November 2023, a day or two after my birthday, (I was born on the 28th of November 32 years ago...) I decided to go for a walk. It was an extremely hot afternoon, and if I emphasise this, it is because I come from a tropical country where heat is the norm and not the exception... Everything was calm and normal. The sun was bright, intense, golden, people were going about their business in the street, and nothing really remarkable was happening. Nothing, until I witnessed someone being kidnapped....
I'll relate how it all happened from my perspective... Between 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon on that ordinary day, I was walking up a moderately steep slope because at that time it was a lot of cardio on weekdays. Before I got to the top of that urban hill, I decided to drink a smoothie that I had bought a couple of blocks earlier. Normally I don't like to carry anything with me when I walk. Not even headphones or anything.
Oddly enough, I didn't have any clean clothes at the time. Haha, I confess that it was not because I was a careless or unhygienic person, no; but because I had been without running water for a couple of days. The water company in my city had turned off the supply for ‘repairs’. For that reason I had not washed my training clothes and that day I wore a simple flannel and shorts without pockets. I remember it clearly, because at 6:00 p.m. I had to go to my daughter's dance academy, she was leaving rehearsals and I had to pass by looking for her?
I had started to do my routines, with nothing but my mobile phone in hand, and yes it was a beautiful evening. A little smog in the air, a little cold due to the proximity of the mountains and little urban noise. That's why I was struck by the noise of the car that was carrying those people who took that poor girl away? I was not the only witness, that would have been too scary. There were about ten other people. It's an area frequented by people who go running or hiking... Believe me, I'd like to be more explosive but that day I just remember being suddenly scrubbed (by the screech of the skidding of the car wheels when braking for the girl) and in less than 5 seconds, witnessing how they subdued her and took her away.
I was shocked. I didn't scream, I didn't cry, I didn't tremble. I just pulled away from the canine and sat down on the pavement. A lady about 10 feet away from me came up to me and hugged me, ‘Are you okay, are you okay? After a minute or two, I was able to come to my senses and come back to reality. I looked at the lady and confirmed that everything was OK.... I knew I wouldn't be able to pick up my daughter, so I called a friend to pick her up from the academy. Still sitting on the pavement, and in the company of the other people who saw what I saw, we waited for the police. They took notes, statements and left.... Since that day, I have never been completely calm again. Every time I go out and walk, I have a strange feeling, of stalking, nerves, fear? Who knows? A couple of weeks later everything was cleared up, and the authorities said it was an ex-boyfriend obsessed with that girl. Yesterday I discovered this community, and today (Friday) I'm uploading this post, with this anecdote...
All photographs and content used in this post are my own. Therefore, they have been used under my permission and are my property.
