Sandra walked into her hotel room and set her bag down next to the bed. She drew open the curtains and took a deep breath as she looked out at the view. The evening sun cast a golden reddish yellow glow in the sky. Here she was, in the big city, far away from home. And she felt so lonely.
She had just flown in and headed straight to the hotel to rest. The flight itself hadn’t been long or tiring. She was just at that moment, when she yearned to be with her husband, lying in bed, hugging through the night. Instead, her company had sent her here for the weekend. And for no other reason than to sign a document with a partner. The meeting was scheduled for the next morning and she planned to get a good night’s rest.
But rest wasn’t forthcoming. Maybe a soak in the bath would do her good. She opened her bag and pulled out a change of clothes. In the bathroom, she filled the tub with water, poured some shower cream. But just as she was about to undress, she looked at the running water. No, it reminded her too much of home.
She shut off the tap and let the water drain away. She went back to the room and saw the telephone. Maybe she should call home. Hearing his voice might help. Or it might just make her long for home even more. What she needed was something to take her mind off home.
That’s when her sight settled on a magazine that she had stuffed into her bag. Some guy at the airport had handed it to her. Without a thought, she had taken it, probably planning to read it at some point in time. She had time now, so she took it out and started flipping through it.
It turned out to be one of those adult magazines, filled with advertisements and other messages. Her thoughts ran as she looked at advertisement after advertisement. Could she really be considering getting a “date” for the evening? Before she knew it, she had picked up the phone and started dialing a number.
It rang once, twice, three times. She was about to put it down when someone answered. After some uncertain moments, she requested a partner and gave her address. The person at the other end said that she would send someone over within the next hour.
After she hung up the phone, she crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her curled form, looking out at the darkened sky. She had really done it. She had called for an escort and soon, she was going to cheat on her husband with a total stranger. But she was so far away, so he wouldn’t be able to find out. Or would he? She chided herself silently and shut her eyes.
She must have fallen asleep because a loud knocking on the door awakened her. She jumped out of bed, unsure of what to do. Then she saw her reflection in the mirror. She was still wearing her pink blouse and blue jeans. She straightened out her clothes, ran a hand through her long brown hair and took a deep breath. She didn’t look fifty-years-old at all, thanks to her grueling daily workout. She had managed to keep her figure slim and tight, while regular visits to the spa kept her skin smooth and wrinkle-free.
This was it. She could either open the door or pretend that she wasn’t in.
She opened the door, her head hung low. “Please come in,” she said to the person standing outside without looking to see who it was. She quickly walked back into the room, keeping her back to him at all times. She heard him walk in and close the door behind him.
“Is this your first time?” he asked gently.
She nodded. Her heart was beating furiously and her legs felt like jelly.
“I understand.” He walked up behind her. “There’s nothing to worry about. We won’t do anything that you don’t want to do.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and she instantly felt a tingle run through her body. She felt flushed, though her hands were clammy and cold. Needless to say, she was extremely nervous. “I don’t know if I can do this…” she whispered.
“That’s all right,” he said in a low, soothing tone. “If you want to, we could just sit and talk. Or watch television. Anything you want.”
She relaxed somewhat at that suggestion. Sure, she could watch television with a total stranger. That would be entirely fine. Slowly, she turned around, keeping her head down. She found herself looking at the body of a smartly clad man in dark shirt and pants. Then she looked up.
Both of them gasped. She took a step back, her hand to her open mouth, while he just looked at her with wide-eyed disbelief.
“Mom?!”
“Johnny?!”
The shock was too much for her. She found the bed and quickly sat down before her legs gave way. Meanwhile, John had moved to a table and sat against it. Neither of them took their eyes off each other. For a long time, neither of them said anything.
Finally, John broke the silence. “Well, this is awkward.” He tried to look at something else, but he kept finding his gaze moving back to his mother’s face.
By then, she had regained her composure. Instead of the lonely woman that she was a while ago, she was now a mother who was rather shocked and angered.
“Johnny, how long have you been doing this?” she demanded.
“Just for a while,” he said.
“I thought your dad and I sent you here for school. Why are you a… a…?” But she couldn’t bring herself to say it because she felt guilty about having called for one in the first place.
“An escort? Mom, it’s just a part-time job. I still go to school in the day.”
“Don’t we give you enough money?”
“Sure you do, and don’t think I don’t appreciate it. But I thought that I could use the extra money, so…”
She didn’t know what to say next. Her thoughts were still a jumble from the revelation. She just knew that she felt both embarrassed and frustrated. She couldn’t imagine what he was going to say to his father about this. Suddenly, she felt exposed.
John sat next to her on the bed. She didn’t move, her gaze fixed at an empty spot below the television set.
“What about you, mom?” he asked. “You called for an escort.”
She remained silent.
