“And for you, I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.” Why the hell did I tell her that? As if things weren’t already bad enough, now I was going around making promises to my son’s teacher.

We pulled up to a dingy-looking set of apartments. The beige stucco was filthy, as if someone hadn’t cleaned it since the building first went up half a century ago. The lawn hadn’t been mown in a while, and was choked by dandelions. I parked around the corner, and followed Winnie up to her apartment.

I’d expected better living conditions from someone on a teacher’s salary, but obviously I didn’t know the full picture. Maybe she was saving up to buy her own house, or a car. Maybe she still had a lot of student loans to pay off.

Winnie lived on the fifth floor. I noticed her neighbor had a scratchy welcome mat that said, “Enter at your own peril.” Tasteful.

After Winnie unlocked the door, I bent down to untie my shoelaces.

“Keep them on. It’ll only be a minute.” She disappeared into the bathroom.

I took the chance to survey her home. Despite the terrible state of the warped laminate floors and peeling walls, she managed to keep the place looking cozy and spotless. She didn’t have much furniture: just an armchair, a dining table, and probably a bed. A few framed photos of her and her parents. Some kitschy art. A floor lamp with beads running down the shade. A worn, oval-shaped rug accented her living room, which was roomy because she didn’t crowd it with sofas or an entertainment center. Did she even watch TV or own a computer?

Winnie emerged with a plastic Ziplock bag full of various medical instruments and supplies. “Have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the armchair. She turned on the lamp so she could get a better look at me. It felt disconcerting to have someone study my face up close. But better her than anyone else. Because while she was studying me, I was doing the same thing to her. My gaze roved over her pursed lips, up to her softly flaring nostrils, and fixed on her almost unblinking eyes. Her pupils moved back and forth, almost quivering. She was thinking about my injuries. She shouldn’t have cared so much. I got cuts and scrapes all the time on the job. My pain tolerance was so high, most of the time I didn’t even feel anything. The cuts I had wouldn’t need any stitches, and I could’ve cleaned them out myself.

Still.

It was nice having someone who cared about me. It’d been a while since a woman touched me like this. Gingerly, as if I wasn’t two-hundred pounds of pure muscle. I also agreed to let her clean my wounds because I had an ulterior motive: I wanted to drive her home and make sure she got back safely. I didn’t trust Grayson one bit, and wouldn’t have been surprised if he hid in the bushes and waited to ambush her at the bus stop. Nothing was beyond that creep. I didn’t hate many people, but Grayson, I didn’t even consider him human. He was a sick monster.

Winnie squirted some saline solution into a clean cloth and dabbed at my cheek. It stung just a little bit, like getting prickled by a rose thorn.

“Does it hurt?” Winnie whispered.

“No,” I whispered back. “Why are we whispering?”

Winnie smiled and walked to the kitchen to rinse out the cloth. She stopped whispering and asked in an extra-loud voice, “Want something to drink? A beer?”

“Water will be great. I’m driving.”

“Oh. Right. Duh.” She filled up a glass with filtered water and handed it to me. Then she fished out some antiseptic and gauze. “Guess we’re even stevens now,” she mumbled, dressing my wound.

“I didn’t do it because—”

“I know,” Winnie cut me off. “My baby brother was a firefighter. Born to save lives. Always wanted to play hero. Thought he was Superman or something. Always defending everyone’s honor and whatnot.” Her voice cracked a little. She finished taping up the gauze and put the supplies back in the Ziplock bag.

“Was?”

“He got into an accident a year and a half ago. Bad warehouse fire. He almost died saving one of his friends. Got second degree burns over his entire upper body. Lost his right arm and leg too and couldn’t work at the station anymore.”

“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, knowing full well that the words meant next to nothing. It was always tragic when something like that happened to a fellow firefighter, even worse so because it was Winnie’s family. I couldn’t imagine what her parents and brother must’ve gone through. And her…

“Please, don’t ever be stupid like my brother. He was only twenty-four when he lost everything. Now he has major depression and moved back home with my parents after the accident. He’s not the same anymore.”

“Danger comes with the job,” I said. “No telling what might happen tomorrow. But someone’s gotta do it.”

“There’s a right and a wrong way to do it, you know?” Winnie said, lips trembling. “He was too cocky. Overestimated his abilities.”

“I don’t know what happened to him, but I do know we have certain rules we need to obey. I never break them. It’s for my safety, as well as others’.”

“I’ve been sending my parents every dime I can spare. To help them out with Zane’s care. But it’s not enough. He’s all the way back at Maine, and I’m here. I can’t go just visit him on the weekends and look after him. The east coast can be so unforgiving this time of year. They had a hurricane this summer, and my parent’s roof collapsed. They’re close to retirement, and don’t have much in savings…it’s just—I shouldn’t have left them to come here.”

“Hey, you’re not selfish, and you made the right decision,” I said, pulling her closer. “You’re already doing everything you can, and more, and you should be proud of yourself.”

“I was selfish to move here. To chase my dreams. I knew they needed me back home but I left anyway.”

“Who’s the person trying to play hero now? No need to martyr yourself, Winnie. I’m sure your parents are very proud of you too, and they’re happy that you’re doing what you want with your life.” After a pause I added, “And I’m glad you came here too. You’re already making an impact in this community. You saved my son on the first day of school, for starters.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I suddenly offloaded all this info on you.” Winnie shook her head and scrubbed her face. “It’s getting late. You should probably go.” She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

“If you need anything, you let me know,” I offered. “And if Grayson gives you trouble again…”

Winnie nodded. “I know.”

I took out a wrinkled business card from my wallet and handed it to her. “It’s got my work and cellphone numbers on it. Call me. Anytime. I mean it, Winnie.”

“Thanks Dom,” Winnie said, taking the card and squeezing it. “You’re the nicest person I’ve met in Dallas so far. It’s hard to make friends in this city.”

“Why don’t you come to my friend’s BBQ this Saturday?” I suddenly suggested. “His son just graduated high school and his older daughter just gave birth to twins. We’re celebrating.”

“Oh…I don’t know about that,” Winnie said, scratching her head.

“You have other plans?”

“No.”

“Then you’re coming as my plus one.”

“People will talk…”

“They’re all my buddies. Firefighters. They’ll be nice.”

“So…you mean, as a date?” Winnie squeaked, resisting the idea.

“As friends, if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

“I—Okay, sure. I’ll come,” Winnie finally agreed. “Should I bring some food or—”

“I’ve got that covered,” I said. “I’m bring my famous guacamole. You just have to bring your wit and sense of humor.”