Learning To Trust Again

Later that afternoon, after a brief nap that had only made her feel worse, she set off to work on foot. She hoped the walk would sooth her and leave her feeling more refreshed. As it was the middle of the day she wasn’t worried about history repeating itself but she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty after Jake’s warning the night before. She would have to walk home in the dark again later, and she was not looking forward to it, but she wasn’t being deliberately careless either. She didn’t want a random event to rule her life. She lived alone and had to travel back and forth to work every day, she didn’t want to be paralysed by fear because of what happened and she knew the longer she put off walking, the harder it would be. So she pushed thoughts of the return journey to the back of her mind and tried to enjoy the walk. The mid afternoon sun was warm on her face and there was a light breeze lifting her hair, a perfect afternoon for a walk, it was a shame it was so short really and that at the end of it she had to work.

However nearing the lane next to the pub, her heart rate quickened. Up until then she hadn’t felt any trepidation at all. It was hard to believe anything bad could happen in the light of day and such a beautiful day at that. But as she looked down the lane and she saw the site of last night’s attack again, her breath caught in her throat. Forcing her eyes away, she hurried past and the fear soon faded. She let out her breath on a sigh, happy to have gotten over the first hurdle. She didn’t dare think about passing that point in the dark later. She would cross over and walk down the other side of the road if she had to or detour around that part of the street, even though it would make her trip home longer. But quashing her concerns for the moment, not wanting them to be playing on her mind during her shift when she needed to concentrate, she determined to deal with the issue when it occurred and continued on her way to work.