“What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?”

The question doesn’t hang in the air long before they start jumping in. “Skydiving.”
“Cliff jumping.”
“Hangliding!”

The group then turns to me. They’re expecting something grand, flashy… breathtaking.

“Being alone with a man.”

They look at me, puzzled. They look around at each other.

“Don’t get me wrong, all of you are great. But it’s a risk I take nearly every day. The more I get to know a man, the risk goes down. But even then, with some men, I may think the risk is low. That’s when they get me.

The silence, so tangible, it nearly sits as another person in the room.

“And I have to take that risk all. the. time.”