Jennie g!p
The thudding of rain and a quiet bubbling cluttered the kitchen as Lisa hunched over her kettle. She felt safe for the first time in a while, assuming the constant rain would stop potential strangers from peering in her windows. It was a baseless fear that Lisa had developed over the past few months. Paranoid that she was being watched wherever she went. It had festered into an acute agoraphobia, and her friends had insisted she seek therapy. Lisa had considered it; she even attended an intake session - but still, in the small and comfortable office, she could not escape the feeling of being perceived.
The kettle switched off, and the boiling quickly stopped as the water had finished heating. Lisa poured the hot liquid into her mug of chamomile. She had stocked up on chamomile her last time at the store as the internet recommended the tea for calming anxiety and inducing sleep. It was useless, but it was better than nothing. Thunder boomed overhead, and Lisa flinched, sloshing tea onto the counter before making her way to the living room.
Lisa's living room was small and fixated around the fireplace. At one time, she'd had a small television on the mantle, but she had tossed it after the eyes of the newscaster began looking back into her. Lisa placed the cup on her coffee table, sliding a coaster towards herself, and settled on the couch, tucking in her legs.
THUD
A sudden pounding made Lisa jump and wrap her arms around herself. Squeezing her eyes tight she told herself it was just the thunder.
THUD THUD THUD
Covered her face in her hands begging the sound to stop.
"Is someone home? I'm so sorry to bother you, but my car has broken down and I was wondering if I could borrow a phone!" Cried a voice from outside.
The sound of rain made it difficult to hear, but Lisa couldn't deny that someone was begging for help at her door. Tears pricked at her eyes - as scared as she was, she couldn't leave someone stranded in a thunderstorm.
Lisa stood and made her way over to the door, unlatching the lock and opening the door a crack. A woman of average size stood on her doorstep, She wore glasses, and her long brown hair soaked in rain. I could probably take her in a fight. Lisa opened the door further, having decided She was not an immediate threat to her safety.
"Are you alright?" Lisa asked, more as a formality than from any real concern. Her main fear surrounded the fact that someone was at her home.
"I'm ok! But my car broke down and I was really hoping I could borrow a phone to call a repair service."
Lisa nodded and stepped aside, "Please, come in! I'm so sorry about your car - of course you can use my phone."
Lisa may be paranoid, but she was nothing if not hospitable. Before her fears had begun, she had always been kind and outgoing. Under different circumstances, she never would have hesitated.
"Thank you so much, I'm Jennie by the way. I promise I'll be out of your hair as soon as possible!" The Korean woman stepped inside and wiped her boots on the doormat.
Lisa grabbed her cellphone and brought it over to Jennie, opening the phone. Jennie began to dial a number, but the automated voice on the other end informed her that the call could not be completed.
Her brow furrowed, and She handed the phone to Lisa, "Am I doing this wrong? I'm sorry, I have a different kind of cellphone, so I'm not familiar with the layout."
Lisa shook her head and examined the phone, "There's no service - it must be because of the storm. Is your phone dead? What kind of charger does it take?"
