Marco led me to the entrance of a dark alley. The streetlights were far off, and I could barely make out what lay ahead, seeing only dumpsters and a few homeless people huddled in a corner. I heard scurrying city rats. We were on our way to dinner. And we were running late.
“Let’s take this shortcut,” he said. “Or we’ll miss our restaurant reservation,” my 6’4” rugby-playing male friend added, matter-of-factly.
“If we went the long way, we would need another 30 minutes. This might not be the scenic route, but it will get us there.”