Learning To Trust Again

Rebecca watched him go and was still standing outside her door, long after he had moved out of sight. She was unsure what to make of him. He was such an enigma and she didn’t understand his motivations. While he was willing to put himself out for her, it seemed like it was more of an obligation than a preference. So why was he doing it? She was a stranger, there was no reason he should feel obligated to look after her. Maybe he just had an overdeveloped sense of duty, and having saved her once, felt it was his responsibility to keep her safe. That seemed to be what he was intimating earlier. She shrugged and moved inside. She was no nearer to an explanation than she was when she started. But as she closed the door, she decided it didn’t really matter why he was doing it, regardless of the reason, she couldn’t help but look forward to finishing her shift tomorrow. She smiled as she thought about it, but then immediately yawned. She was ready for bed. Even after the excitement of seeing Jake again, she doubted she’d be awake long that night. The disturbed sleep the night before and a busy shift had left her energy reserves depleted to the point of exhaustion.

But as she locked the door, making sure it was secure, her home phone started to ring. Startled she spun around and stepping into the living room she stood and looked at it for a minute. She feared that for someone to be ringing her that late, it must be bad news. Holding her breath she walked over with slow measured steps and picked it up. Her voice anxious, she said ‘hello?’

‘Becs’ a familiar voice answered in an upbeat tone ‘you just getting home?’

Rebecca sighed and smiled, she was relieved it was only her little brother Todd and that he sounded happy. Dropping her bag on the coffee table and kicking off her shoes, she curled up on the couch ready to see what news he had. They shared a close relationship and so despite her tiredness she was happy to chat with him and catch up on what he had been up to. They were in touch on a regular basis but she hadn’t spoken to him now for a few days. Her tone lighter, she said ‘hey Todd, yep I just walked in the door.’

‘Sorry to ring so late, but I tried earlier and gathered you must be working a late shift. If I didn’t catch you tonight it would be a couple of days before we spoke, I’m off interstate tomorrow for work. So what’s happening with you? What have you been up to?’ he asked.