Finally, finally there has been a positive development with Shannon and Mark. It has been a long evening, and rather more exhausting than most I spend on Earth, but I am pleased with the result.
In the past few weeks, Shannon has not heard from Mark more than once or twice. I have done what I can to encourage her that he has contacted her at all, but working with her is much like hauling a heavy weight up a steep slope. She is bound and determined to think what she will think, and never mind anything I might have to say. It has taken all the skill I have learned, as well as much advice from my seniors, to keep her from giving up on him completely.
Still, when she saw him this afternoon in front of the theatre, her heart started beating faster without any encouragement from me. Despite her hurt feelings, she still believes him to be an attractive and appealing person, and she wants to know him better.
He saw her and smiled brightly, hurrying to catch her. “Hey, you!” he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
This was reassuring to both of us, though Shannon was less willing to admit it than I was. “Hey, stranger,” she said, a sharpness to her smile. “Long time, no see.”
He stepped back, chastened, though he still smiled. “Sorry, I’ve been pretty busy—”
“Can you skip the excuses, please?” she asked, putting one hand on her hip.
This startled both of us, but Shannon was looking Mark right in the eye. She had something to say, and it seemed she would say it.
“Look, I like you a lot,” she said, “but apparently I fucked up at some point and now you’re dodging me. I just want to know what I did.”
“I’m not dodging you,” Mark protested.
“Aren’t you?” she asked.
A trace of indignation came into Mark’s voice. “Didn’t I come right over to talk to you when I saw you?”
“Then why haven’t you called me?”
“Maybe because I’ve been busy, like I said.”
“You sure about that?” By this point I was trying to restrain Shannon, trying to calm her, but my words and motions were having no effect. “Because busy I can deal with. But if you’re not interested in me, I’m going to need to know so I can get on with my life.”
Mark stared at her for a moment, his back stiff and his eyes wide. I was mortified, wishing all of Shannon’s harsh words unspoken. She only waited, no trace of shame in her aura or her bearing.
Finally, though, the anger in Mark’s aura collapsed into humor, and he laughed. “You’re something else,” he said.
“Thank you,” Shannon retorted.
Puzzled, I looked closer at Mark’s thoughts, trying to determine what he meant. I was rather surprised to find admiration there. Mark was impressed that Shannon was so forthright, so courageous and decisive in the pursuit of what she wanted.
I had not thought of it that way, I admit—I was only concerned about his reaction to her words, not about the reasoning that made her say them. Once I knew to look, however, I could see that it was true. Shannon was indeed concerned about his reaction, but she hid it behind a wall of determination. She means what she said—if Mark does not prove himself, she will move on, and not once will she allow herself to fight back.
Pride. Sin it may be, but it is an admirable sin. That is what makes it so dangerous.
“You’re right,” Mark said. “I’ve been dodging you, a little. There was just—there was something the other day that didn’t seem right to me. But maybe I jumped to conclusions.”
“Maybe you did,” Shannon said, trying to hide the way her heart started jumping again.
Mark stepped a bit closer, looking down at her with a small smile. “But any girl who’s brave enough to be so blunt definitely deserves a second chance. So—would you like to go out to dinner with me?”
Shannon took a step back, looking away. “Tonight? I might have plans.”
“Do you?”
She toyed with the notion of telling him that she did, just to spite him, but I urged her not to be her own enemy. Still pretending to be casual, she pulled out her phone and flicked her thumb across the screen. “Huh. Looks like I’m free.” She put her phone in her pocket and smiled up at Mark. “I suppose we could grab a bite.”
Laughing, he offered her his arm, and she took it. They walked off together.
I was with them the entire time, of course, but Shannon was on her best behavior. She was funny, clever, and charming, and by the time the evening was over, Mark was feeling almost the same attraction to her that she did to him. Even I had forgotten the trouble she gives me, she was so charming.
They have another date planned later this week. I hope that this is the beginning of a change for Shannon, something that I can use to bring light into her heart. Little by little will be the way of this particular charge, I am quite sure. We shall see.