I was in the 8th grade and on my way back from school.
I used to take a minibus to go home.

I was the only one left on the bus.
I kept banging my fists against the car to get off, but the driver wouldn’t stop.
I banged and banged and banged, but he wouldn’t stop.
I was very scared.
I thought he’d kidnap me or dump my body in an area called Al Khour,
And no one would ever find me.
I thought he’d steal my organs or rape me or steal my jewellery.

I wore my backpack and jumped from the car.
I didn’t feel a thing.
I only remember waking up in the hospital.
My school uniform was torn.

I got out of the hospital two days later.
When I went back to school, everyone scolded me for jumping,
“You’re not Ahmad al-Saqa.”
To my surprise, I got on the same bus when I was in 10th grade.
I made sure to memorize the car’s license plate and what the driver looked like.
I didn’t know what was going to happen.
I kept banging again.
This time he pulled the brakes and stopped.

I told my parents and we filed a complaint against him in the Traffic Department.
He asked for forgiveness and everyone told us to let it go just because he was a man and I was a woman.
We eventually let it go and withdrew the complaint,
Just because I’m a woman and we didn’t want any trouble and all that.