In the early years

In my previous post, I mentioned my childhood paper route. At a certain point, the newspaper altered its delivery time from after school to before 8 am.

One of my earliest memories dates back to those early morning paper deliveries. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was under surveillance. This sense of being watched persisted for as long as I could remember. It wasn't confined to a single location on my route, and at times, it felt as though someone was trailing me. I maintained a vigilant awareness of my surroundings, rushing to complete my route as swiftly as possible. On occasion, I even ran to expedite the deliveries so I could return home promptly. There were two individuals with questionable intentions living a few houses down, but it turned out they weren't the source of my unease, as I initially suspected (details of this revelation will be shared in future posts).

My next recollection likely occurred during that same period of my life. I used to go to bed wearing a nightgown, as was the fashion in those days. However, I would sometimes wake up in the morning without my underwear, and on occasion, I couldn't locate them at all. Perplexed by this, I convinced myself that my restlessness during sleep must have caused them to slip off, and I reasoned that I would eventually come across them somewhere in the bed.

My mind had a knack for conjuring rationalizations to shield me from acknowledging anything sinister. Nowadays, I no longer possess this inclination. I habitually assume the worst about people and situations, a disposition that will become clearer as my narrative unfolds in future posts.

I don't recall ever confiding in anyone about my apprehension of being watched or my nocturnal underwear mystery, at least not until years later. Looking back, even if I had shared these concerns, it's doubtful that it would have made any difference.

My aim is to maintain brevity in my posts to sustain reader engagement. While I alluded to more unsettling details in this post, it lays the foundation for what transpired next.

Some of you may have an inkling of where my story is headed. This week promises a heavy workload for me, but I will post whenever time allows.

Thank you for reading. 📖