Unexpected

3

"Self-defence class?" My dad asked in befuddlement, staring at me as if I'd said I was going to join the circus.

"Yeah dad, I think it'll be great. Don't you want your daughter to know how to defend herself?" Trying to play the helpless daughter angle. "Plus, it's..." I paused, searching for the right word. "Empowering."

"Empowering?" My dad repeated, a frown on his face.

"Doug, you should be over the moon," My mom remarked, taking a long sip from her glass of white wine. "Instead of you having to beat the boys away when Katie goes off to college, she'll know how to do it herself." My mom shot me a conspiratorial wink in my direction.

"I guess," My dad agreed, taking a long pull off his beer. We were sat at the dining room table, a steaming bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese in the centre with a bowl of salad and plate of garlic bread on either side. Sunday night dinners were a big thing in my household, with both my parents' busy schedules it was a time when the whole family could get together all at once.

Sometimes, my older sister would bring her family along but more often than not since Biz had gone off to college it was just the three of us together at the table. I didn't mind it; my parents were great people and always amazing to talk to. Since signing up for the class late Friday night, I'd been feeling more and more optimistic about everything. Two weeks from now I was going to be Katie the badass, and if any scary men were to ever make the mistake of crossing my path they'd be in for a grim surprise, at least that's what I told myself.

"So tonight's the first class?" My mom asked, staring at me from across the table.

"Yup, at seven o'clock."

"Are any of your friends taking the class with you?" My dad asked smirking as he added, "Since it's so empowering and all,"

"Doug," My mom said scolding him. "Are any of your teammates joining you?"

"No," Not that I'd asked, Stacey had jetted off to Florida early Saturday morning and Jameela was too busy being wrapped up in her kickboxing lessons. I knew I could've asked any other of my teammates, but for some reason this felt like something I needed to do on my own.

The rest of dinner passed by in an easy mixture of light conversation and laughter, and by the end of it I was stuffed full of pasta and garlic laden bread. I knew it probably wasn't a smart idea on my part, going to a self-defence class filled to the brim with carbs, but I still felt like I was trying to make up for all my non-eating from the week prior.

I helped clean up, loading up the dishwasher and drying the pots my dad handed me. I jogged up the stairs, eager to change into my workout gear and get to my class. I selected a pair of my favourite purple spandex and a plain white shirt that I threw over my pink sports bra. I tied my hair up in a high ponytail, adding an elastic headband to my crown to complete the look. I hated when my fly-aways got sweaty and matted down to my forehead, so I had a whole drawerful of colorful elastic headbands.

"Bye!" I shouted as I walked out the door, towards where I'd parked my Jeep in the winding driveway.

On the twenty-minute drive to the gym I cranked music, trying to keep my upbeat attitude afloat. It was still hard being out when it was dark, and despite my positive mindset I couldn't help the extra careful attention I paid to my surroundings. I also couldn't help that I circled the gym's cramped parking lot three times, trying to find a spot closer to the main entrance, while trying to avoid a longer than necessary trek through the dark.