“I Got a DUI…”

Breathing Underwater by Emeli Sandé

Click play before you read.

A twirl
She bopped her head and danced away in her towel
Careless and free
A smile worth any man’s pain
She leaned in close to the camera
I tilted my head for a better view
She puckered up
Then I asked
“Is this new?”

The tune blasted from the portable speakers
I watched her attempt to wine her waist
Simultaneously covering her beautiful black skin in coconut oil
She glowed from the inside
Her singing voice
Death to any tune
Sailed through my phone
I cringed and attempted to end the FaceTime call, but she smiled even more
Her smile was amazing
A close second to how beautiful she was
A new song
A different top
Lace panties on
She asked
“Should I keep the necklace on.”

A kiss goodbye
And a confident Queen sailed into the night
My overprotective warning as a gift goodbye
It was meant to be a great night with some good friends
A bar and a lounge
A chance to forget the 5 slave days that seemed like they would never end
I looked forward to tipsy snaps
Filled with her joyful laughs
They never came
Instead, I got a text
“Pulled over.”

My heart raced
I feared the worst
Her career, her family, her emotions
Her
I began to panic
Waiting for the follow-up
I waited and waited
Then I fell asleep on the couch
Morning came, and she texted again
This time I could breathe a bit
She hadn’t been detained
Another FaceTime call
She answered as she merged onto the highway
I asked
“No DUI?”

No DUI
The system couldn’t add any more toxins into her life
Her stream was filled with unwanted elements she couldn’t account for
The hospital concluded her drink had been spiked at that bar
Yes
A Queen out on the night to share her beauty with the world,
Could have been violated by a peasant with no regard for royalty
How dare he?
She looked tired
Lips chapped
Sleep, a distant companion
She headed home
Tempering my anger at my entire gender
I asked
“Are you okay?

The follow-up came hours later
She texted
“911”
To my friends that was a sounding call
Send that, and everything stops
Full attention to your aching heart
So I Facetimed her again
This time I said no words
Tears streamed down her cheeks
It dawned
She was almost raped last night
Things she had only heard about on Twitter feeds and passing conversations

It almost happened to her
And that was a painful pill
Another thing she never planned to ingest
Her eyes welled, and she shed tears
Of pain and sadness
That even in a world she loves so much
Some continue to try and hurt her
There are no words to say that can make it go away
But like I said to my friend
I am sorry on behalf of all of us
No woman, man or any other deserves to be violated
None at all

Please be watchful and vigilant around EVERYONE. My friend nearly became a victim of something so painful and damaging. Hold those around you accountable and let’s look out for each other.
Educate and please be an ally for everyone you can. Thank you.

It’s #WordsOfWednesday by The Wordsmith @adewus4real

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