The next day, I woke up a few hours before Mother and Father wake up, hopefully before too many people were awake. Instead of putting on my burqa, I took a pair of clothes that Rafi had out grown and slipped them on. Next, I selected a hat from the assortment I had found left behind in his room. I chose the black, common hat, floppy enough to pull down so that my face was hidden. Just as I was about to creep out my door, I remembered something-shoes! There was no way I could fit into any of Rafi’s shoes and either way, I hadn’t seen any left in his closet. I sighed. Well, today would be the start of my days as a beggar boy.
Making it down the stairs as silently as possible, I creaked open the door, willing to be quieter. Then I stepped outside for the first time in months. For a moment I just stood there, breathing it all in. How wonderful it felt to be breathing fresh air again! I began lifting my face up towards the sky, but then quickly remembered: I can’t let anyone know that I’m a girl.
I began strutting along, feeling so independent, the most I had in years. Yes, it was the first time in years when I was able to feel independent. Then quickly looking down at my ragged clothes, my thoughts went to the fact that I shouldn’t be here. No, I was beyond thinking about how a girl shouldn’t be here, I was thinking about how a peasant boy shouldn’t be here. They belonged in back-ways and alleys. So, that was where I went. I didn’t want to, I knew it could be dangerous, but I didn’t want to arouse any unneeded suspicions. Sure, almost no one was out at this time, but as Rafi would have said, “You never know.”
Finding a nice long alley way, I began to pace back and forth. First I was walking and then faster, and faster, until I was sprinting more quickly than I ever had before. I had no idea how much energy I had had stored up inside me for all those long months of sitting around. It felt…so good. Soon I found myself collapsed on the stone alley, back against a building, breathing hard. I began laughing, thinking about how wonderful this was going to be, sneaking out every morning…
“Hello.”
I instantly jumped to my feet, my hand instinctively pulling my cap down lower. A boy emerged out of a pile of moldy boxes and broken buckets.
“Don’t hear very much laughter in these parts too much anymore. Where are you from? You’re a real fast runener.”
I couldn’t see his face yet, he was still partly in the shadow of the building across from me. I pressed my back even harder against the building behind me, trying to shrink. I didn’t say anything.
“Hey, dude, I’m not gonna hurt you. How old are ya?”
I still wouldn’t say anything. I was scared out of my wits. My tounge was dry and twisted. I couldn’t even muster up a fake voice. But then, knowing he was probably getting suspicious, I used every ounce of courage left in me to speak.
“That’s not your business,” I whispered, barely audible.
“You sound really young, but you’re too tall for your voice.”
OK, this guy was officially getting into too much of my business.
“Ummm,” I stammered, trying to come up with an alibi. I had none.
Then the boy leaped out of the shadows and grabbed my cap before I could do anything. There was a long pause while I held my breath and he just stared.
“You’re a girl,” He said, awe and surprise filling his voice.
Snap, busted.