Already dark outside I stared out the window at the flashing lights as we zipped past one station after another when I suddenly became aware of a young guy staring at me. Normally I would have been flattered but this wasn’t that kind of stare. Nervous tension gathered in my shoulders causing me to cross my arms against my chest in an attempt to shield myself. I’d show this guy not to mess with me. I tried to ignore him by looking the other way, but that didn’t seem to dissuade him at all. I shot my eyes over to him, now determined to stare him down thinking it might scare him off. His forehead creased into a frown and I did what I always do when I don’t know the answer—I speculated. Maybe he was plotting to rob me. Yeah, good luck with that, bud, there’s no money to be had from this chick, or perhaps it was my expensive coat, the one I’d purchased during leaner days that made him think I was affluent. Then the panic set in and my thoughts were no longer clear because I was thinking about killers like the Boston Strangler and Son of Sam I’d read about back in Denver before deciding to move to New York. I had wanted to know what I was facing in the city that never sleeps. Yeah, I was notorious for believing nothing awful could ever happen to me because I had a nice face. Surely those crazies could see that. His eyes never left mine. So much for trying to scare him off. I averted my eyes again, the panic now rushing through my body at an amazing speed. Temporarily confused about what to do next, I made a speedy move to another seat and almost died when he moved too, his eyes still on my face. I wanted to say something fresh to him. That was my delusional mind talking again, so I nixed the idea, pronto. I looked away, my heart now pounding in a steady gallop and racing full speed ahead. My eyes scanned the other passengers, praying I had help at my fingertips, but a deep sense of disappointment veiled over me when I realized there were two homeless people who were passed out and a few others who seemed disinterested in anything going on around them. I moved again and stood right in front of the glass doors, figuring I’d make a run for it as soon as the train stopped. I have no clue why I thought I could outrun this big guy, but the sub-conscious part of brain in its otherwise delusional state was still working overtime. Another look in the glass window to check on this guy and he was still staring, but this time, he caught me staring back. He moved slightly closer to me, and my panic escalated. I looked at my reflection again as though trying to convince myself I’d be okay—you know like having a chat with yourself in the mirror to boost your confidence when I noticed something dark under my eyes. I couldn’t believe vanity had taken over at a time like this, but there it was. I leaned in closer, forgetting about the guy, and saw that black mascara had pooled under my eyes from sweating and making it appear as though I had two blackened eyes. I giggled wondering if mister-I-can’t-take-my-eyes-off-of-you was a Robin Hood wannabe and thought I’d been the victim of a beating. amzn/B008RBSPHE ----------------------------------
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 18:08:02 +0000
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