Single White Female

As a female living in a big city, what’s the number one rule? Don’t walk alone at night. As a female living in a big city, what did I do? Naturally, I walked alone at night. A couple days ago, I decided it was time to stop repeatedly abusing my body by consuming copious amounts of pasta and pizza by hitting the gym. The John Cabot University gym is located in the dorms, which are approximately a fifteen-minute walk from the building where I have class. After leaving Opinion Writing, I sauntered on over to the gym. It was dusk. Students were frolicking through the tiny streets speaking in English and being merry.

After a sub par work out in John Cabot’s sorry excuse for an excursive facility, I packed up to head home. I asked a student where the nearest 62 bus was and then exited the campus onto a busy street. “Turn right on the first uphill road,” the student had told me. As I looked up at this menacing ally that lacked illumination and any trace of human life, I hesitated, and then continued. My pace quickened and I checked behind me every few moments.

As soon as I turned up the dark street, so did a man about three times my size. The itsy bitsy optimistic part of me thought “he’s probably looking for the 62 too!” while the rest of me thought “Oh shit oh shit oh shit.” Turns out that part of me was right. As I power walked, sandwiched between parked cars are vacant buildings, I heard him yelling. I turned my head, only to realize that he was simultaneously charging at me. My panic button turned on. In my running shoes, I sprinted up that hill like the track star I used to be. As I ran I thought, “Wait, did I drop something? No? SHIT!” My lapse of concentration combined with the uneven cobblestone caused my ankle to twist. It was like a nightmare. I sprinted for about fifteen minutes with a limp, a backpack, and a purse, all the way to the bus stop. Out of breathe and scared out of my mind, I decided I’d better eat less pasta or find a closer gym.