The following may or may not be a true story…and this may or may not have happened to me, or someone I know.
However, rest assured…if in fact it is true, it most certainly will not happen again.
Alone in my house, tuned into the night sounds beyond my open-air window, I began to ponder the importance of having my pay-as-you-go cell phone loaded with viable minutes. My desire to communicate with friends and family perhaps lit the initial spark, but it was for safety reasons that my phone really should be ready for action at a moments notice - I justified. As my imagination ran wild, and after a brief stand off with my minute-less cell, I caved. Fully aware of the phone card vendors stationed in bulk just beyond my gate I made the judgment call to venture out into the night. The brief nature of my excursion would no doubt prevent the attraction of any lurking dangers. However, immediately upon the impulse leap from the security of my home, I of course became a magnet for all the unsupervised delinquents roaming the streets. Very common in Haiti are the wreck-less bands of young boys prowling in the shadows, up to absolutely no good.
“Take me to your house.” They harassed over and over.
Avoiding any remote interpretation of eye contact, I strengthened my stride. The boys followed suit. Almost before I’d taken another step one preteen had his hand down my pocket, seizing my keys. A swift reaction allowed me to catch his boney wrist in my clutch, yanking the chain from his miniature fist. However, before a feeling of victory could even remotely surface, another boy, perhaps 15, dipped his thieving hand into the opposite pocket capturing my cell phone, the original purpose for the entire mistaken endeavor. With no second thought or even blink of an eye, before I knew it my fist was making contact with the little punk’s face. I punched him. To accompany the punch I release a blood-curdling scream and the boy quickly tossed me the phone as his friends ran away laughing. Relief would have been ideal, but in reality all I was left with, besides my rightful possessions, was a racing heart.
by K.Flay
The photo above is a David Choe collage hanging in my bedroom here in Haiti. More Haiti pics will be added to my photo section as they become available. Also a special thanks to the contributor of this super fly melody.
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