The light is off in the hallway. It’s been off for a month and the first floor tenant, Mrs. Gaynor, has complained to the landlord. Over and over. She has sciatica and the beginnings of glaucoma, and believes every story she reads in the papers about muggers in the dark. She says that I don’t care because I’m young. Young people read only the headlines about Russia, she says. Movie reviews. Dear Abby.
Truth is, I don’t have to worry about muggers because I have a beautiful left hook.
My stepfather taught it to me when I was a little girl. He took me to the park, stood with his legs wide apart and head cocked to the side, and said, “Hit me. Hard.”
