Paranoid

Paranoid

Paranoid glances over her shoulder;
she feels someone is watching her.
She nervously walks into the kitchen,
glimpsing behind her every few seconds.
She opens the spotless fridge and
takes out the pre-poured ingredients for her dinner.
After impeccably following a recipe,
she takes her food and
slowly lowers herself onto the plastic covered couch.
Her stunningly green, beady eyes scan the room.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings.
She flinches.

Once she deposits her empty plate into the sink,
she walks to the door.
Grabbing a fresh pair of plastic gloves,
she lifts the peephole cover.
She takes a wipe and
cleans the peephole and the surrounding area.
Her head presses against it.
She spies a man in uniform,
carrying a box with the word Amazon printed across it.
She unlocks all seven of her locks and
reaches for the box with her gloved hands.
As soon as her hands feel the weight of the package,
she closes the door and re-locks the locks.
She places the package on the floor,
next to her infrequently used shoes.

She opens her drawer labeled “dangerous” and
pulls out the covered scissors.
She slowly walks back to the front hall,
scissors' covered tips facing downward.
She lifts the package up and
places it on her dining room table, which is covered with more plastic.
As she uncovers the scissors sharp tips,
she fantasizes of stabbing herself with it,
ending her painfully careful life.
No, she quickly reconsiders her urge.
The scissors probably harbor thousands of harmful bacteria.
With this thought, she impulsively wipes down the scissors.

Cautiously, she opens the scissors and
gently places one of the tips on the tape that closes the box.
She slides the scissors downward,
placing just enough pressure to cut the tape.
Once she does the same with the other tape covered sides,
she places the protective cover back on the scissors and
returns them to their respective drawer.
Gradually, she pulls back the flaps of the box,
revealing yet another box,
although this time it is plastic.
She pulls the plastic container out of its packaging,
placing it beside the recently opened cardboard box.

A smile creeps onto her lips.