I remember that dark, cloudless June night in New York. I was 14 back then but because of my height and African-American, childish appearance I looked as if I was 12. My Grandma, who was in her 60s, and I were on our way home from evening church and I couldn’t wait to go to sleep. The evening breeze felt soothing as it rushed through my sleek dress. As we walked to bus stop with my mom, my mind was only focused on how I was going to get home fast enough so I could finish my homework and go to sleep. Maybe that’s why I didn’t hear my mom clearly when we spoke about how to get home.
“Get off the bus at Saint Johns”, said my mom, “and remember to walk slowly with your grandma. You know that she can’t walk very fast.”
“I know mom”, I said as I dosed partly in and out of the conversation, “you are treating me as if it was my first time going home with grandma.” “Excuse me”, snapped mom.
“The bus is here”, cheered grandma trying to end the conversation before it gets out of hand.
After grandma and I entered the B44 I paid the fair with moms’ unlimited metro card; I handed it back to mom and said, “Meet you home”. As the bus zoomed past the stops I thought I might be able to reach home fast enough to catch a little of the hit reality show, “America’s Next Top Model”. Out side the window I noticed it was really dark outside and the lights of city lamps and stores billboards were illuminating brightly. I barely noticed that the bus was skipping a lot of stops and before I realized it we were all the way at Eastern Park Way.
“O my gosh”, I said frantically to grandma, who sat next to me, “this is our stop”. I anxiously pressed the bell to signal the bus to stop, and quickly relaxed as I realized my surroundings. I noticed the red Crown Chicken billboard and accepted the fact that I was close to home.
“Where almost home”, I told grandma, who seemed to be focused out the window. Expecting the bus to stop I started to get my pocket book ready, but after a few seconds passed I noticed the bus was still going. I panicked, “What’s going on”, I yelled in my head. But to refrain from making a scene I tapped the floor with my leg and peered out the window as we road down the never ending blocks. I knew that as each blocked flashed past me not only the further I was from home, but the deeper I was getting into an unknown part of New York.
I wouldn’t have mind if it was in the day time, because I would be able to see my surroundings, but now that its night time it was completely different. In panic and frustration all the possible things that could happen to me just came suddenly in my mind, from getting kidnapped, harassed, victimized, to even getting raped. All the while grandma began to murmur and looked side to side. I was doing my best to keep track of how many blocks needed to get back to Eastern Park Way, but then I unfortunately lost track; luckily the bus never turned a single corner, so all I had to do was safely return home with my grandma.
Once the bus finally reached a stop, grandma and I left confused. Once I scanned the area I noticed we were at the corner of Lincoln Boulevard and Nostrand Av. Then I remembered that the last thing my mom said was that I must get off at Eastern Park Way, and purple sign with orange letters explained every thing. The bus was Limited. All along I was planning to get off at Eastern Park Way and just walk home from there, but it was impossible to do on a Limited Bus. The closest stop to get off was Eastern Park Way. In embarrassment, I cried. After I finished I said a little prayer and side by side grandma and I started walking.
