THEOPHANY

People wonder why I have never been attacked in that dark area of town that I have to walk by every single night between 10 pm and midnight. The dark area is a couple of blocks from the university I go to to the bus stop where I have to wait a few minutes before my bus arrives.

As soon as I leave the university building, I say a little prayer which includes the sentence “God accompany me home”.

Saying this has been part of my daily routine because nowadays violence is on a rise and a life to some people is worth very little.

The walk to the bus stop is not pleasant at all. No one from the university goes that way so the street is deserted; the perfect place for a crime. Now, you might be thinking why I don’t take another path. The truth is that there is no other one. I can’t afford to drive everyday and the bus that takes me to my home just stops there.

One night I started walking to the bus stop and fear was creeping up my spine. One of the street lights was not working so the area looked darker than usual. I said my prayer and kept on walking. I could feel that something was wrong.

Suddenly a man on a motorcycle stopped beside me and offered me a ride.

“Hope on I’ll give you a lift”, he said.

But how could I hop on if I didn’t even know him.  I tried to be polite.

“No, thank you. My bus is on its way”.

“Come on hop on”, he insisted.

His tone was getting more aggressive. Inside I was trembling and prayed for God to protect me. I prayed so hard that I thought the man on the motorcycle could notice. I tried very hard not to cry. I know this man had bad intentions.

Suddenly I felt soft, warm hands hold on to mine. I looked to my left and there was a man who had curly hair. I saw love in his eyes. It is very hard to describe. How does one describe love in someone’s eyes?

“Let’s go. I will walk you to the bus stop.” He said softly.

The man on the motorcycle didn’t understand where that man had come from. He looked at me and said: “Is he with you?”

I had started off all alone and now there was a man holding my hands.

“Yes, he is”. As the words came out of my mouth, the man on the motorcycle took off as fast as he could.

The curly-haired man said once again in a very soft voice: Let’s go. I will accompany you.”

As we walked he told me he studied at the same university as I did. He also told me his name, but it was a different name which I cannot recall.

He stayed with me at the bus stop until my bus arrived and helped me on. We said goodbye and I thanked him.

The next day at the university, I went to the office to find out what course the curly-haired man was taking. I described him and said that he had a strange name. The secretary apologized but said that there was no one that studied there that matched the description.

Until today I can see love in those eyes.

Written March 30, 2018 Todos os direitos a Meire Marion

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