Know You're Place

"Someone wrote the word BITCH here. I’m telling you, I saw it with my own eyes. They wrote it here. It’s just here." I pointed insistently. "Am I supposed to have just eliminated it? I’m not making this up. Why would I make it up? It was written right here. B-I-T-C-H. In small little capital letters, right here at the corner."

I looked toward Emerson, but there was no reaction on his face. "Emerson, seriously, why would I make this up? And why would someone scratch it? You told me it’s brand new. So, are you telling me I just scratched it by myself? Who scratched it?"

"Calm down," Emerson interrupted softly, stepping towards me with his usual calmness. He placed a steadying hand on my shoulder.

"Calm down, Mia. Take a deep breath. Just breathe."

I exhaled slowly, watching him, needing him to believe me, to believe what I saw. And finally, he said,

"I believe you."

I sighed with relief.

"You would never do that.“ Emerson continued, “It’s not in your behaviour, not in your character.