distracted me. I felt sad remembering.
I walked briskly along under the streetlights with my big purse hitched over my shoulder and my warm scarf wrapped around my neck.
I looked around. So far so good.
About halfway to the train stop, a large lone figure stepped from out of the shadows. I recognized his shape right away and my heart sank.
Harley.
I didn’t change my pace. When I got to where he blocked my path, I spoke in a loud voice.
“Hey Harley, how you doin’ tonight? Did you hear my sets?” I sidestepped him casually and kept going, fighting the urge to run. I didn’t want to appear frightened.
“No,” he said. He matched my pace and put a beefy paw on my elbow.
“That’s too bad, it was one of Andy and I’s finer moments!” I said. I tried to project a feeling of happy oblivion. “Matt makes the best mojitos, you should try one some time. Isn’t it great working for Brenda? She’s the best boss ever!” I kept chatting. I could feel my pits itch as every pore released a bead of fear-drenched perspiration. I was going to ruin my favorite dress if this kept up.
“Brenda. That bitch is going to fire me,” he said in a growl.
Oh shit. I thought to myself.
“No, she wouldn’t do that, would she?” I tried to sound consoling. This was going south fast. I felt his grip tighten on my elbow.
“She would. Especially with a slut like you bitching to her about me,” he said. His hand squeezed my elbow so tight, tears sprung to my eyes.
It was time to get my mace out.
“Harley, why would you say something so mean to me? I’ve always been polite to you, even if I haven’t agreed to go out with you, haven’t I?” I tried to appeal to his humanity. Assuming he had any. I casually reached into my bag with my right hand while he kept talking.
“Brenda cut my hours to almost non-existent. Then I saw her talking to you tonight. It clicked. Why she started scheduling me on weeknights instead of weekends, and earlier in the evening before you came in. You’ve been complaining to her about me,” he said.
My senses were acutely aware of everything around me by then.
Harley always smelled of cigar smoke, leather and stale sweat. Now there was something else too. Kind of like nervous perspiration. Like maybe he was planning to do something he’d never done before.
My warning bells were going off like Aunt Theresa’s Five-Alarm Chili in the middle of a fireworks store. My hand found the mace.
“Harley, don’t be this way. You know I’m living with someone,” I told him. Then I swung my arm into his face and sprayed that mace like my life depended on it. Because it did.
He howled and grabbed his eyes, and I began running like Ticky from the garden hose. I could outrun Harley’s lard butt, I knew I could.
Heavy footfalls fell in behind me, but I was too scared to look. I ran like a gazelle. I was getting on that train!
A hand grabbed my shoulder through the stole I was wearing. I shrugged off the stole and kept running. I could feel the long slits in the sides of my dress growing longer. Dang it!
“Lauren, stop! It’s okay!” Zack’s voice said.
I stopped suddenly and turned to see him. I craned my neck to see if Harley was following, but he was a ways up the road, writhing on the ground and yowling like a stuck pig.
I was breathing like a track star. I put my hands on my hips and took great gulps of air.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him between breaths.
“I wanted to make sure you made it to the People Mover alright,” he said. The light from the streetlamps on the boulevard wasn’t quite enough for me to read his eyes. But I was touched that he was concerned about me. And very thankful.
“Why is Harley on the ground?” I asked him.
He looked down and shoved his hands deep in his jacket pockets. “I needed to make sure he would stop chasing you,” he said.
I grinned and threw myself at Zack, squeezing him tight and breathing in the smell of his lemony
I walked briskly along under the streetlights with my big purse hitched over my shoulder and my warm scarf wrapped around my neck.
I looked around. So far so good.
About halfway to the train stop, a large lone figure stepped from out of the shadows. I recognized his shape right away and my heart sank.
Harley.
I didn’t change my pace. When I got to where he blocked my path, I spoke in a loud voice.
“Hey Harley, how you doin’ tonight? Did you hear my sets?” I sidestepped him casually and kept going, fighting the urge to run. I didn’t want to appear frightened.
“No,” he said. He matched my pace and put a beefy paw on my elbow.
“That’s too bad, it was one of Andy and I’s finer moments!” I said. I tried to project a feeling of happy oblivion. “Matt makes the best mojitos, you should try one some time. Isn’t it great working for Brenda? She’s the best boss ever!” I kept chatting. I could feel my pits itch as every pore released a bead of fear-drenched perspiration. I was going to ruin my favorite dress if this kept up.
“Brenda. That bitch is going to fire me,” he said in a growl.
Oh shit. I thought to myself.
“No, she wouldn’t do that, would she?” I tried to sound consoling. This was going south fast. I felt his grip tighten on my elbow.
“She would. Especially with a slut like you bitching to her about me,” he said. His hand squeezed my elbow so tight, tears sprung to my eyes.
It was time to get my mace out.
“Harley, why would you say something so mean to me? I’ve always been polite to you, even if I haven’t agreed to go out with you, haven’t I?” I tried to appeal to his humanity. Assuming he had any. I casually reached into my bag with my right hand while he kept talking.
“Brenda cut my hours to almost non-existent. Then I saw her talking to you tonight. It clicked. Why she started scheduling me on weeknights instead of weekends, and earlier in the evening before you came in. You’ve been complaining to her about me,” he said.
My senses were acutely aware of everything around me by then.
Harley always smelled of cigar smoke, leather and stale sweat. Now there was something else too. Kind of like nervous perspiration. Like maybe he was planning to do something he’d never done before.
My warning bells were going off like Aunt Theresa’s Five-Alarm Chili in the middle of a fireworks store. My hand found the mace.
“Harley, don’t be this way. You know I’m living with someone,” I told him. Then I swung my arm into his face and sprayed that mace like my life depended on it. Because it did.
He howled and grabbed his eyes, and I began running like Ticky from the garden hose. I could outrun Harley’s lard butt, I knew I could.
Heavy footfalls fell in behind me, but I was too scared to look. I ran like a gazelle. I was getting on that train!
A hand grabbed my shoulder through the stole I was wearing. I shrugged off the stole and kept running. I could feel the long slits in the sides of my dress growing longer. Dang it!
“Lauren, stop! It’s okay!” Zack’s voice said.
I stopped suddenly and turned to see him. I craned my neck to see if Harley was following, but he was a ways up the road, writhing on the ground and yowling like a stuck pig.
I was breathing like a track star. I put my hands on my hips and took great gulps of air.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him between breaths.
“I wanted to make sure you made it to the People Mover alright,” he said. The light from the streetlamps on the boulevard wasn’t quite enough for me to read his eyes. But I was touched that he was concerned about me. And very thankful.
“Why is Harley on the ground?” I asked him.
He looked down and shoved his hands deep in his jacket pockets. “I needed to make sure he would stop chasing you,” he said.
I grinned and threw myself at Zack, squeezing him tight and breathing in the smell of his lemony
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