Bella stood looking back down at him, not completely sure what her reaction should be. Should she be scared? Maybe he had come to return her things but was afraid of coming to her door. She wondered if he could see her standing there looking back at him, and when he raised his hand in a half wave, she knew he could.
Bella quickly closed the curtain as fear flooded through her body, but as she peeked back through the curtain, she saw he was gone. Her day went on like any other, but she could not get that man out of her head. She was glad that she had her car when she got off of work, because she did not want to get caught out on the street alone ever again.
She had went to the police station that morning before work and had signed the police report. She did not, however, tell the police about the man’s eyes. She did not want them to think that she was crazy and she was not sure what to think of the man. What kind of mugger shows up at the person’s house they had just mugged? A crazy one. She knew that if his picture ended up on the news, he knew just where to find her, and she was not going to risk her life over a few dollars.
When Bella walked into her apartment door that evening, she was happy to see that it was still clean. It had been a long time since she had come home and her apartment was in the same condition it had been before she had left.
Usually, when Scott had a few friends over, they would throw food at each other, leave pizza on her table, and beer bottles sitting all around. Walking into her peaceful apartment that evening she knew that she had made the right decision.
Bella showered and headed to her bedroom to dress. She could not shake the feeling that she was being watched and looked out of her window. Once again, the man was standing there looking up. This time he had a cigarette in his hand, just standing there watching her window and smoking.
Bella dressed quickly and ran down the stairs. She was not going to put up with being watched any longer. She had to confront the man if she was ever going to feel safe in her own apartment. When Bella finally made it outside, the man was long gone. It was as if he knew she was coming, but how could he have seen her look out of the window? She didn’t fully understand what was going on and turned to walk back into her apartment building.
Bella entered her apartment slightly shaken. She began wondering if kicking Scott out was a good idea. She felt so vulnerable and so alone in that moment, but she knew she could not call Scott for help. She could not allow him back into her life.
Bella decided to lay down and try to relax her mind. She grabbed a book, and before she knew it she was drifting off to sleep. The next morning, she had all but forgotten about the night before. She had decided that it was just a coincidence that the man had been standing on the sidewalk outside of her apartment, and that he had not really been watching her.
Bella dressed and headed off to work. She was glad that she would have two days off after she finished her shift because she really needed some time to herself and away from her job. Bella waited tables at a local café. She knew she could not do this work forever, but it was the job that Scott had lined up for her when she came to marry him. It was not the best paying job, but it did pay the bills. Bella knew that this was not what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, and as she drove to work, she wondered if Scott would force her back to her own country or allow her to say. She wanted to take advantage of every thing this country had to offer, but she did not want to do it with Scott by her side.
Bella was glad to see that there were only a few customers when she got to work. There was nothing quite as annoying as walking into work and immediately being slammed. This would give her a few minutes to grab a cup of coffee before she began work. As she poured her coffee, she looked around the restaurant, and in the corner booth, she saw him.
Sitting right in her place of work was the man that had grabbed her, the same man she had seen outside of her apartment the previous two days. That was it for Bella—she’d had enough.
Bella walked straight up to the booth and sat down across from the man. He had his head down, both hands wrapped around a cup of coffee, as if that was the only thing in the world keeping him warm. He didn’t even look up at her when she sat down.
“I’m Seff,” he said to Bella.
“Well, Seff,” she replied, “What exactly is your problem? You mug me, you show up at my apartment, and then you come to my job. I should call the police on you right now!”
“Why don’t you?” he asked, finally raising his head and looking at Bella. There were those eyes staring straight into hers, and it seemed as if time had stopped.
Bella searched for words but could not find them. She looked down at the table, not sure how to answer him. Why didn’t she call the police? There was the man who had mugged her, sitting right in the restaurant she worked in. She could call the police and have him arrested right there. She looked up at him not knowing what to say.