Dad served forty-five days and was given early release due to overcrowding at the jail. Akira held him to the eviction, and he unceremoniously moved out, leaving a lot of stuff. Akira didn’t care where he went, but she changed the locks at the condo at Rosey’s suggestion. That made her feel safe.
She went to school, Jujitsu, and work. One Saturday, she got off work at one A.M. and, in a tired zombie-like state, walked to her car behind the convenience mart. She heard crickets, and they made her smile. The next instant, she was grabbed forcefully from behind. Instinctively, she grabbed an arm, squatted, and rotated her body down, throwing the person off of her.
A man shook his head and lunged at her. She sidestepped and avoided it. He closed on her, and she scratched his face with her car
