Slowly.
He placed it over her wrist.
Not squeezing.
Not twisting.
Just enough to remove her fingers from his shirt.
“Let go.”
She resisted.
He applied slightly more pressure.
Her grip opened.
He released her immediately.
Then stepped back.
“Leave.”
The Neighbor Woman stared at him.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared.
Not fear.
Calculation.
She looked toward the side gate.
Then toward the house.
Then somewhere beyond the fence.
The Homeowner heard a vehicle stop on the street.
Doors.
Footsteps.
The Neighbor Woman’s expression changed instantly.
It was so fast the Homeowner almost admired it.
Her shoulders dropped.
Her face softened.
Her mouth trembled.
She backed away from him.
“What?”
he asked.
The side gate rattled.
The Homeowner turned.
A uniformed Police Officer appeared through the gate.
Another neighbor must have opened it from the outside after hearing shouting.
The Officer stepped into the yard.
“Everybody stay where you are.”
The Homeowner raised both hands slightly.
The Neighbor Woman moved faster.
She covered her mouth.
“Officer.”
Her voice shook.
The Homeowner stared at her.
Five seconds earlier, she had been gripping his shirt.
Now she looked like she had escaped an attack.
The Officer looked between them.
“What happened?”
The Neighbor Woman spoke first.
“Thank God you’re here.”
The Homeowner said nothing.
The Officer noticed.
The woman continued:
“I came over to speak with him and he became aggressive.”
The Homeowner slowly looked at her.
She avoided his eyes.
The Officer turned.
“Sir, don’t interrupt yet.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
That seemed to surprise him.
The Neighbor Woman continued.
“I tried to explain that there have been complaints about the noise.”
“Complaints from who?”
the Homeowner asked.
The Officer looked at him.
“Sir.”
The Homeowner nodded.
“Sorry.”
The Neighbor Woman pressed one hand against her chest.
“He started shouting.”
The Homeowner almost smiled.
She saw it.
Her performance intensified.
“He came toward me.”
The Officer asked:
“Did he touch you?”
A pause.
The Homeowner saw it.
The Neighbor Woman was deciding how far to go.
Then she nodded.
“Yes.”
The Homeowner became completely still.
The Officer’s attention sharpened.
“How?”
“He grabbed my arm.”
The Homeowner looked at the pool.
Then the trees.
Anywhere except her.
The Officer asked:
“Did he hurt you?”