I was working security at a mall when I met Kathy. She worked in a small clothing store and was alone most shifts because it wasn’t usually busy enough to justify paying another employee . We met one night just after I started working there when I found the door to her store insecure. She was the emergency contact for things like that because she literally lived about. 50 steps away from the mall. I had to call her to come and secure the door. Much like myself, she was a night owl. Her son’s dad still lived with her at that point. She was such a sweetie. She brought 2 teas in travel mugs and hung out for about an hour with me. She had to be up for work soon anyways she said.

As I got to know her better I realized her life was in turmoil. Not only was the father of her son an abusive dick head, she was preparing for another brain surgery to remove a re-growing tumor she’d already had operated on a half dozen times over her life. But she was still a happy girl, funny as shit and loved to have fun. I liked her a lot. And she was kinda hot so that was just an added bonus.

One night before the mall closed she got into an argument over child support with her bf and I had to throw him out of the mall. He was an extremely volatile guy so instead of issuing him a formal trespass notice I did it verbally for that night and was going to wait until my supervisor was in to serve him a formal one banning him forever next time we had a chance. He was at the mall pretty much every day to pester poor Kathy. I told her I’d take care of him and that she just needed to focus on herself and her son, who thankfully was staying with her parents until a custody order was issued.

She didn’t want me to take any action that might have him focus his anger on me, worrying about my safety instead of her own. I told her that I wasn’t afraid of because men like him only go after the people they can intimidate and who won’t fight back. When I said that she burst into tears.