Men, We Need To Do Better
Women should feel free, but we’re standing in the way
It doesn’t matter what she was wearing. This story would be true regardless of her attire. I would have missed her if it weren’t for the chorus of hecklers that announced her presence. First came the men, at least 20 years her senior, to the right.
“Sweetness.”
“Beautiful.”
Then, the two in the black Corolla, slowing traffic to hiss.
“Pssst. Ay, look here! Pssst!”
The driver mumbled “bitch” before speeding to make the light.
And the last, who left his front yard to follow her down the block. He continued to whisper in her ear, as she rounded the corner.
My little cousin and I were returning from the library. With books in hand, he was oblivious to what I was witnessing.
“I think that I’ll read this one first. I don’t want to read the other one,” he explained.
I make him read something of his choosing and something outside of his comfort zone. It’s our subtle game of growth and punishment, depending on who you ask.
I stopped at the intersection to make sure that the woman was safe — to make sure that she wasn’t harmed. I didn’t account for the harm of a single…
