Friday, August 15, 2008

This goes back to 2003. I was walking down MG road..experiencing the city through a 5 kilometre walk. It was interrupted of course by several glares, stalkers etc...the usual.
I saw a group of people waiting to cross the street. There was a family and 2 more men- who to my knowledge were part of the family. A little girl was part of the family- she must have been about 7 years old. She was holding her mother's hand and stood behind her mother. One of the men kept trying to reach her and then he pulled her cheeks. She tried to move away on the other side of her mother. the two men went away laughing. What did they do? I dont know...literally just pulled her cheeks? What did she do? She just hid behind her mother.

I saw them laughing out loud and walking ahead. I saw the girl hurriedly crossing the road with her mother.

She looked scared. I wanted to tell her mother but I wasnt sure of what I saw. It did not feel right....and the tone of their laughter did not either. I was a spectator to something vague, to something that felt wrong without me being able to define it. It is something that has stayed on my mind...all through the years..nothing 'severe' in comparison to your range of sexual violence or any violence but something that was experienced with fear on one end and amusement on the other.

As a witness I feel guilty for not having done anything. I am not sure what I should have done. Whether what I saw was my interpretation or just what it was in front of me.

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