Authors Note: Huge thanks to volunteer editor oldnakeddad for editing my story and making it read so much better! Readers, I hope you like this short story. Please let me know what you think of it!
*****
Mason hadn't expected the rain when he arrived at SFO because, of all the times he'd traveled there for business, his local business partners had only talked of drought, therefore he'd assumed it hardly ever rained in the bay area.
He checked in at the Fairmont Hotel with wet hair and soaked clothes, took a hot shower in his room, put on a comfortable, long, cotton shirt and jeans, then went out to grab some food.
After dinner, he went back to the hotel bar for a drink. He quietly sat there while reading on his phone and occasionally glanced up out of boredom.
That's when she walked in, but she was...out of place.
She wore a long, burgundy dress with a V-cut. Between her breasts was a sliver of rose gold pendant. She had a beautiful, voluptuous body with skin that appeared soft and smooth. Yet, with all of that glowing beauty, her face and hair were a complete mess.
There was a deep sadness in her eyes, her lips were drained of color, her dark-black hair was damp, her ebony eyes were red and, even under the dim lighting of the bar, he saw her eye makeup was ruined, which made her look like a panda.
She quickly scanned the bar while looking at the bartender. He looked back at her, but didn't change his expression, which made it clear that, if she wanted a drink, she'd have to approach the bar.
Before Mason could figure out what he was doing, he'd gotten up, walked toward her, and found himself asking.
"Are you okay?"
She looked at him with somewhat of a blank stare, as someone who'd just suffered trauma would, then she blinked and put on a weak smile.
"I've been better, but thanks for asking."
"Do you want a drink at the bar?"
She hesitated, but nodded, followed him to the bar to order a drink, then followed him to sit down at his table. She was quiet, but appeared open to conversation or, at the very least, a companion.
She looked younger than Mason. He was in his late thirties and figured she was no more than twenty-five. He wondered how down one would have to be to accept a stranger's invitation to drink, but then, maybe he should've thought it was because he looked to be a harmless and nice guy.
Mason didn't carry an intimidating look nor was he a lanky nerd. He was an average height, average looking, casually-dressed middle-aged dude with short, cropped, dirty-blond hair, greyish-blue eyes, and a non-creepy smile.
He also wondered if she might be a crazy person. One can never know, but it was a rainy night on the beginning of a long business trip and he had nothing else better to do.
He broke the ice.
"I'm Mason."
"I'm Shannon. Thank you for offering me a drink."
"No problem."
He looked at the damp hair on her bare shoulders.
"Are you cold? I have a jacket upstairs that I can get for you."
Shannon shook her head and responded with a grateful smile.
"I'm fine. I didn't get rained on that much."
"Do you live here, in San Francisco, I mean?"
"Yes, I live here."
"Then what brought you here to the hotel?"
"I was at a party in the hotel across the street, but I just—" Shannon shook her head, "I needed a break. Well, what about you?"
"I'm here on a business trip. Just landed today, will be in the city tomorrow, then I'm going down to San Diego the morning after that."
"What do you do?"
"I'm a business consultant in biotech. What about you?"
"I'm a registered nurse. I work at the CPMC."
"Which part of the hospital? I used to do admin work in a hospital in New York."
Shannon appeared to be more comfortable. "Oh? I'm in the maternity ward."
Mason smiled. "That's an exciting job every day, for sure. The only time I've been in the maternity ward was when my kids were born, but that was enough for me to appreciate the nurses there. Not that I don't appreciate the nursing staff everywhere else."
Shannon relaxed even more. "You have kids? How old?"
"Ten and eight. Both boys."
Shannon smiled.
"They're far away from being newborns now."
Mason thought of how beautiful her smile looked, even with her smudged makeup and pale lips. He thought of how she would've smiled at the new lives being brought into the world every day at her work and the encouraging words she would've spoken to women during the most painful part of their lives. Of course, he said none of his thoughts out loud nor could he continue to stare at her face, so he said: "Do you have kids of your own?"
The question brought sadness to Shannon's eyes.
"No, but I'll be married soon."
The bartender brought Shannon's drink to the table. There was brief silence after he left, then Mason said: "You don't appear to be very excited about it."
Shannon took a sip of her drink and stared at the glass. "No."
"Why?"
Shannon continued to stare at the glass and the colorful liquid within it, as if it were a crystal ball. Mason didn't break her silence, instead, he patiently waited.
"It's because—"
Shannon paused, then with a great amount of courage, broke through her hesitation.
"I don't love him anymore, but he still loves me very much, and I don't know what to do. I don't know how to break off the engagement."
She looked at Mason with guilt in her eyes. "I'm a terrible person."
Mason was stunned, not only by her willingness to open up to a stranger, but also by the incredible despair that came with her confession. He thought about what to say because he didn't want to merely say, '
I'm sorry to hear that
' because he'd feel cheap.
She must've kept that secret to herself for a long time before she finally erupted. She must've run away from the party, unable to continue the masquerade. Mason thought of what he could do to help her and asked, "Are you willing to tell me more?"
Shannon blinked then Mason continued, "I can tell you're troubled, so why don't you tell me what's on your mind? Even if I can't help you change anything, at least I can listen to you."
He saw Shannon's eyes light up and there was warmth in her voice.
"I wish
he'd
listen to me."
"Did you try to tell him you don't love him anymore?"
Shannon shook her head and her voice was thick with sorrow.
"Not in those exact words, which is why I feel ashamed. I feel as though I never have the chance because he's always showering me with praises, telling me how beautiful I am, telling me how lucky he is, and telling me how he dreams of spending the rest of his life with me. He's such a nice guy. He has a good job, he takes care of me, and he lets me do everything the way I want, so why do I
not
