Lissa was supposed to head into town in order to run some errands for her mother. Since she was 18 years old and already enrolled in classes at a local community college, her mother had insisted that she act more like an adult and help out around the house. Though some would argue these expectations were placed on her at a relatively young age, it was curious that the local culture also dictated what she should and shouldn't wear in public. Lissa had to choose her outfits carefully before stepping out into the world.
The small town's mentality was that women must dress conservatively to avoid lewd men. This meant bonnets and full dresses. Not the light cotton of summer dresses either, but heavy wool regardless the heat. All to ensure men's lingering eyes couldn't wander over the outline of a woman's figure. This was obviously a reactionary stance that didn't address any social ills, but it was Lissa's local culture and she had to adapt or face being ostracized by the older women.
As a young, independent woman, rather than opt for the scratchy wool dresses and the stockings that were especially uncomfortable, she attempted a compromise in the form of low-rise jeans. She figured they were conservative enough. Paired with a sweater that just barely exposed her midriff, the old ladies shouldn't pass too much judgment. And if they did, it would just be the dirty looks she had already grown accustomed to for her youth, and not invite the unkind remarks like "hussie" and "tart" and other archaic terms for liberated women. Lissa was also petite, even for a teen. The jeans couldn't accentuate curves that she didn't even have and she didn't deserve the ire of the older women.
Luckily, nobody really gave her a second look as she walked along the street toward the bus stop. The sweater and jeans combo seemed to be working, the right mix of conservative and comfortable. Finally. Her frame forced her to pull them up occasionally. When she arrived at the bus stop she shouldn't have been caught by surprise to see the man already waiting there give her a once over with his eyes.
"Do you know what time the bus comes?" she asked to break the uncomfortable silence of his gaze.
The man shrugged as he looked at her with his steely eyes. His name was Barry, a rough-looking man whose appearance didn't betray the hard life he'd lived up until now. At nearly 40 years old he'd had his share of ups and downs. Others claimed they were brought about by his own decisions, but those opinions did nothing to assuage feelings of bitterness and a defaulting pessimistic view of the world.
So when Lissa looked at Barry with fear in her eyes, his reaction told her that there was something he didn't like about her. It didn't need to be rational, because he was a man. Who knew what he decided in that instance, because he was going to react however he wanted to. And she couldn't do anything to stop him.
"You're not dressed appropriately," he remarked before they boarded the bus.
The bus ride was uncomfortable for Lissa, because though she didn't know Barry's thoughts, the anger on his face made her work her way to the back of the bus. Normally she'd do that at night, but even in the plain day she figured she could never take too many precautions.
Her stop was a few blocks from the department store, so she had to walk a little ways to her destination. She was alarmed to see Barry and his permanent frown get off the bus behind her. She tried not to panic as she walked the empty street to her public destination, but swelling in her chest was that ingrained fear of men.
Lissa stopped by a street sign and peered down the street as if she were going to cross, so she could see Barry in her peripheral vision. Rather than keep walking, Barry crossed the small patch of grass and made his way up to her.
"You shouldn't be walking around like that," he advised.
"Oh, it's fine. My mom allows me to," she justified nervously.
He was now near enough that she thought she could smell alcohol on his breath as she watched his straggly beard too closely, giving up her ruse of confidence and watching for vehicles.