Disappearing Act
I had students named Matt, Mitch, and a girl named Amal. They were all very close. Amal was Muslim, but acted like the polar opposite. Lots of makeup, black metal shirts, pot, and she dated Mitch. Mitch, while a great guy, was not a parent’s dream. They dated for a few months, then Mitch, visibly upset, asked to talk to me.
It turns out that Amal’s parents found out about Mitch and were not happy. Apparently, her parents were threatening to take her back to Pakistan. The next day, her Facebook was deleted. Mitch said she sent him one last text, telling him how much she loved him, how her parents were kidnapping her, and how scared she was.
Mitch tried for months to get a hold of her. But he hasn’t heard or saw her again. Amal was wonderful, and did not deserve whatever awaited her. I sometimes wonder if I could have done something different, but she was gone in a matter of hours.