I watched her soft adolescent hands fiddle the fake engagement ring on her finger,
She spoke of wanting marriage.
I wanted to tell her to wait.
I wanted to tell her that boys suck every last bit of life out of girls her age.
I wanted to tell her she needs more time to learn how to be a strong woman in this unforgiving world.
I wanted to tell her she needs to learn her boundaries for her soul’s survival in a marriage.
I wanted to tell her to live and travel so that one day she doesn’t wake up to a stranger in her reflection wondering when and why she surrendered all her power to a man.
Instead, I stayed quiet and continued to listen like you do when you’re learning another language.
Instead, I fiddled my own engagement ring on my finger thinking about how none of this was my business.
CONVERSATIONS WITH ASSHOLES 