Panic
When Ruth comes back to rejoin her spot in line she can’t find the woman anymore. The line is even longer than before now and Ruth gets disoriented. She starts asking people in line but no one seems to know or care where the woman with her dog is. Everybody is minding their own business and even seems irritated by her. She has to find them themselves then.
With a racing heart and sweaty palms, Ruth tries to scan the line. She walks across the line multiple times but still can’t see her. In a bit of panic, she starts questioning herself if she remembers it correctly. Was it a red or a brown jacket the woman was wearing? And what were the children wearing? Then finally, the moment she almost bursts into a panic attack, she sees her…