Traces of Eve

Chapter 8

JEWELL | Then

The second time I see her, she is standing on the Boundary Road, near the N4 signboard, about to cross the road. I think she's about to because she's awfully near the asphalt, the tip of her flats peek over the sidewalk but she doesn't make a move. The red traffic light replaces the green hue in a heartbeat, halting the incoming vehicles. People brush past her to walk on the zebra crossing, but she stays rooted to her spot.

The woman is dressed in a light faded blue jeans with splashes of what I assume to be a creamy white paint on the front. The jeans are ripped in a way that tells me it was a DIY project, that, and the frayed edges at the soles. It clings to her skin and makes the lines of her thighs more prominent and unfortunately, so does the V-shape of her pelvis. I wonder if she notices.

I look around me, thinking that if someone near her takes notice, they should tell her. No one does because