The street was dark, the street lights few and far between, and she was jumping up and down in the middle of the road so that i had to swerve to avoid hitting her. Pulling into a parking lot, i rolled the window down a bit and she approached, begging for money.
She claimed it was to pay her rent so she wouldn't be kicked out the next day. The truth was in her eyes, though, she either hadn't made enough money to pay her pimp and she was facing a beating (or worse), or she owed someone money for the drugs she had used.
And deeper still, i could see in her scared face a question. "How," she was asking herself, "could I fall this far?"
Linking up with Six Sentence Stories at Uncharted Blog.
Today is
Adonia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (date approximate, but always in July, a ritual to honor Adonis)
Asalha Puja Day -- Buddhism (Buddhist "Lent" begins)
Cherokee Green Corn Ceremony -- honoring maize goddess Selu with thanksgiving for the maize harvest; date approximate, as many towns set their own times to celebrate
Distressed Elves' Creditors' Day -- Fairy Calendar
Eastport Fourth of July and "Old Home Week" -- Eastport, ME, US (bounded on all sides by the Bay of Fundy and Canadian islands, the celebration runs through Sunday)
Flag & Anthem Day -- Curacao
Freedom Days -- Farmington, NM, US (the Four Corners region celebrates freedom and The 4th in a big way; through Sunday)
Freedom From Fear of Public Speaking Day -- as proposed by Beverly Beuermann-King, because you don't want to blow it when your big opportunity comes because you are afraid to speak out!
I Forgot Day (the day to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or other special days that you forgot during the first half of the year)
Mescalero Apache Ceremonials and Rodeo -- Mescalero Apache Reservation, NM, US (a great way to learn about Native American culture, and including Apache Maidens' Puberty Rites; through Sunday)
National Anisette Day
Palio di Provenzano -- Siena, Italy (horse race and pageant, named after the Madonna di Provenzano, whose church is in Siena)
Rebild Festival/American Independence Day Celebration -- Aalborg, Denmark (the town dresses in red, white and blue, celebrating with BBQ, American beer, and more; through the 4th, with an After Party through tomorrow)
Remember to Feed the Hummingbirds Day -- internet reminder to be nice to these beautiful creatures
Roswell UFO Days -- Roswell, NM, US (tons of stuff for the serious and those who just want to have fun with the whole concept; through Sunday)
St. Swithin's Day (Patron against drought; of Stavenger, England; Winchester, England)
Tom Sawyer Days -- Hannibal, MO, US (frog jumping, mud volleyball, Tom and Becky Contest; parade, Tomboy Sawyer Contest, fireworks, and more, with the highlight being the National Fence Painting Contest; through Sunday)
Try to Find Your Slinky Day -- the weird holiday of the day!
Violin Lovers' Day
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival -- Greensburg, PA, US (multicultural celebration of food, fine arts, handicrafts, and music from many nations; through Sunday)
World UFO Day -- unfortunately, a real day observed by many around the world (on the "anniversary" of the UFO crash in Roswell, if such a thing even happened, which i doubt*)
*i believe that if there's life elsewhere, it shows its intelligence by staying away from us!
Anniversary Today:
Prince Albert of Belgium marries Paola Ruffo di Calabria, 1959
Birthdays Today:
Lindsay Lohan, 1986
Ashley Tisdale, 1985
Johnny Weir, 1984
Jose, Jr., and Ozzie Canseco, 1964
Jimmy McNichol, 1961
Ron Silver, 1946
Vicente Fox Quesada, 1942
Richard Petty, 1937
Polly Holiday, 1937
Dave Thomas, 1932
Medgar Evers, 1925
Dan Rowan, 1922
Ken Curtis, 1916
Thurgood Marshall, 1908
Jean René Lacoste, 1904
Hermann Hesse, 1877
Thomas Cranmer, 1489
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"The Andy Williams Show"(TV), 1957
"The Lawrence Welk Show"(TV), 1955
"Finlandia"(Sibelius' Op. 26), 1900
Today in History:
Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine, 1698
Vermont becomes the first American territory to abolish slavery, 1777
Charles J. Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James Garfield, who eventually dies from an infection on September 19, 1881
Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 rebelling African slaves led by Joseph Cinque take over the slave ship Amistad, 1893
Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi obtains patent for radio in London, 1897
The first zeppelin flight takes place on Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany, 1900
Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight 1937
The first Wal-Mart store opens for business in Rogers, Arkansas, 1962
North and South Vietnam, divided since 1954, reunite to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 1976
The AbioCor self contained artificial heart is first implanted, 2001
Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon, 2002
Planetoid Pluto's fourth and fifth moons officially receive the names Kerberos and Styx from the International Astronomical Union, 2013
Friendly Fill-Ins Week 443
14 hours ago
oh keeep writing keeeeep writing....
ReplyDeleteGood job. You are a writer...that ability to get something down on paper with a cleaness of movement and image.
ReplyDeleteWow. You got a lot done in six sentences. Thats a great interpretation of the cue. Such a sad state for so many people....its a good beginning for a bigger story.Thanks for linking it!
ReplyDeleteThis is an amazing Six Sentence Story. Your words speak volumes.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting thoughts, nice of you to share.
ReplyDeleteGripping!
ReplyDeleteWow! Heart wrenching.
ReplyDeleteoh, so tragic. and so true.
ReplyDeleteThat was very touching. It reminds me of driving home from the supermarket with my daughters one day when we saw a homeless woman on the side of the road. We don't usually give money, but we did this time. it was on all of our minds... but for the grace of God...
ReplyDeleteI've known so many of these gals over the years. They have such stories to tell and they would come to me to tell them. I never judged them, but I listened. I wonder about them still and many are long gone.
ReplyDeleteYes, keep writing. Keep writing. You took me back in time.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
Such a visual this story paints!
ReplyDeleteFew words yet such a vivid picture. More!
ReplyDeleteA sad story, and so real. You say a lot in so few sentences. Glad to see you doing some creative writing. I have been slacking!
ReplyDeleteWell told and so sad. Amazing how much can be packed into a few short sentences.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet a lot of folks ask themselves that question--How did it happen?
ReplyDeleteSad story. Especially sad because it is the story of too many. You told it well.
ReplyDeleteVery sad that this type of thing exists. You never know the real background, but always wonder. You expressed it well.
ReplyDelete