Stopped

I sprinted up the stairs when my phone rang. Discovering a different friend unexpectedly on the other line was a nice surprise and I smiled as I took the phone into the living room.

A flash of light caught my eye out the bay window and I turned, still talking. There was a man with a flashlight standing at the top of our driveway looking into the driver’s seat of my mom’s car. I froze, now silent and puzzled. Was Dad outside? He’d been washing the dishes a few minutes before. Adrenaline began to pump through my veins. I cocked my head to listen and realized I could still hear him washing dishes.

Putting my friend on hold, I slid into the kitchen. “Dad, there’s someone outside with a flashlight looking in Mom’s car.”

Time seemed delayed as he turned to look at me and hurried past me into the entry. The door closed behind him as he rushed down the driveway. The man I had seen was now on the sidewalk running away from our house.

“You, stop!” my dad called as he ran after the would-be thief. The tall man ducked in a dark running car and brake lights flashed briefly before they peeled away. My dad limped home in his socks, reporting back to us when he found us waiting in the entry. As he finished his story, I slipped my arm around him in silent thanks for being there to protect us.