Protected.

This is the first mobile blog entry... so far not so good. Three weeks later I am back to look at it and see where it fails: interest, grammar, structure, content... blah blah blah. Let’s just say,
Not my best work. Rather than delete I have decided to update and maybe perhaps make it more interesting.

I just finished the book Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao while on my last hoorah in Florida.  This book  has certainly put new meaning into the word ‘protected.’ For instance, I used a ladies room in South Carolina at a truck stop. Once I got comfortable on the seat and started the usual visual inspection of where I was, I noticed on the inside of the stall door was a little note tacked-upp with scotch tape and addressed to anyone who knows or is affected by human trafficking. I looked at every female there when I was exiting. I didn’t take note of the contact detail... I figured I usually have a pocket super computer handy to find that info. I definitely do not believe anyone would want to traffic me, however, many times these ladies/men do not have access or a complete understanding of this info and how it is meant to assist them. It almost seemed as wasted intent. Could a trafficked individual be able to read this? Let alone comprehend what the message is? 

I wanted to ask one of the only cashiers I encountered along the way that had a smile if she had ever thought any of her customers had been trafficked. I didn’t. I completely chickened out.

And then I started to think about the meaning of the word protected. Depending on which party uses it the entire meaning could become manipulated in order to protect the racket that is the reason for protection in  the first place. We stayed at this crummy hotel along the way. You know the type... abandoned by the chain, purchased by an emigrant family and is now being touted as legimate and like the original. Except, it is not! The telltale is the fee for night. 

It was very late, like midnight when I made the reservations. We travel with the in-laws little white pocket pet, so this is always a consideration when booking. Usually I lie and we skip in unnoticed. This time I was honest. Mistake. I am not sure if the aforementioned book influenced my opinion, but I was entirely sure everything was up and up. I don’t leave bad reviews, usually I try to leave positive reviews. This is the review I left: 

Dirty room! I think someone was living there and had to be scurried out for us to rent. Onion skins in the drawers, very dirty bathroom, the towels were from decades ago and were no longer white. The smell of cooking oil was over the top. The worst was the beds had no top sheet, or blanket. We were expected to use the top cover. Unacceptable- no one in there right mind even sits on those in these discount hotels. I can live in the woods with a sleeping bag, I have slept in some pretty compromised places knowingly ... I expected low quality, this was lower than anything I have ever paid for. We were not staying in India on this trip, we were in the state of Georgia. I needed to leave as soon as my eyes cracked open for fear of experiencing anything more than already known. Also, the lottery tickets left behind weren’t winners...

This is even a redo of my review. This first one was rejected, probably because I was angry and made some comparisons that were less than diplomatic. 

I am not even sure I can wrap up eloquently here. So I won’t. Just be on the look out for people that seem out of place; there just might be a reason and protection for them is a life or death need.