Sweet Taboo

“A book, a blog, a monthly newspaper column.” I rolled my eyes.

“Has anyone had a terrible travel experience, any dissatisfied customers?” I could hear her scribbling on paper.

“No, nothing like that,” I responded sadly.

A moment later she was tapping it restlessly. “Sadly, there’s not much we can do now. We can file a report. You can give us the letters to see if we can find fingerprints or DNA, but if we don’t, there’s not a lot we can do.” I heard her huff. “And to be honest, it’s not like the DNA would get tested right away. You haven’t been attacked. There’s no budget for this. We have rape kits that haven’t been processed.” In the background, her chair squeaked.

“Okay. Then I guess let’s make this a report. I mean, if someone attacks me, I’d at least like you to have something to go on. What else do you need?” I was half joking, but also really scared.

“I’ll send you a copy by email,” Sergeant Bowers told me after I shared my information with her.

“Thank you. Is there anything else I can do?” I covered my eyes with my hand. My head was pounding and I was pretty sure no amount of ibuprofen was going to make a dent in it. This was stressful.

“You can do things I’m sure you’re already doing.” Sergeant Bowers sighed and I realized I was fortunate enough to be speaking to someone who still cared. “Keep your windows and doors locked at all times. This is a house address. Are you renting?”

“Own. I bought this all by myself,” I responded proudly.

“That’s great…and terrible. So now you’re not going to want to sell it and move, right?” she asked hesitantly.

I chuckled. “I’m afraid not. Maybe in a few years I’ll flip it, but right now, it’s the perfect size for me.”

“Then in that case, be aware of your surroundings at all times. Note if anything seems out of place. Consider installing an alarm system. Sleep with a bat or a shotgun.” She continued to tick off suggestions. “That should cover you at home. If you’d also like to be safe when you’re out, you might want to consider taking a self-defense class.”

“Huh.” I leaned forward on my desk. “I should’ve thought of that. That’s good advice.”

“I’m full of great advice. Be sure to take it. And if anything changes, give me a call,” she stated in her most professional manner.

“I will. Thank you.” Then our call ended and I was left with my mind reeling. I wasn’t ready for an alarm system. It felt like a hassle and an expense I didn’t want. I had never actually wielded a bat. I wasn’t what you would consider…athletic. I skated through physical education.

And yet part of what she suggested made perfect sense. I could at least start taking self-defense classes. It actually sounded like fun, if I could find something that would work around my busy schedule.