As she slowly stepped out of her car, her morning’s tranquility felt like a distant memory. The situation she found herself in was a stark contrast to her structured, predictable days teaching history. Here, in the real world, she was facing a situation that was volatile and uncertain, far removed from the historical narratives she was used to dissecting in the safety of her classroom.
The officer’s firm grip snapped Jenny back to the present. The surprising warmth and tightness of his grip belying his earlier cold authoritative demeanor. She felt her pulse quicken under his fingertips, throbbing wildly with adrenaline-fueled panic. As he guided her to her trunk, she was reminded of the countless stories of injustice in history she had taught her students about – stories where the truth was often hidden or distorted.