She stepped from her bath, the steam rising from her skin, and wrapped the large fluffy towel around her. She felt incredibly warm and soft as she turned on her hair dryer and pointed it at the opaque full length mirror that hid her reflection. Slowly the fog lifted from the mirror revealing the soft lines of her face in dim candlelight. She laid down the hair dryer and continued to pat herself dry with the towel. She thought about the cold air that would assault her when she opened the bathroom door, and slowed down her drying, savoring the warmth that was so relaxing and comforting. She took another sip of her wine and laying the towel down reached for her nightgown. The fog from the mirror had slowly continued to lift and she caught her full reflection. Although the years had taken their toll, and all things were not where she wished them to be, she was still attractive, and the self –assurance made her smile. She lifted the bunched up nightgown above her head and let the cool white satin slide and tumble down her body, much as a wave washes up on a beach, and obliterates all the imperfections in the sand. Warm and beautiful, and surround by the scent of lilac, she blew out the candles, save one, and placed her hand on the bathroom door.
"Oh won’t you stay, just a little bit longer" greeted her ears as she opened the bathroom door. It was one of her favorite songs, and she let the words into her mind as well as her heart. She curled up on the couch and closed her eyes and thought back to a time when he called her Susan and always wanted her to stay just a little bit longer…..
She sat down at the desk, the words of her father ringing in her ears. Just find a rich guy and get married. You don’t need to go to school, it’s a waste of time. Just get a job, meet some guy, get married and you’re set for life. Unfortunately she had followed his advice, and unfortunately she had never quite met that rich guy, or any guy for that matter, who was going to...