A few months of solitude was worth the outcome, and it wouldn’t be forever. One day, I’d settle into my new life, and I’d be in a better place than where I started. One day. Until then, I spent the weekend alone, as I did most weekends, working and cleaning my apartment.
Monday was a long, grinding day at work. Traffic was slow, which left far too much time for internal retrospection. Tuesday wasn’t far off, but at least it allowed me enough time to run home after work and change before going to class. Most days, I was forced to change in the tiny restaurant bathroom and rush from work straight to the gym, but when the restaurant was half-empty, my boss sent me home early. I lived close enough to make the quick trip home before class.
My apartment was on the fourth floor in a mostly residential neighborhood. There were six apartments on each floor, and mine was one of the two farthest from the elevator. I’d gotten to know three of my neighbors although, admittedly, not well. There was a young family across the hall who was always on the go and paid me little mind, as I was outside their tornadic nucleus. Nearest the elevator was a middle-aged man who looked to be in finance or some other low-level white-collar gig. Both tenants were pleasant enough, but I usually just smiled and walked past when I saw them in the halls.
The apartment directly across from me was a different story.
Mrs. Timmons was an elderly woman who lived alone, except for her two Siamese cats. She reminded me of my tita although Tita had never been a cat person. She’d had a vicious little chihuahua named Taco. He was affectionate to the family, but the second an outsider stepped foot near our house, Taco went ballistic. Poor thing had the heart of a pit bull in the body of a rat. When Tita passed away, my father agreed to keep the dog but refused to allow it inside. In a matter of weeks, he got out of the rickety fence and came to grips with reality when he took on an actual pit bull.
It did not go well for Taco.
I adored my tita, crazy dog and all, so it came naturally for me to form an attachment to Mrs. Timmons. I enjoyed our little visits. If my tita had been alone in the city, I would have wanted someone to check on her for me.
On my way home, I knocked at the old woman’s door and waited for her to answer. As usual, her foggy eyes lit through the haze of cataracts when she greeted me.
“Sweet Emily! What a lovely surprise.” She reached for my hands and clasped them both, figuring out early on that I wasn’t exactly the hugging type. “You want to come in? I just got some new cherry sours.” She started to turn for her candy dish, but I stopped her.
“Actually, Mrs. Timmons—”
“Honey, I’ve told you, call me Grace.”
I smirked. “Grace, I’ve only got a few minutes before I have to be somewhere. I just wanted to check on you while I was home.”
“Always so busy! I remember those days. No need to worry about me, honey.”
“Are you sure you don’t need anything? I can swing by the grocery store on my way home later.”
“Thank you, dear, but I think I’m fine for now. Oh! I almost forgot. I got a glimpse of that visitor you had over earlier. He’s quite the looker!” She grinned devilishly and patted her perfectly set silver hair. “I just happened to be coming back from checking the mail when he was leaving and couldn’t help but notice.”
My stomach dipped and rose, churning its contents. Someone had been at my apartment? A man? Could he still be in there? No, she said she saw him leaving. But what if he came back? I struggled to swallow, my throat suddenly tight and dry.
“Um, did you see him come from inside my place? Or just walking down the hall?”
Grace’s eyes narrowed as she began to detect my discomfort. “Is something wrong, dear? I didn’t see him come from inside, but he definitely came from our end of the hallway. I assumed he was there for you because I certainly didn’t know him. Should I have called the police?”
“No, not at all. It just surprised me, that’s all,” I assured her. “I appreciate you letting me know, but I better change clothes and get going.”
More wrinkles gathered over her pursed brow. “Okay, if you say so. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if he comes back.”
I forced a semi-genuine smile. “There’s really no need, but I appreciate you looking out for me. Have a good rest of your day.” The last thing I wanted was to make Grace worry about my safety or her own.
“You too, honey.”
I stepped out of her doorway and pulled her door shut behind me, then turned to my own door. Nothing looked any different. There were no signs of forced entry, and the door was locked when I tested it with my key. It was entirely possible a visitor had gone to the wrong floor or the man had been a solicitor even though they were not allowed inside the building. Sometimes a magazine salesman, or the like, found their way past the front entry.
I squashed the overwhelming sense of paranoia that had been ghosting me for days and made my way inside. My eyes carefully scanned the kitchen and into the living area, searching the contents for signs of tampering. Not one thing looked out of place.
It was official. I was losing my mind.
I rolled my eyes and hurried to my bedroom to change. Once I was ready, I grabbed my gym bag, which doubled as my purse on class days, and hurried out, making sure to lock my door before I left.
I arrived just minutes before the start of class and avoided eye contact with Tamir throughout the hour-long session, as was my new routine. I should have continued with that strategy and hightailed it out of there the second class was over, but of course, that’s not what happened. Those good old social norms kicked in when I noticed the cluster of pads, punching mitts, and shin guards spread across the back of the room and the mass of students rushing for the exit without helping to clean up.
Dios mío. My God.
What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just walk out with the rest of them and let Tamir clean up after us? He was getting paid, after all. I could almost feel my tita pinching the sensitive skin on the underside of my arm. The woman had trained me too well. Not smiling at strangers on a city street was a far cry from making someone else pick up a mess all by themselves. I couldn’t do it. I had to stay and help.
I hurried over to the pile farthest from Tamir and gathered items, then lugged them over to the storage bins. When I went back for a second load, he was leaning against the wall, eyes glued to me.
“You’re not running off today?” he asked with a hint of amusement.
“I don’t know what you mean.” I filled my arms again, keeping my eyes on my task.
He didn’t move to help me. Instead, he crossed his arms and waited for me to return. “Right … and the fact that you can hardly make eye contact with me is all in my imagination.”
Properly goaded, I lifted my gaze to his. “There, feel better?”
He didn’t even try to tame his serpentine grin. “Not by a long shot, but I will.” He bent over and picked up two of the large torso pads. “You have plans tonight?”
“I do, actually, which is why I have to get going.” I needed to get out of there before my heart pounded its way out of my chest. Why was Tamir putting me on the spot? Any other man would have accepted my avoidance and left me alone, but not him. He wasn’t giving me an inch of wiggle room.