Trusting Sheep

Common enough to find such sensational news in our papers. Young, naive ingenues tricked into flitting abroad only to be sold into sweaty whorehouses. Innocent working girls fooled into parting with their hard-earned savings to fund dubious investment schemes. Endless tales of woe usually read out by Michael Chong, our local politician / social crusader who regularly helps save teenage runaways, child brides and molested women.

Usually the minatory fingers are pointed accusingly at the ertwshile boyfriend who supposedly led them astray. After all it's easy enough to believe the tale of the charming wolf out to fleece the trusting sheep.

But each time I glance through such articles, I only find myself wondering what sort of girls actually fall for such simple tricks. Are the sheep really all that innocent, wide-eyed and trusting?


In the company of wolves?
Then I met Wild Wanda.

The post-teenage daughter of one of my older colleagues, our wild rebel Wanda wants to leave school prematurely to venture into the world! Growing impatient with the shackles of family and authority, she wants to be free to lead her own life - leading to weekly threats of running away from home to flee parental opposition. The dull humdrum of small town life isn't for her and she wants to head for the bright, seductive lights of the big city.

Paul : So you're quitting school?
Wanda : School's boring. I feel like running away.
Paul : And how will you survive in the big city? With barely a school leaving cert?
Wanda : I'll find a job. Maybe get a job a waitress.
Paul : How enterprising. And live where? A grotty little flat in the gritty tenements ekeing out a living?
Wanda : I have a friend of a friend who has a place.
Paul : How promising. I can see you already have it all planned out.

Dim naivete much?

Walking straight into the trap. Guess she's desperate to join the leagues of sheep just waiting to be fleeced out there. Might as well just hang a sign for the wolves waiting to attack! Then again I shouldn't be at all be surprised to find that Wanda already has a sleazy ne'er-do-well boyfriend stashed somewhere in her getaway knapsack. No doubt she also dimly believes that he wants her to run away because he loves her truly.

Hell, you know what! If I were straight and passably good-looking, I'd probably apply to join the company of wolves as well. Plenty of easy prey to be found after all.