been through , this will not be your fate in life . They step in closer . I start to spin in a circle in an attempt to see if one of them tries to grab for me . I spot a flash of movement in the periphery and start barreling toward it , lifting my camera high and slicing it in a downward arc over and over again . My husband stomps toward the group at the same time with his arm up , running through the crowd of men in an attempt to reach me . A few go flying , the rest scramble to get away .
My skin turns a deep brown in the sun , the melanocytes in my skin responding by producing melanin to protect me .
60
The one and only time I see the inside of a cell is when I ’ m twelve-years-old . I wait for my mother to go to sleep before sneaking out to meet a twentyyear-old gangbanger I ’ ve been dating . A police car driving through the busy intersection pulls into the empty gas station I ’ m waiting outside of . The officer gets out and asks me if I know what time it is . I ignore him . He walks toward me and repeats the question . “ It ’ s way past curfew ,” he says . “ I ’ m just waiting for a ride ,” I finally respond . There are a few open cans of beer at my feet . He leans down and picks one up . “ Are these yours ?” I tell him they aren ’ t . This is true , I am only waiting for my boyfriend , I have no interest in getting drunk in the parking lot of a closed gas station . He doesn ’ t believe me , says he knows my type . He handcuffs me and puts me in the back of his cruiser . He takes me down to his office and writes down the information I give him . “ Does your mom know you ’ re out ,” he asks . I tell him that she does . He doesn ’ t believe me . He drives me home and turns the spotlight on his cruiser toward my mom ’ s bedroom window . She pushes the thin white curtain back from her window and looks down , but I imagine the spotlight is blinding her . She comes down , exiting through the front door of the house , as she cinches the worn rose robe around her nightgown . She spots me in the back of the cruiser . The officer explains what has happened . My mom looks at me , disappointment driving her eyebrows together . We stare at each other for a while , but I don ’ t offer up an explanation . The officer interrupts the eye contact by placing his body between my mother and the door . He warns her to keep a closer eye on me . He