Retro Zone

My black, springy curls bounced on my shoulders as I skipped alongside my mother.

We had just left the toy store, and here I was, my Raggedy Ann doll in one hand and my mom's hand in my other.

We came to the crosswalk, where the light said red even though there were no cars at the stoplight, which was beyond me.

"Let's cross the street, baby."

I showcased my toothy grin and playfully stomped across with my doll. During this action, however, she slipped out of my hands. When I reached the other side, there was another man there, and he was just like me, except darker.

"You dropped your doll, miss." He said with a smile, in a hushed voice.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, and ran back out to get her.

"Adrianna!"

Before I knew it, I was pushed aside to the ground, and my new sundress was now dirty. With tears in my eyes, I stood up and turned back around to see my mother running towards me. She was asking me questions, but all I could focus on was the black man's body in the middle of the intersection.

He had risked his life for mine.