Street Dreams

This story was written December 18, 1989.

STREET DREAMS

It was early morning and the streets were quite bare.  A few cars on the street. A few people walking along the sidewalk. Going to work. Coming home from a long date or party. Living their safe and simple lives.

A young girl leaning against a light post smiles at each passerby. Hoping she’ll be acknowledged. Hoping just one person will say “hello”. Wanting to be a part of their lives. Wanting to be accepted. Wanting to be loved.

She’s been standing at the same street corner every morning for the passed year. Hoping and wishing. Wanting and needing. Crying out for help. But no one hears her cries.

An old man stops his car at the stop light. He sees the young girl. The girl smiles at him. He quickly turns his head pretending not to see her. Like all the others, he thinks bad thoughts. He thinks she’s a prostitute because of the clothes she wears, not realizing that’s all she has.  He thinks she must be a junkie or criminal because of where she’s at, not realizing she has no where else to go. He doesn’t consider she’s a person. He doesn’t consider she has feelings. He doesn’t consider she has a name.

Her name is Tracy and she’s a runaway. One year ago she ran away from an alcoholic mother and an abusive father. She thought life on the streets would be better than her life at home. Now she wonders if that’s true.

Tracy got yelled at constantly when she lived at home. Not only that, but her father beat her repeatedly. Now she feels the abuse is better than the silence. Better than the nothingness. Better than the loneliness she feels on the streets.

Tracy dreams a lot. She dreams of having a loving mother and father. She dreams of going to school. Proms. Football games. Maybe even being a cheerleader. She dreams of someday meeting Mr. Right, getting married, having children and living in a house with a picket fence around it. But all dreams must end. And she awakes to the reality. She’s just a runaway standing on a street corner.

Dreaming sweet dreams…

Dreaming STREET DREAMS!