When I was in fourth grade, I was almost kidnapped and it didn’t really hit me until a year ago.
I was just getting off of the school bus in my new, red, zip-up jacket that my mom had bought me from Marshall. I remember it so vividly because it had a blinged out black and white tiger on the back. Everyone liked it at school and since I was normally teased for my off-brand clothing , I made it my duty to wear that thing whenever I had the chance.
As I was getting off the school bus, I noticed a car slowly coming down the street. There was an older man and a younger guy in the car.
When I noticed they were looking, no, STUDYING me, I got nervous. See, around this time it felt like everyone was getting snatched up. I was always paranoid about it and told by my parents what to do in these types of situations. I was young, but I’ve always been blessed with the spirit of discernment. I can always tell when something just isn’t right.
As I looked around, I knew exactly who to go to. There was an older man that would always sit on the front porch. And thank God, he was outside on this particular day. So, as I realized that these men were sitting at the stop light, waiting on me, I went right over to the older man’s yard and asked him could I wait there next to him. I let him know that I was afraid and I needed to wait with him. Thankfully, he told me that was fine.
Just at that moment I noticed the driver got out of his car and was walking over to us.
He looked at me and then to the older man and said, “Excuse me sir, do you know this young lady?”
The older man looked back at my now terrified face and said, “No, not personally, but I see her walk home from her bus stop to go home. We wave from time to time.”
The driver looked at me and then said to the old man, “Well, I work for the bus department and I got a call in about a young lady in the same jacket description as her, jumping off the back of the bus and running.”
Immediately, I was defending myself. “I swear I didn’t jump off the back of the bus—!”
He cut me off to say, “Who else has a jacket just like that? You’re going to have to come with us back to the station.”
“Sir,” the old man intervened. “I saw her get off the bus and she did no such thing. She’s fine here with me.”
At this point I was panicking. I never jumped off the bus and I cursed the day I wore that damn jacket. And the other girl who had it on.
The man looked at me and then the older man and said, “Well, then I guess we got the wrong girl. That jacket almost got you in trouble young lady.” He walked away and got in his car. I waited for him to pull off and go out of sight, told the old man thank you. He told me to be safe and then I headed on home.
I never forgot that moment, but it took me a minute to really reflect on how crazy and outrageous that situation was. How obvious his intentions were and how blessed I was to have seen that older man outside that day.
Man.
image source: model, ashley moore
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