Friday Flash Fiction: The Mistake

(Friday Flash Fiction prompt from The One-Minute Writer on 10 May 2013: "The Mistake". A child makes a simple mistake and it ends up shaping the rest of his or her life)


Jen got off the bus and ran up to the porch of her home. As she unlocked the front door, she could hear the phone ringing inside. She stepped inside and swung the door shut, forgetting to lock it. The phone was still ringing, and she trotted through the room into the kitchen to pick up the phone.

"Hey, Jen, it's me." Meaning Sandy, her best friend and fellow sixth-grader.

"What's up? Are you still coming over to do homework?", Jen said.

"Yeah, in a while. Mom has a couple of things for me to do first, though."

"Okay", Jen said, hearing a noise in the front room. "See you soon."

As she hung up, she heard something else in the front room. Sounded like the section of the floor that was always creaking. She walked through the kitchen doorway and froze. There was a man standing in the living room, looking at her. Dressed in jeans and a black hoodie, hood pulled up over his head. Strands of stringy dark hair peeking out around the hood. Coal black eyes and a slanted grin.
The man took a step toward Jen, hands coming out from his sides.

"C'mere, little girl. I won't hurt you if you do what I want."

Jen screamed and turned back into the kitchen, the man lurching forward behind her. She was almost through the other doorway when he grabbed her left arm. "C'mon, it'll be fun", he said.

Jen caught a whiff of him. Pungent, smoky, sweaty. Heat surged through her now, and her fear became something else. Training from a class at school flashed through her mind.

She spun around and threw a fist at the man's throat. He grunted and let go as his face started to redden. Those inky eyes were almost glowing with hate now. Jen had enough space between them, so she kicked as hard as she could between his legs. The man gasped and bent forward, hands moving to his crotch. She remembered something else from the class, then stepped forward and swung an elbow into his nose.

Jen darted across to the other counter and drew a carving knife from the block.

"Get out! Get out!"

The man turned and stumbled out of the kitchen. Jen followed, still yelling at him to leave. She held the knife ready but kept her distance. He didn't look back. Fumbling out the front door, he careened down the porch steps and across the street, one hand wiping blood from his face.

Jen slammed the door shut and locked it, breathing hard. After a pause she ran back into the kitchen, dropped the knife on the counter, and dialed 911. The dispatcher asked her a few questions and told her to stay on the line. Jen mumbled "Okay" as her limbs became heavy as anchors. She dropped the phone on the counter and collapsed to the floor.

--------------------------------------------

Jen stood in the reception area, in a sea of caps and gowns, blinking back tears. The bachelor's diploma she held had been hard won, but law school this fall would be a whole new challenge.

Her mom was standing close, pulling another tissue from her purse. Jen glanced at her dad. Was that some moisture in his eyes, too? A rare sight, although his smile was familiar and warm.

Two women approached. One was her counselor, Mary, who hugged her and said, "You did it!".

"Thank you so much, Mary", Jen replied. She had a brief vision of Mary's office, where she had spent so many hours over the last ten years. With a fierce hug she said, "I wouldn't have made it without you."

The second woman pressed close. Jen looked at her and said, "Julie! Thanks so much for coming!". Julie was a friend from the women's shelter where Jen had volunteered in high school and summers during college.

"Wouldn't have missed it", Julie said. "I'm so glad for your friendship. You're an inspiration to me."

Jen said, "So, when are we going to be coming to your graduation?"

"Oh, who knows?", Julie said, laughing. "It's baby steps, you know. I'm finally settled in a new place with the kids. I think my new company might pay for me to take some classes this fall."

"That's great! Do you talk to anyone from the shelter these days?"

"Yeah, every so often. They call to check on me once in a while. The last time I talked to Sarah, she said they're busy enough that they need more lawyers in town to help straighten out problems. Had you heard about that?"

Jen chuckled. "Yup, I'm working on it."