I came out of the store. At least four shopping bags dangled from my hands. Shopping seemed to calm my senses sometimes. Not sure why exactly though. It hadn’t been that way before. My car was just down the street. All of the cars that had been parked in the lot that I stood before now had disappeared. I was able to see my car from where I stood at the entrance.

My boots clicked as I walked down the dark street. From time to time I would step in a spot of light that shone down from the street lights. I felt like I was in an undercover mission with the hood of my long wool jacket up and my large purse slung over my shoulder. I felt a chill as I walked further down the road.

Winter had set in just a month ago, and some ice still remained on the roads from the last snow. All of the Christmas sales were still going since the holiday had been just a week ago. I tried to tell myself that was the reason for my shopping. But really it was the fact that I was handling so much stress at the moment in my life and I needed some sort of an escape.

With one step my boot slipped out from under me. My foot rose into the air as I fell back onto the paved sidewalk with flailing arms.

“Ouch!” I cried and muttered, “Stupid heels. No traction.” My bags had flown all around me, scattering all of their contents. I scooped up my findings from the day back into their bags and placed them on my arms after dusting off my coat. There was no one around to see what had happened.

Only a few more feet to the car. I wouldn’t slip again, I told myself.

I clicked my car lock button. The lights of the sports car flashed with a beep. I hurried to the car to escape the cold, noting that I should turn the heater on as soon as possible. I pulled on the handle. Stuck. The door wouldn’t open no matter how hard I tried. I groaned.

I turned to the road, hand on hip thinking of what I could do. Lights lit up my face. A horn of a charter bus blared as it rolled down the road. The bags flew everywhere on the icy road next to my car.