Jackal

by Erin E. Adams

Caroline leans into me and I wrap an arm around her. Instead of pushing her in one direction or the other, I stay present in this uncomfortable moment. I hope I’m not the only person in Caroline’s life to do so.

A luxury of girlhood is being able to play on other people’s anxieties without consequence. If you make a girl cry, you must be sorry. If a girl offers you an imaginary phone, you answer it. If a girl reaches for your hand, you take it. In womanhood, all those exchanges become contingent on her ability to pay a price. Sometimes this toll is exacted with no regard for the willingness of the woman.