Chapter Fourteen: Narrow Tunnel:

What was he doing here? When did he get so big? I started to shudder again. Who else was I going to see out here today? I quickly shook my head. Can’t focus on that. I smacked my cheeks and took a breath.

Right… Just get through this and get home fast. I can do this.

“Excuse me,” someone said behind me. I whipped my head around. A seventy-year-old lady stood behind me, leaning on her cane. I blinked at her at first.

“Yes?” I asked. She looked at me through her thick-rimmed glasses.

“Are you feeling okay?” the old woman asked. I quickly nodded.

“Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said. “I’m fine!” I walked over to grab a basket and walked further into the store. I wouldn’t even let her ask anymore questions. Just get this over with and get out. I just need to get the tomatoes and leave before I see more people I know.

I felt like the walls were starting to close in around me. Just breathe. Keep breathing. Keep breathing. I kept my eyes down. I had just gotten better in the city in the past six years. I could shop and talk to people out in public without feeling like I was choking. I will not go back there. I will not go back there! It got a little better when I made it over to the canned goods. I don’t think Mama needs fresh tomatoes. Canned tomatoes should be fine. I took a breath and grabbed two cans. There, that was easy. I turned and walked out of the aisle. My surroundings started to widen a little bit. I did it. Started off a bit shaky but I managed to pull through. I made it up to the cashier.

“Good morning!” the girl at the register said. She had to have been eighteen years old. Her face looked so round with her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. “Tammy” was what her name tag said. I put the cans on the counter.

“Morning,” I said in a low voice. Tammy turned on the switch, bringing the cans closer to her. I tried to keep eye contact with her as she rang up my purchases. Tammy typed in the numbers on the cashier.

“$3.07,” she said. I paid up in cash as I forced myself to smile. I probably looked like I was in pain. Tammy took my $3.10 and rang it up.

“Keep the change,” I said. She shoved my cans into a small plastic bag.

“Have a good day,” the young girl said. I nodded and grabbed my bag. I didn’t look back as I booked it out of the store.

I felt like I was going to scream in the car. In fact, that’s what I did. I didn’t care who would be staring at me. I probably screamed for about two or three minutes. Once I had stopped screaming, I strangely felt better. I didn’t even know why I was panicked before. I thought that I could handle the rest of this visit. I put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.

I had no idea. The rest of this visit and this case would really try me.