I didn’t live in a bad neighborhood, but the area wasn’t the newest either. I promised myself that once I got things with my father under control, I would upgrade because my little house was beginning to fall apart around me, and I was not known for my handywoman skills. A fact that I was reminded of each time I pulled into my driveway and saw one of the shutters hanging askew.
“I really need to fix that,” I announced to myself as I got out of the car, checking the dark surroundings to make sure no one was ready to jump out at me. It was ridiculous; I knew it. But some habits never died, and growing up in the wrong part of town as a child had taught me to be cautious.
I kicked off my heels the moment I shut the door, flipping on the lights as I walked through the house. “Honey, I’m home.”
Peter, my rabbit, hopped down the hallway toward me. I reached down, petting his ears before picking him up in my arms. “Hey, baby, were you a good boy while mama was at work today?” His little nose twitched, which I could only assume was a yes. “Mama’s going to take a shower, then we can snuggle up and Netflix it.”
I carried Peter to my room and sat him down on his bed on the floor, then went straight for my closet to find pajama pants and a t-shirt. After tossing my pajamas on my bed, I went into my bathroom and headed straight for my shower, flipping the water on and setting it as hot as possible. I let the water run, knowing it would be at least another five minutes for the water to heat up, before heading back to my room to get my clothes ready for work tomorrow.
I hated getting up early, and if I was truthful, I’d hit snooze on the alarm a minimum of five times each morning before rushing out the door and heading to work. I liked my sleep; I liked comfortable blankets and fluffy pillows. But I also wanted a paycheck.
I was fully immersed in my closet, picking out the right blouse to go with my skinny black pants and ankle boots when I heard the first rustle. “Peter, you better not be chewing on the curtains, I just replaced the last ones you snacked on.”
The red would be the obvious choice to go with the pants, but there was something that kept drawing me to the royal blue. Yes. The blue, I decided, taking the hanger off the bar, then turned around, running smack dab into a hard chest.
“Don’t scream,” the man said both gloved hands in front of him.
I did the only thing I could possibly do, I screamed.