Member-only story
And I’ll Be Forever Grateful
Sometimes, you have better things to do.
In loving memory of Tangela S. 1970–2018
It was Halloween and in two days I would be fifteen years old. I was eager to go to a party with my cousin, Trish who was three years older than me. She claimed it would be unforgettable. She was right, but as I would later find out it would be for all the wrong reasons.
Trish parked the car two blocks down from our destination. The street was lined with cars. We walked feeling the chill in the late evening air. Neither one of us had on a jacket. We huddle close to each other and walked a little faster.
From the sidewalk we could hear and feel the music thumping. We walked into the house, and everyone was dressed in costumes as the host, Margarite had instructed. I was Cat Woman and my cousin was dressed as a burglar. It was supposed to be funny. Get it, cat and burglar.
The air was thick with a scent that made my head a little woozy (later I would discover that’s what a “contact high” feels like).
The deeper we were in the crowd, the harder it was to keep up with my cousin. Soon, my cousin had vanished into the crowd, leaving me in an unfamiliar sea of older teens and young adults.
Surrounded by people who seemed much older than me, I felt so out of place…
