Thank you to everyone who has asked about Mary, or expressed their sympathy and concern for her! Inca and I continue to alternate spending time with her, so that she is rarely alone.
Meanwhile, I have been looking in on Shannon, who did manage to meet with Mark over coffee. It did not go quite as well as she might have hoped. They talked about her paper—she has decided to write about the models who inspire artists to create masterpieces, focusing especially on three artists who had long-term romantic relationships with the subjects of their art. Mark was intrigued, and Shannon has done her work well.
Indeed, though she set out to impress Mark, she impressed me, as well. She is very intelligent after all, and when she does finally decide to do something, she does it completely.
The trouble came when they began to talk about other things. Mark was puzzled when he found out that Shannon had changed her major three times, when most people he has met are eager to get through school if only to avoid the high prices of tuition.
“Oh, well, my dad’s taking care of my tuition,” Shannon said when he mentioned this. She is aware that this can sometimes be taken poorly by those who have to work extremely hard or go into debt for their education, so she added, “I’m really lucky to have my parents’ support. Especially since I’m a spoiled brat.” She laughed.
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Mark said, as she had expected him to do. He didn’t sound as if he believed it, though, and Shannon noticed that.
She leaned back in her chair. “So we’ve covered family, work, majors—what about relationships?” she asked playfully. “Anyone on your horizon?”
That made Mark smile. “Present company excluded?”
“Naturally,” she said, her own smile widening.
He shrugged. “I don’t date a lot. Last time I was in a serious relationship was in undergrad. I was just too busy to pay her enough attention, so she left. It wasn’t serious enough that I was too broken up about it.” He raised his brows. “Does that intimidate you?”
“Oh, trust me, if this happens, Mark, you’ll pay attention to me,” she said.
Something in her manner disturbed him, and he, too, leaned back. “What about you? What is your history with relationships?”
She also shrugged, but hers was a dismissive gesture, rather than a careless one. “I was in a long-term relationship for the past few years, but it wasn’t going anywhere. He was judgy about my life and had no ambition in his own. So I ended it. Honestly, I think my parents were more upset about it than I was.”
Mark studied her, trying to interpret some of what she was not saying. From his sudden reserve, I could see that he was getting closer than Shannon might like to the truth.
Shannon reached out for his hand. “But I’m ready to try again, I think. If you are.”
She looked at him with a winning smile, which to me looked like a mask. Perhaps it did to Mark, too, for he pulled his hand away and reached for his bag. “Look, I’m not in any hurry to jump into anything,” he said. “I’d like to get to know you better, Shannon, but we don’t have to rush.” He got to his feet, trying to soften his retreat with a smile. “I have to get going—can I call you later?”
Shannon was hurt by his rejection. She hid the feeling with her usual carelessness, turning her head away. “You can call. Can’t guarantee that I’ll answer.”
Mark laughed. “Fair enough. I’ll talk to you later, if I’m lucky.”
No sooner had he made it out the door than Shannon leapt up in a huff. She gathered up her things and stalked out, making sure that she could see which way Mark had gone before she started off in the opposite direction. Her mind was spinning with anger and resentment, clouding her aura like silt in water. Through sheer spite, she was ready to give up on Mark entirely.
This alarmed me, as I have yet to think of another way to reach her. So I followed her, murmuring into her ear. “He is a good man, Shannon. That is not my thought—it is yours. Remember?” And I blew the same rush of excitement and attraction through her that she felt when she first saw him. I reminded her too of her eagerness to see him, the warmth she felt when he smiled at her, the way her heart had sped up when she was talking to him early in their meeting today. “His approval is worth having, and you can get it. It will just take time.”
I am not entirely sure that I succeeded, but Shannon was less resentful when she got back to her apartment. I will continue to work with her.
I do not think that I have lied to her. I do think that Shannon can earn Mark’s respect. But it will take time, and much work from both myself and from her. I can only hope to make the potential reward make it seem worth the effort for her. Wish me luck—I will need it.