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+# Assault
+
+It's been a couple of weeks. It's late on Thursday evening. Anna is
+sitting in the subway train, on a bench. On the Helsinki subway the
+trains are orange, and the benches are orange. Ths benches are in
+pairs to form booths, ostensibly to get the famously asocial locals to
+be modern and urban. In practice, it meant they read books,
+newspapers, or, these days, looked at their smartphones. Or out of the
+windows into the underground tunnel walls. Anything to avoid talking
+with each other.
+
+Anna is doing that. It's been another long, stressful day at work, and
+she's enjoying watching episode of her latest favourite TV show on the
+phone, while going home. When she gets home, she'll go to the sauna to
+really relax and clean herself both bodily and mentally and
+spiritually.
+
+A pair of twentysomethings come into the train car, and shove into the
+booth with Anna. She shifts a little. The young men are both drunk,
+the other much more than the other. They carry large bags, and a bag
+of takeout from an transnational hamburger restaurant chain.
+
+Anna dubs them as Dumb and Dumber. Dumb is carrying the food, and what
+looks like a bunch of gym clothes. Dumber is carrying a bag with
+something hard, which makes clonk sounds, when it hits the benches or
+the floor.
+
+"Be careful, that's my Playstation." Dumb is clearly upset at Dumber.
+Dumber seems to not care. Instead, Dumber puts his feet on the
+opposite bench, where Anna is sitting, and forces Anna to shift to
+avoid his dirty shoes.
+
+The train ride continues for a while. Dumber keeps accidentally
+kicking the Playstation, and trying to grab the food bag from Dumb.
+Dumb keeps the bag out reach and complaining about the safety of his
+gaming equipment.
+
+Dumber gets bored and starts looking at Anna, then poking her with his
+feet.
+
+"Please stop." Anna isn't amused and tries to get back to watching TV
+show. The poking continues.
+
+"Come on, girl. You should feel honoured by a little male attention,
+the way you look."
+
+Anna puts away her phone and looks at Dumber, straight in the eyes.
+"Don't be silly, boy. If you wanted more space, you could've sat in
+the next booth, which is all empty."
+
+Dumber pokes Anna again with his feet. Anna gets up to leave the
+booth. Dumber gets up as well and grabs Anna's coat.
+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+"RUDE WORD Anna. What the RUDE WORD happened to you?" Robin arrives
+early to the office, and finds Anna already in the kitchen. Anna
+sports a shiner. Her right eye is swollen, and the swelling is quite
+dark. There's some other bruises on her face as well.
+
+"There was a bit of an assault in the subway yesterday. A drunk young
+man."
+
+"Oh no. Have you been to ER? How badly does it hurt?"
+
+"I've had medical care, though not from the ER. I called Russ instead.
+He came over and took care of my face, and held me while I cried."
+
+"This is not good. The assault, I'm assuming Russ took care you of you
+like gentleman."
+
+"Yes, he was very gentle." Anna makes a wry smile, then winces.
+Smiling is clearly painful. The takes a pill bottle from her drawer,
+extracts a pill, and takes it with a gulp from the glass of water on
+her desk.
+
+"I'm going to be OK, but I don't really want to have a lot of fuss."
+
+"Okay, I can understand that. But what happened? Or are you up to
+talking about that? Did you report it to the police?"
+
+"Not really. We talked about it a lot with Russ, and I've started my
+mental healing process, but I don't really want to re-live it with
+everyone separately. Sorry. I didn't tell the police, you know how
+they've treated me before, when I've been raped. Don't trust them."
+
+"Oh, sister mine, nothing to be sorry for. I know exactly how you
+feel. I'm here if you want or need to talk, about anything, at any
+time, but there's no pressure. OK?"
+
+"OK. Love you too, Robin. You're a good friend."
+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Anna goes on IRC and tells the rest of the team. "Hello, gang. I'm
+going to be withdrawn and avoid seeing people in person for the next
+few days. I have a black eye. I was assaulted by a drunk young man on
+the subway yesterday evening. I'm going to be OK, but I don't want to
+be fussed over, or have to talk about it repeatedly. So I'm going to
+stay at home for a while, and enjoy a bit of quiet and solitude. I
+hope you'll all understand. In an emergency, you can call me on my
+private number, but otherwise I'd like to not hear about anything for
+a while."
+
+She turns off her laptop, and packs it in her backpack, then slinks
+out of the office to go home. On the way she stops at a grocery store,
+to fill up on foodstuffs: bananas, appled, pears, and pine apple for a
+fruit salad; eggs, milk, flour, and butter for pancakes. She fully
+intends to pamper herself with unhealthy food.
+
+As she leaves the grocery store and is heading towards the subway
+("I'm not going to be intimidated and start avoiding the subway, I
+won't"), her phone rings.
+
+"Hi, it's Sam. My bosses want to have another meeting. Would you and
+the Team be free tomorrow afternoon?"
+
+"Hi, Sam. I'm afraid I have a health thing, so I won't be available,
+but Robin can handle things while I'm away."
+
+"OK. I hope it's nothing serious and that you get well again soon."
+
+"Thanks, bye".
+
+She quickly types a message to Robin. "Sam called, they want another
+meeting. Could you handle it in my absence?"
+
+"Sure thing. Don't worry. Get well."
+
+She walks for a minute, then takes out her phone again.
+
+"Thanks for yesterday. You saved the day. I'm going to take a few days
+off, and be at home incommunicado. If you want pancakes, come knock on
+my door."
+
+She taps "Send" and turns off her phone. Sometimes it'd be nice to
+live with someone with whom to share one's sorrows, and not have to
+beg for people to come visit to cheer her up.