It was 7 pm on a Friday in South Los Angeles, California. Many people were either driving home from a long day of work or driving to hang out with friends, family or to explore the nightlife. South Los Angeles was next to Downtown Los Angeles, but South Los Angeles did not have an excellent reputation as it would be called 'the hood' or the ghetto. Usually, people who live in South Los Angeles are considered very poor, and there is a high homeless rate. There is a lot of mountains of trash. In a small apartment, a young woman was in her room, readying herself to downtown Los Angeles. She arrived from working as a teacher assistant.
The young woman is Metztli Young. She is of Romani, Mexican, and of indigenous descent. She stood at five feet and five inches tall with an average build. Her hair was above her waist and was pitch black as night with curls. Her eyes were light gray that would shine like the moonlight, and her skin was golden tan. Metztli looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wore a yellow dress with some flower designs with handmade light brown necklace and feather earrings. "I think I'm ready. I might as well take my jean jacket; it might get cold later. It's almost winter."
Metztli got her jacket and bag that held her boom box and CDs. Before she left, the young woman made sure to see if the food she made for her father was in the microwave and that she left a note for him to tell him that she was going to the city.
The young woman got on her 2002 honda and drove off to the city. To her luck, there wasn't much traffic as of yet, and Metztli drove onto Downtown. There were large buildings that hoovered to the sky, and bright, colorful lights surrounded the people in the city. Metztli made a couple of turns until she arrived at one of the parking lots. She got out and walked towards one of her favorite spots to dance. She danced in front of restaurant places where many people would give her tips. Metztli would usually dance traditional and modern music with Bellydancing or Romani dancing. Her mother was of Romani descent that migrated to the United States with her brother. According to her father, her mother escaped from being married off at a young age since it was tradition for their people to marry as young as thirteen to fifteen years old. For many of the Romani people, practices were more important. Her mother went with her brother, who wanted a better life for himself and his sister, and they landed in Los Angeles. Many charities assisted them, and Metztli's mother was able to go to high school and learn English.
However, the brother was having difficulties getting stable jobs, and that was when he became an alcoholic and wanted to go back home. However, Metztli's mother refused and ran away before being forced back. She was homeless for a couple of days until she met Metztli's father, who worked in construction. He was an immigrant and knew the hardships of arriving in a new country for a better life. He took her in and assisted her. She got a job and finished high school. Eventually, she fell in love with him, and he felt the same. They both married when Metztli's mother turned twenty since they wanted to be sure if they were ready for marriage. The two truly loved one another, and a year later, they had their daughter and only child. However, when Metztli was ten, her mother died of breast cancer.
Father and daughter were heartbroken, but Meztli's father knew that he had Metztli to take care of and raise. Now Metztli grew to be a beautiful, responsible and respectful young lady. Before her mother died, she was taught the Romani language and many traditions, including dancing. Metztli loved dancing since she felt it made her closer to her mother. Also, she did attract many people and knew she could earn more to help herself and her father. The young woman arrived at the main square, which was crowded. Many people were in restaurants, clubs, or outside to hang out and forget their boring and meaningless jobs. She began to prepare her boom box and music. The music started to play, and it played traditional Egyptian music. Her hips began to move with the soft beat and temp. Not only did her hips move, but also her long and delicate arms, her legs that were covered with her long yellow dress. Her hair also flowed with the soft cold air blowing in the city, as was part of her dress.
The young woman was gaining attention. Metztli was thankful that she was going to earn for the night and that she was able to express herself more.