Turning the key in the lock, I think something feels
slightly off, like when you walk down the block but
can’t shake the feeling that someone is paying you way
too much attention. I look around, up and down the
hallway and see everything seemingly normal. Shaking my
head, I take the key out and give the door a shove with
my foot, quickly enter and lock up behind me. I am a
city girl after all.
My shoulder aches from carrying my laptop and handbag,
so I set them down on the kitchen counter and then I
shrug off my coat and drape it across one of the dining
room chairs. Returning to the counter top, I sigh, and
with one hand massaging my stiff neck, begin to sort
through the accumulated mail with the other.
What I notice right before he grabs my neck in the
crook of his arm, pushing me back against the kitchen
wall, is the way the air suddenly feels inexplicably
icy. Then all I can think about is being able to
breathe again.
With his arm still wrapped around my neck, he turns me
around so that I am facing the wall while easing his
grip slightly. My breath returns but my heart pounds
harder in my chest.