She came out of the shop, disappointed that they didn’t have what she wanted.
That was all she had to do. She could cross to the bus and go home. She’d been a long time; a lot longer than she had planned. He’d be worried. She stepped off the kerb without looking and a car’s horn blasted. The driver shook his head at her. It gave her a jolt. She felt her body trembling. She went into her handbag for a tissue with fingers shaking. Looking around, she saw steps she could sit on; just for a minute.
Wow! She thought. What if I’d been knocked down? I could have been concussed, put out of action. More than that, I could have fallen victim to amnesia. I could have wandered around town not knowing where I was or how to get home. Out of desperation I might have flagged someone down in the hope that they recognised me. I might have simply thumbed a lift and accepted a ride to anywhere in that sort of condition. A truck driver for instance. One of those trucks that go great distances across country. I could have ended up somewhere, a long way for here. A stranger, starting a new life.
Feeling a lot better, she returned to the kerb.
She was looking for a truck driver.
