I feel like a fool, but I know I'm not. I know it will take time, I know that the habits of a lifetime can't be erased in days, but it doesn't change embarrassment I feel. My face must be so red as I take his hand and introduce myself. "Eleanor Lamb. And yes, I... I haven't known many people."

It's the truth and yet it doesn't even begin to explain why I initially ran. Why just having someone brush up against me was so frightening when I didn't expect it. I lace the vocabulary to explain it even to you, let alone a stranger.