It’s 3 am.
The rain had stopped a few minutes ago. The streets were filled with puddles, and water poured into the sewer. Carrying with it the remains of the day. Chocolate wrappers, plastic straws, and bits and pieces of Styrofoam that looked like snow.
A lone motorcycle passed by, clearly lighting up the young woman who walked the skinny sidewalk in the early hours of the morning. It is unclear whether she had been crying or the rain has messed up her makeup. Is she is walking home or heading somewhere else? Judging by the way she is dressed; I would guess she is on her way home. Her occupation or where she is from could remain a mystery forever. With her destination unknown she continues to navigate the dimly lit streets of this cruel city.
Life is insecure.
Like her and many other young ladies her age, life is uncertain. It could be bar hopping one night or waking up in surprising places. Coming to with a terrible hangover in an unknown place or sometimes on the streets.
The rain started one more. The young lady covered her head with her tiny purse. She suddenly remembered something. Her phone! Quickly she looked in her purse and searched within. Her phone and what little money she had in her purse were now gone. Missing, lost, or possibly stolen. In anger, she threw her purse on the ground, sat back on her heels, and cried.
This is not the first and most likely not the last time this will happen or has happened. An incredible night out turned into an incredible night with a terrible ending. Her mind begins to race, and memories fill her head.
The pain of it all.
From the moment she entered the club that night, she felt dozens of eyes gazing at her. All wondering if they would take her home tonight. Slowly the men approached one by one, offering drinks, money and promising her an amazing time if she joined them tonight. She knew the game and played it well, but sometimes got caught up in the act and fell for the bait. Sometimes she needed the validation and other times the company.
Each time she woke up from such a night she was a mere shell of herself. No intimacy, no love, just heartache and a night of sex. Meaningless, lifeless she looked up at the streetlight and wish she had a better life. After all, this was her life, all she had to do was escape the present and make different choices tomorrow.
The truth of the matter was that she tried. However, her outer beauty and her lovely smile always brought the wrong man, the wrong guy. Her beauty and her charm were a hindrance. While many ladies would kill for her look, and style, she wished nothing more than to be a simple housewife.
Looking back.
Her story had been told thousands of times… The truth of the matter is that this happens to someone every night. Endless text and meaningless conversations, lead to meaningless dead-end relationships. A cycle she has lived nearly every day of her life. How she envies the women with steady hard-working husbands and stretch marks. Over the dozens of gorgeous men pouring over her, she could not spot one she could settle down with. How she wished for one night when she could look at the stars on the beach. Spend a night in the mountains in a hidden cabin and hold someone she truly loved and cared for. These thoughts ran through her head as a delivery van drove past and landed its tires in a puddle before her. The dirty street water splashed her face and brought her back to reality. The truck driver got out and ran to her apologetically and helped her up. He took off his shirt and his little beer belly popped out. Handing her his shirt to dry her off she looked up at the man and saw a glitter in his eyes. A glitter she had never seen on the dancefloor in a club.
The glitter.
She could not help but smile and then laugh. The man stared at her confused and shaken. He did not think this was funny. He splashed dirty water on a beautiful young woman by the side of the road. He went to his truck and grabbed a jacket to cover himself and grabbed a sandwich from the truck. Slowly he approached the young woman. She had wiped off the water and cleaned herself up. He was taken aback by her beauty and felt ashamed of what he did. He handed her the sandwich and a bottle of water from his jacket pocket.
She was hungry and thirsty, but above all, she was taken back by the man that seemed to truly care. He did not have a six-pack; he was not coming on to her or trying to woo her. He was nice, honest, and caring, unlike the men she had met night after night. She was lost in her thoughts when the man handed her his business card. “I am sorry, I need to make these deliveries to the bakeries” With that the man apologized once more and drove off into the rising sun at the end of the street. The young lady stood up and smiled. The rising sun shone on her face giving her hope as she clutched his business card.
Zsolt Zsemba 