Snapshots With Words

When I lived in Saraland, Alabama where I attended college at the University of Mobile, I moved off campus the second semester so that I could afford my living expenses. Thankfully, my tuition was covered with scholarships and grants, but I still needed to come up with my basic living expenses. I lived in a three bedroom apartment with two roommates, and with the high humidity levels and less than impressive building methods, the floors creaked and the outdoor wooden stairs leading to our second story apartment, as well as the wooden railing on our balcony were considerably weathered. I remember my early twenties as being the time in life that I was the most inspired to change things. Everything was new, and my optimism was at its highest. Next door to us lived a woman with her husband and young daughter, and I often stopped to chat with her on my way in or out of my apartment. I desperately wanted to spend time with her, as she was a lovely woman, probably not much older than ...

Here I am at a MacDonald’s restaurant in Mobile, Alabama escaping the deadly humidity and ironically drinking hot coffee in the air conditioning right across the street from L & M automotive where my car is sitting. The shop is now closed, as it is mid afternoon on a blistering hot Saturday, and all of the mechanics have left. Thankfully I brought my laptop, books and bag that doubles as a very full purse slash laptop bag. I knew the possibilities of waiting for a ride where great, as the noise around my tires sounded pretty serious this morning on my way back from volunteer work in Prichard, Alabama, a primarily African American neighborhood known for having the highest crime rates in the state. I had the opportunity to speak with an African American woman who came in with the weight of the world on her shoulders. A woman in her situation with a husband and family to care for, who is trying to make it in society with a professional career has many issues to face because, while thi...