Her eyes were begging for help.

I experienced a rush of emotions at once, the strongest being guilt. I felt guilty that i had made no attempt to help. I could've turned around and offered her a cup of tea at least but what i really wanted to do was go back and ask her to come home with me to get some warm clothes and eat lentil soup.

About 45 minutes later i returned to the restaurant front with 2 bags loaded with whatever extra clothing and toiletries i had. The older woman was there but the girl was gone. I was told that she went to get some tea from the Salvation Army not far away so i sat on the milk crate and spoke with Michelle.

She told me about her cancer, her boyfriend, what it's like in the shelters, the fear amongst the homeless of being hated, about the need for reliable, safe and more permanent shelter/the importance of a home(base), the generous people that she encounters and much more. I noticed that she didn't even have to ask for change, people added to the collection in her baseball cap. Her face looked so healthy but her ankles so emaciated...

I left before the girl got back so i left the bags with Michelle. She speculated that the girl was coming down from heroine and also found it odd that she was without a coat dressed the way that she was. No one but this young woman knows what really happened and that's why i felt afraid for her. It took so little effort on my part to make a difference. This is the second time that i've done this, i want to do more. i have such a good life! We all have so much (materially) to give.

                                                       ~~anne~~