My first Turn Around

7.30 am in the morning.

Planned Parenthood in Manhattan. 

Coming from the subway, some girls cross the street and go inside. We try to talk to them.

Some listen, others don't.

A girl walks by me, she doesn't look very convinced and I approach her. She stops her way and listens. She hardly talks but I see she's thoughtful. 2 minuts later she goes inside the clinic and we wait outside, without crossing the line.

45 minuts later.

 She walks out.

 She looks annowed and very worried. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she cryes at the phone. She's quarrelling with somebody: her mother? her boyfriend? her sister? Some people across the street look at her but she doesn't care.

She hangs up the phone. I come near but she doesn't want to talk. I wait for her to calm down. She walks up and down the street, she looks very worried.

10 minutes later

She approaches and talks to us. She's 6 months pregnant. This was the third time she goes to the clinic. Each of them they tell her to wait, to wait, to wait. She's tired of waiting. This time was the identity card. She forgot it at home and they wouldn't let her do the abortion without it. In two days, the 4th of July. The clinic will be closed and she will have to wait even more.

But that's not everything. Her mother doesn't know. Neither the guy. But everybody on the street does, it's obvious she's pregnant.

She doesn't want the abortion. At least not now. She feels the baby inside her.

She lives in Brookling. We call Linda and make the appointment straight forward. She stops crying and leaves us heading the office.

2 hours later

Linda calls: the baby is going to be born! We are happy, even if we know we didn't save her. What saved her was a forgotten ID:Coincidence? Luck?  I would call it PROVIDENCE.