Grabbing a rag that had been soaking in sour water atop her
dresser, she wiped along her neck, across her face, and under her arms. The girl dressed herself in a red skirt with
yellow stripes and a shirt with a yellow screen-printed daisy. Her feet were
dusty and the pink toe nail polish was chipped. Summer was reserved for
colorful skirts and flip flops.
The girl walked downstairs and met a few others in the
kitchen. They worked to set the table and to prepare hot cereal. Moments before
the food was ready to be served, a curvy, grayed woman and her male companion approached
the table and sat down with a heavy thud.
The grayed woman grabbed the girl’s wrist, “You look tired.
Did you sleep?”
Smiling at the woman who provided a thorny home
for both her and her sister, she did not respond. Not everyone slept well under the grayed woman’s
roof, but the girl savored her sleep. Her thoughts were sweeter and her body
was stronger while she slumbered.
The morning dulled. The
girl and her sister took turns brushing each other’s hair and tying it back into
braids. They pulled the blankets over their shared mattress and set the girl’s
doll and her sister’s stuffed rabbit on top. The grayed woman called for the
girls and they met her at the bottom of the stairs. She inspected their hair,
checked their teeth, and asked them to turn in place before shooing them out
the door.
Once on the sidewalk the girl and her sister linked hands.
The girl brought her sister’s fist up to her lips and kissed it gently before
letting go. Her sister’s eyes were wet with tears. The girl’s eyes were stale
with detachment. The girl turned her back on her sister and began to walk. She
could feel her sister’s terror as she stepped away in fear and obedience. She continued
to move forward until she could no longer see her sister’s small frame.
“What’s your name?” a
man in a four door sedan asked as he pulled over. His car idled as he waited
for the girl’s response.
With a shy expression, the girl countered, “What would you
like it to be?”
Though his words attempted to exude tenderness the man
replied with a cold stare, “Cute. Tell me your name, honey.”
The girl answered and swallowed hard. She walked closer to the passenger side door,
peering inside. Her eyes darted from the air freshener sandwiched between the
cushions to the dark leather saddlebag on the floor. She looked
at everything but the man.
The grayed woman appeared and stepped next to the
girl. The man and the grayed woman
traded small talk. He grabbed a few bills from the pocket of his bag and
tossed them on the seat closest to the open car window. The grayed woman
gathered the loose bills and the man opened his car door. Without any further exchange
of words, the girl climbed inside. The man was pleased with the simplicity of
the girl’s surrender. The girl counted her breaths and closed her eyes.
There are 27 million slaves
worldwide.
17,500 people are trafficked
into the US each year.
There are roughly 200,000
slaves working in the US right now.
Modern-day slavery
grosses $32 billion dollars each year.
Four children are
sold into slavery worldwide every 120 seconds.
Consider joining the work
being done to end modern-day slavery.