B+D are coming on the 10th

 I live in a small pueblo in Spain. Rural Andalucía, lots of men who secretly visit brothels on the edge of town, whilst openly loving their Madonna's and virgins. Some of the older women in the barrio speak of their younger days, when women couldn't smoke or visit a bar on their own and everyone was quietly escorted until marriage; whilst unaccompanied men continue to stop and stare way after their wedding day. There is still that under-edge here- late night visits to the local bar at the end of my street is something i've learned to do without, as sometime after 11 o'clock the wolves appear and will not be ushered out. One day I'll tell you about the old man in his 80's, with loose, chattering false teeth who bought me a drink I didn't want, whilst telling me how much he liked women with my colour skin.

Anyway a few weeks ago whilst walking back from doing my "compras" on a bright warm and gently lit dusk that had lengthened into shadows; I saw a group of 12/13/14 year old girls who were walking just in front of me. Kid- women playing with phones and noise and laughs, all on the happy go-lucky threshold of becoming. Fair maidens of the high-tops and baggy pants. Such beauty- it almost made me lose my breath. I was just admiring how fabulous they were, when suddenly a group of boys on bikes and of a similar age ( except physically smaller as often teenage boys will be), came cycling down the street the other way, and seeing this incredible emanation of young female energy took it upon themselves to yell en masse at the top of their lungs " putttaas!!!" screamed in the direction of these sweet little goddesses on the verge of first womanhood. The noise they ( the boys ) made was as loud and as crass as it was fearful and reactive. I could see that, but I fear the girls could not, and anyway my Spanish is not good enough that I could have ever explained it. What i did notice though, was that already those girls, at that age, were already so inured and used to the feel of that particular insult upon their collective skin, that though barely just out of childhood- they had already bodily taken it in. They gave nothing back, said nothing- just kept on walking. A few days later whilst walking in a different town I saw this sign written on a wall. So perhaps down here things are changing. MB