19

The bus takes me to the last stop, where I know the beach is close by. A good walk here to make up for lost time would be perfect, but my work at the theater will take away everything from earlier. I know my uniform is stashed behind the small food counter. I hold tightly to my bottle as I take myself out. I can't believe this—that these men could just walk into my room and then sleep with me. I am aware that I am not pregnant; if I were, I would have been bleeding from my private areas. I never really recovered from the abuse I received from those women; nobody believed me when I told them what happened, and I completely forgot about it. On the other side, where the sun was almost rising, a beautiful fusion of yellow and orange colors could be seen. In this part of town, most of the houses are in poor condition. I take a seat on the sidewalk and stare at the colorful skyline. One of the reasons I stay alive is that I get to enjoy this sight more and more every time I see it. When I st