She enjoyed walking in the city at night.
Some would call it risky or even a stupid thing to enjoy, but she picked her spots carefully and was always sure to keep to popular areas. It wasn’t as if she was traipsing around back alleys in the wee hours of the morning or anything.
Tonight was like no other in the early evening in the city. It was around eight o’clock and the rain had just let up when she went out. The restaurants and bars downtown had their usual dinner time crowds, which made her feel safe. She enjoyed seeing people let their hair down and relax a bit. It helped her do the same after the hectic days she put in at work. She felt good though helping fellow African-Americans who had not had as much luck combating the prejudices which remained in some facets of society.
After a while, Lori realized she was a bit tired and decided to sit for a while on a bench fronting the main fountain downtown. She realized this was what changed the evening for her. She’d let her guard down and relaxed a bit too much.
Being a typical American in this day and age, she had decided to check her iPhone for the usual facebook updates from her friends. Almost immediately Lori had gotten so fixated on the phone and her status updates that she hadn’t heard the man coming down the sidewalk towards her. There were quite a few people walking past her given the early hour, but still she should have been paying attention.
Anyway, this one man had gotten to close, but before she had been able to realize he was there, he had made a grab for her purse. She had had it firmly under her arm with the strap over her shoulder, so it was the quick pull on it which alerted her rather than the man’s move into her own personal space.
Foolishly, Lori had for a split second thought about putting up a fight for the bag, but then quickly and correctly opted against it. She loosened her grip on the bag and the man was so strong that he literally broke the strap yanking it from her.
He was off in a flash, and this time she was watching, though in reality the impact of what had just happened had not hit her yet.
How could this have happened? Why hadn’t any of the people around her helped? It wasn’t as if she was the only person on the block. There were more than a dozen people within fifty feet of her.
With another blink of her eye she had seen a blur a few steps away as a man seemingly jumped out of the bushes and judo chopped the crap out of the mugger.
The mugger dropped her bag on the ground and headed for the hills- literally.
For whatever reason this was applauded by several of the folks who just seconds ago were merrily uninterested in helping her.
Her rescuer- well, actually her purse’s rescuer, stooped over and picked up the bag, brushing off some of the water that had gotten on it when her assailant had dropped it on the damp pavement.
He brought it over to her and sheepishly if not bashfully handed it back to her.
“I believe this is yours,” he said.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied. “That was very brave, what you did. Especially when no others bothered even to raise an eyebrow.”
“Well in all honest it is what anyone would – or at least should, have done,” he said.
They chatted for awhile and after introductions and a bit of small talk the enormity of what happened- or at least what could have happened- began to dawn on Lori.
She could tell that she was beginning to go into a place she had not been prior. It probably wasn’t shock per se, but in that vein. She could feel her pulse quicken and her nostrils flare with the sudden onset of anxiety.
She shuddered a bit with the realization that she was about to lose control.
Her bag’s rescuer, who she had since learned was named Iruku, moved to console her and comfort her. For the longest time they did not talk but she found his strong arms comforting. Finally, after she could tell the moment was beginning to pass and the tears were at
Some would call it risky or even a stupid thing to enjoy, but she picked her spots carefully and was always sure to keep to popular areas. It wasn’t as if she was traipsing around back alleys in the wee hours of the morning or anything.
Tonight was like no other in the early evening in the city. It was around eight o’clock and the rain had just let up when she went out. The restaurants and bars downtown had their usual dinner time crowds, which made her feel safe. She enjoyed seeing people let their hair down and relax a bit. It helped her do the same after the hectic days she put in at work. She felt good though helping fellow African-Americans who had not had as much luck combating the prejudices which remained in some facets of society.
After a while, Lori realized she was a bit tired and decided to sit for a while on a bench fronting the main fountain downtown. She realized this was what changed the evening for her. She’d let her guard down and relaxed a bit too much.
Being a typical American in this day and age, she had decided to check her iPhone for the usual facebook updates from her friends. Almost immediately Lori had gotten so fixated on the phone and her status updates that she hadn’t heard the man coming down the sidewalk towards her. There were quite a few people walking past her given the early hour, but still she should have been paying attention.
Anyway, this one man had gotten to close, but before she had been able to realize he was there, he had made a grab for her purse. She had had it firmly under her arm with the strap over her shoulder, so it was the quick pull on it which alerted her rather than the man’s move into her own personal space.
Foolishly, Lori had for a split second thought about putting up a fight for the bag, but then quickly and correctly opted against it. She loosened her grip on the bag and the man was so strong that he literally broke the strap yanking it from her.
He was off in a flash, and this time she was watching, though in reality the impact of what had just happened had not hit her yet.
How could this have happened? Why hadn’t any of the people around her helped? It wasn’t as if she was the only person on the block. There were more than a dozen people within fifty feet of her.
With another blink of her eye she had seen a blur a few steps away as a man seemingly jumped out of the bushes and judo chopped the crap out of the mugger.
The mugger dropped her bag on the ground and headed for the hills- literally.
For whatever reason this was applauded by several of the folks who just seconds ago were merrily uninterested in helping her.
Her rescuer- well, actually her purse’s rescuer, stooped over and picked up the bag, brushing off some of the water that had gotten on it when her assailant had dropped it on the damp pavement.
He brought it over to her and sheepishly if not bashfully handed it back to her.
“I believe this is yours,” he said.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied. “That was very brave, what you did. Especially when no others bothered even to raise an eyebrow.”
“Well in all honest it is what anyone would – or at least should, have done,” he said.
They chatted for awhile and after introductions and a bit of small talk the enormity of what happened- or at least what could have happened- began to dawn on Lori.
She could tell that she was beginning to go into a place she had not been prior. It probably wasn’t shock per se, but in that vein. She could feel her pulse quicken and her nostrils flare with the sudden onset of anxiety.
She shuddered a bit with the realization that she was about to lose control.
Her bag’s rescuer, who she had since learned was named Iruku, moved to console her and comfort her. For the longest time they did not talk but she found his strong arms comforting. Finally, after she could tell the moment was beginning to pass and the tears were at
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