Just because...

Just because I'm not an officer doesn't mean I don't love God or want to serve God with my life. Just because I'm not pregnant doesn't mean I don't want to have a family. Just because I'm young doesn't meant that I don't know anything. Just because I don't have kids doesn't mean I hate children or that I'm selfish. Just because I'm not a good cook doesn't mean I'm not a good wife. Just because I'm not fluent in your language doesn't mean that I don't understand when you insult me. Just because I'm not walking in town with my husband doesn't mean that every guy has the right to stare, whistle, make rude comments or proposition me.

Speaking of which... when someone on the street says, “hey baby” I pretend I don’t hear them. When someone simply says, “psssst” or snaps their fingers in my direction (both common occurrences), I ignore them. When someone yells “murungu” (white person) I pretend I don’t understand what they are saying. And when someone honks their horn at me, I ignore it. In my neighbourhood in Canada, there was quite a thriving sex trade. So, like always, I would ignore men honking their horns or calling out to me. I remember one morning, walking down the street, and someone was honking at me. I ignored it. They kept honking, and I pretended I didn’t hear anything. The third time, I looked, and it was my pastor and friend, Geoff, saying “Rochelle, you’re making me look really bad here!”