When I moved from the virgin islands to Seattle it was a pretty big culture shock. I found a small basement apartment owned by very lovely Mideast couple. He would bring me leftovers from his restaurant. I was walking a lot because I hadn’t yet saved enough for a car, and became casually aware of the street folks along Broadway in the capital hill neighborhood. In the virgin islands, everyone says hello in passing, but here in Seattle, some hellos were taken as invitations. And so it was that I shared a meal with a young woman who was, apparently a street folk. Let’s call her Justine just for the story. She talked and ate and we went our separate ways. I was aware of her addiction and the meal I bought her was the first meal in a while. Sometimes I would see her, sometimes not. There were others I came to know who were also struggling.  I simply said hello, or good night as the case might be. “Justine” agreed to use my phone to call her family and let them know she was ok.  Days later her mother called back and I answered my phone.  We agreed she should return home and her mother mailed me a care package with clothes and some bus money. When “Justine” found out she was angry and paranoid, convinced that I was going to keep the cash and left threats on my phone. I was working and the walk home was an hour, in that time she had called several times and threatened to call the police and say I had raped her. Since she had never been to my apartment, and we’d only sat at an outdoor table, it was not possible. I got her her package and it was unopened so she could tell I didn’t rummage thru it. As far as I know, she took the bus back home. I didn’t get another call from her family.  How common is this scenario? That’s a good question. Was her addiction somehow attached to a sexual trauma? I don’t know. I do know she made that threat as is it was old hat. This was not the first false accusation I faced and it wasn’t the last.