Makes me sad

I work in downtown Atlanta so I see a lot of different types of people. I see business men/women, homeless folks, trannies, college kids... everything. I love to people watch so it is a regular plethora of sights.

Today, though, I saw something out of the ordinary - for me any ways.

I was standing at a kiosk paying to park. (One of the BAD things about working in the ATL) The parking lot is at an intersection of buildings off the beaten path, meaning there isn't a lot of traffic. People normally drive thru this intersection to get to the larger streets.

Anyway, I noticed a person walking on the other side of the street wearing a hoodie with the hood up. I couldn't tell if they were male or female... they were very thin and it was dark. I could tell they were young, though. The stride... the aura...

A car stopped at the stop-sign and rolled down their window. Mr/s Hoodie turned around and said something. Then s/he walked around the truck and started patting the top of her/his head. S/he got in and drove off.
I don't know why it shocked me to watch a prostitute getting picked up, but it did.

I made my way to get coffee, but a feeling of sadness came over me. Why?

1. The person was so young! What got them to the point where they had to do that?


2. It was 6:15 in the morning. The person that picked them up was either heading to work or going home.


3. In the time it took me to get my coffee and get back to the office, they had probably completed their "transaction" and had gone their seperate ways. Where did it happen? How many times had they done that before. (I know... none of my business)


4. Was the "patting" on the head a signal to someone that they had made a deal? Where WAS that person? I didn't see another soul.


5. What does that child's mom think? Do they talk about it? Does she know where her child is or what they are doing?

Unfortunately, this isn't an uncommon occurance in any town. It was just eye-opening to see it happen right in front of me.

So sad.