6
Francesca
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
I whimpered and rolled over.I'd barely gotten home and now someone was banging on the door downstairs.My body physically hurt.I hadn't experienced this level of fatigue in—ever.I just lay there waiting for someone else to go answer the door.When I came home from work, dad and a few of his cronies were still in the kitchen playing poker and drinking.More likely than not, there was probably a straggler or two hanging around down there.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
“Ugh,” I said as I covered my head with the blanket.“Someone answer that!”I finally yelled out into the void.I mean, it wasn't like anyone was banging on the door for me.I didn't have any friends and certainly no boyfriend.Anyone at the door at this time of night would only be there for my father or my sister.
More banging.
More booming.
I needed this to stop.My father was probably passed out in his chair, too drunk to answer the door.
Begrudgingly, and against every fiber of my being, I pushed out of bed and stood.My feet protested by sending sharp shooting pains through my legs.My back reminded me how many boxes I lifted during my last twelve hour shift.And my arms were so tired I could barely lift them.
I’d picked up another job.This one was moving much heavier boxes in and out of a large warehouse.Needless to say—it really sucked.My body had never hurt this much.
I walked to my door and opened it, stepping out into the hallway.The lights from downstairs shone up, illuminating everything like it was the middle of the day and not the middle of the night.
“Can't you guys answer the stupid door?”I called down the stairs but got absolutely zero answer.
I huffed to myself and walked achingly down the stairs.One foot at a time.
More banging.
More booming.
The entire house shook from the force of the knocking.
“Hold your freaking horses!”I yelled at the door as my hand landed on the doorknob.I pulled it open, expecting to see one of dad's dumb, drunk, high friends.
Instead—I saw an older man.Maybe mid-fifties or sixties.Hair mostly gray.But that wasn't the surprising part.What shocked me the most about this guy was how he was dressed.And the fact he'd obviously showered in the last twenty-four hours.
And it was a known fact that my dad’s friends would not have.
The man's cologne wafted through the door and up my nose.My eyes actually started to water from his scent.“Can I help you?”I asked, assuming he had arrived at the wrong house.His clothes were expensive.Even I could tell that.
Yeah, definitely not one of dad’s friends.
The man's eyes widened, and he took a step back.He dragged his gaze up and down my body several times, giving me the ick.“Well, well.”His eyebrows rose.“Wow.Who do we have here?”His voice was smarmy, to say the least.Not to mention the fact that I suddenly felt the need to go bathe in bleach.
“Is there something that I can help you with?I'm pretty sure you have the wrong house.But if you give me a name, I can probably point you in the right direction.”
The man smiled while his eyes focused in on my chest.I looked down and realized I was wearing a thin tank top.No bra.And short shorts.
I hadn't exactly been planning on company.
