Footsteps

Footsteps

She’d left the outside light on; she’d forgotten about that. Perhaps it was only suicidal insects smashing against the globe making the fluttering noise. Only, listening harder, she could hear something else.
Footsteps?
Were those Joel’s footsteps out on the wooden verandah?
What the heck is wrong with him?
She listened again but couldn’t decide. Whatever it was, it was loud. As loud as Joel’s footsteps in his godawful steel capped toe boots. Amy got out of bed, throwing her old dressing gown around her shoulders.
Please Lord, help me find the words that’ll get this man the hell away from me and out of my life!
She thought she’d made things clear the last time she’d seen him. He’d done absolutely nothing to help her take care of the farm. All he was good at, was drinking!
Amy stopped still in her barefoot tracks, when she heard something like glass smash against the weather boards.
It is him… Bastard!
How dare he come around this late, unannounced, when they’d agreed this was now her home. She thought about going back to the bedroom to grab her mobile phone and call the police but decided against it. It was early days. She might have to go through a few of these kinds of visits, before the man got the message.
She stood behind the door with her hand over the gold knob, listening. All was quiet. Perhaps he’d gone? Perhaps it was better if she went back to bed and didn’t confront him?
Until the sound of something being dragged across verandah’s boards made her fingers turn on the gold knob, and she swung the door open to the black night.
She saw his eyes first.
Beady little eyes shining in the dim house light.
Oh, you little rascal!
Amy’s heart came back down from her mouth, and she took a breath.
It wasn’t Joel. Thinking about him again, she began to laugh.
It was only a possum.
A bloody possum! Feeding on my leftover afternoon snacks.
Heading back into the house, pulling her dressing gown tight around her, Amy realised Joel wasn’t only a good drinker.
He was good at keeping her calm on lonely dark nights on the station, too.

…