Brief Encounter

The water felt like hot silk pouring over her skin. She sunk down into the floor of the shower, her legs trembling as they supported her weight. Quietly, with her hand over her mouth, she sobbed and relinquished her sadness into the rusted drain.  Her entire body was shuddering with grief and controlled exhaustion. Her mind was wedged in an endless cycle of repetitive thoughts. Her life was unraveling before her, the threads of circumstances shredding the fabric of her aspirations.

Outside the flimsy shower curtain, she could here others enter and leave the room. She heard showers turn on and off. She heard muffled expressions of laughter and brief exchanges of gossip floating upon the stagnant air. She listened intently and wondered if any of the expressions were about her. Whispering to herself, she prayed to escape unnoticed.  All she wanted to do was to go home to her altered life.

After a long while, the locker room became silent. The water still fell over her body, but it not longer comforted her. Finally, she stood up and slowly turned the water off. The knobs creaked and the pipes moaned. They were the only sounds of life in the empty locker room. Slowly she pulled back the curtain to grab her towel and reach for her clothes. As her hand searched the rough concrete enclosure, she realized that her towel and clothes had disappeared.

She wrapped the moldy shower curtain around her and peeped out into the room. The room was still. All the lockers were neatly closed, the floor was cleaned and there were no signs of anyone lurking about. She released the curtain and exposed her small naked damp frame to the harsh glow of the fluorescent lights. She tip toed towards her locker and left wet footprints in her path. Her long nimble fingers fumbled with the combination lock as her teeth chattered from the chilled room. Finally after several attempts the lock tumbled and the door opened.

Just as she peered inside her locker, she heard the door to the gym creak and open. She froze in place. Frantically, her hands searched the top shelf of her locker for any covering her possessions would offer. There were none. She gasped at the mere thought of discovery as a soft voice whispered her name.

“Angela?” The voice was questioning and unfamiliar.

She stood completely still.

“Angela.” The voice repeated as the woman stepped into view holding Angela’s lost towel in her hand.

“Looks like you are in need of this.” The woman‘s voice had a hint of laughter in it. Angela stood transfixed. She wanted to reach for the towel, but at the same time she was too embarrassed. One of her hands was covering her pubic area and the other arm and hand were covering her breast.

“Go ahead and take the towel, dear.” The woman moved closer. “I will turn around, if you wish.”

“Yes.” Angela found her voice. “Please.”

The woman turned her back and Angela wrapped the rough cotton against her supple skin.

“Thank you.”Angela said while reaching into her locker to seek out her clothes.

“You do not know me.” The woman turned to face her. “My name is Marianne.”

“Yet, you know my name.” Angela flinched as she spoke. The air was tense with apprehension and she was suddenly aware being totally alone.

“Yes. I do know your name.” Marianne replied. “I know your name very well.” There was harshness to Marianne’s voice that made the hair on Angela’s skin prickle and rise.

Angela gazed around the locker room. There was one door nearby. If she needed to make a quick escape she would have to push past Marianne. As she was surveying the situation, she was also searching for her clothes. Her hand finally found them at the bottom of her locker. She grabbed her sweatshirt and began to pull it over her.

“I wanted to speak to you about Devin.” Marianne’s voice was calm, but Angela noticed that her demeanor had become increasingly more agitated. At the sound of Devin’s name, Angela held her breath and noticed Marianne move closer.

“Devin is my husband.”

“There is nothing to talk about.” Angela felt her stomach heave, but she controlled her reflex. “Devin and I….”

“Devin and you…..are over. “ Marianne interrupted and drew out her words with utter clarity.

“Yes. We are.” Angela reached for her sweatpants and stumbled into them as she grabbed the lockers for stability.

“He told me as much. But, I wanted to see for myself the woman who stabbed me in the back.” Marianne’s eyebrows rose as if in contemplation.

Angela held back nausea as she looked past Marianne towards the door. It would take some doing, but she knew she could sprint past her and out the door.

“It is over. You have no need to worry.” Angela was buying time, calculating the steps to freedom.

“Yes. I know.” Marianne smiled and Angela cringed. “Devin told me he broke it off with you earlier tonight. “ Marianne watched Angela’s face searching for anything that would give her proof the Devin had told her the truth.

“Yes. He did.” Angela stated as if all the events of the evening were far away and had never happened.

“Good.” Marianne smiled. She stepped forward and opened her handbag. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Angela watched Marianne slowly put her hand into her bag. Angela shut her eyes and said a prayer. There was no time to run, there was only the sound of water dripping and the sound of her erratic heartbeat. She waited.

Slowly Marianne pulled her hand out of her purse and a loud bang shot through the room. Angela sunk to the floor as her legs gave way.

“Dear….you might be in need of these.” Marianne said as she dropped Angela’s shoes on the hard concrete floor. “Use them to walk away and never come back!” (996 words)