My husband and older daughter were down in Atlanta visiting family last week, so it was just me and Jack in the townhouse. Lots of walks and treats (for both of us–hehe). Overall, it was fine, but there was one moment of high anxiety, and I rarely write about actual, physical fear. So…
I had been filing papers upstairs in the den for a while, and Jack was whimpering downstairs. I wanted to take a bath, but I didn’t want to cause him any more anxiety, so I went downstairs, gathered up Jack’s bed, a Dentastix, and my Kindle. I ran a nice hot bath and got Jack settled. I began to read. Perfection.
Then.
I heard a bump. Downstairs. If Randy had been home, I would have assumed it was him. If Jack had been downstairs, I would have assumed it was him. But…
Then there was a muffled clatter. What the? I sat upright in the tub and considered my options. Was someone in the townhouse? Surely not. Right?
We rarely hear our neighbors, so it seemed highly unlikely these sounds were coming from them. I pictured someone creeping up the stairs.
By then I was sitting straight up in the tub. I wiped off my hands, grabbed my phone, and punched in 9-1, just to be ready for the final 1, if necessary.
Another rustle.
Jack got up out of his bed and walked the couple feet to the closed bathroom door. He stood with his nose almost to the door and gave one loud, sharp bark.
When he had risen, I had carefully gotten out of the tub and wrapped myself up in a bath sheet. When he barked, the hair on my now-dry arms rose. I felt that cold feeling on the front of my thighs and the back of my calves–is that adrenalin coursing through blood and muscles? I don’t know. My heart was thudding.
Phone in hand, I opened the bathroom door. Jack, who is NOT the most discerning guard dog, wandered out, into the den, sniffed a couple of times, and looked at me. It was his innocuous, “Hey, Lady, want to take me outside to pee?” look.
I turned on every light in the townhouse and walked around, making sure nobody was there. Well. I didn’t go down to the laundry room/garage. If someone was down there, so be it. Nobody was inside. Nothing was disturbed. I assume it was just the neighbors. Unlike TV shows and movies, there was no resolution, good or bad. I was a bit uneasy the rest of the night. And that was that. An unsatisfactory ending. (Though a good reminder of how fear feels, and how lucky I am to not feel it very often.)
Amble over (perhaps with more urgency than Jack, though) to Two Writing Teachers for links to more Slice of Life posts!
I have the same fears when I am alone, and especially while taking a bath. I’m glad your fears were unfounded.