VAL VERDE : Realty Agent Who Was Kidnaped Goes on Leave

Val Verde real estate agent Paula Harrington, who was kidnaped two months ago by a man posing as a customer, has quit her job--at least temporarily.

Harrington, 26, said she is devoting more time to her family and has gone back to college. She also is undergoing therapy.

Harrington was abducted at gunpoint June 29 while showing houses to a man later identified by authorities as Timothy Daniel Shue, 39. Two days later, she was found tied up in an Arizona motel room. Shue was arrested July 6 and is scheduled to stand trial on federal kidnaping charges Sept. 13 in Los Angeles.

In an interview this week, Harrington said she has been granted a leave of absence from her job until January. But she said she is unsure if she will return because the office reminds her of her ordeal.

“Home is my comfort zone right now,” she said. “I run out and do a few things and then I want to come home.”

Part of the joy of surviving the kidnaping is extinguished by cold realities. She and her husband, Chris, hoped to have a child during her respite from work. But a doctor said she will have to wait at least another six months until it is known if she contracted HIV from the sexual assault.