Short Story: woman in red

 Tittle: Women in red

Author: Philip Chan

I was at the Miami beach, sitting alone on the beach, watching the waves come and go.  I was still single, but my heart was full of hope that I would be able to find the woman I once met. 

I closed my eyes thinking  of you. I didn’t know your name but I could remember what happened between us.

I was in Miami for business, having a drink alone at the Hilton Hotel bar to celebrate the results of signing a big contract. 

I  saw you, a beautiful woman with long hair and a red dress, drinking alone.  I didn’t know where my guts came from. I carried my bottle of red wine and two glasses. I went to talk to you. I learned that you had just broken up with your boyfriend.  

It was your story that captured my sympathy. You learned on my shoulder to shed tears.  The tears in your eyes attracted to me.

Although it was not love at first sight, my sympathy had given birth to love. I challenged myself to turn your cries into laughs. 

The two of us were sitting on the sofa in the bar, drinking non-stop all night. You held me tight, nonstop kissing.  What I could do at that time was to give you a tight hug and let you cry on my shoulder.

We kept drinking, until the bar closed. I took you to my room. I kissed you passionately. You didn't refuse, but returned your kiss naturally. 

Your emotions changed from heartbreaking to a hyper reaction. You started to laugh. Your happy face was much more beautiful than a crying face.

When I woke up next morning, I couldn’t remember anything. I found myself lying naked on the bed.  You disappeared and on the mirror in the bath room written in red lipstick: "A pleasant and unforgettable night."

Since then, I kept thinking about you. Although I didn’t know your name, I kept a picture of the mirror. We didn’t have a romantic relationship but a pleasant and unforgettable night. 

I went back to Miami many times but didn’t run into you. I stayed at the same hotel recalling our encounter. I could never forgot the moments of kissing and hugging in the bar. 

If I met you again, I would definitely ask your name, address and phone number.

I had tried countless times returning to Miami. I walked the entire Miami beach to look for you. Whenever I saw a woman in red dress, I rushed to see if it was you. Every time I ended up being embarrassed. 

Many a time, I would sit on the beach alone, looking up at the sky, making a wish hoping to meet you again. Sometimes I wondered Whether I wouldn’t recognize you even if you sat next to me. 

Finally I moved to Miami. I went to the same bar every night. I could see us kissing and holding each other in the sofa. One day, the sofa was replaced by a piano. My heart was broken. I felt as if my road of love was blocked. I drank till the bar closed. I didn’t show up to work next day, missed signing a contract, and was fired. 

I wasn’t good at finding a new job but I was able to make enough to visit the bar daily. Today was my birthday.  The bar tender, Tim, asked the musician to play the birthday song for me. He told the audience about my love story and showed the picture of my love on the TV screen which says: “A pleasant and unforgettable night."

Everyone laughed. Tim asked all ladies to come up to give me a kiss. Surprisingly they was a long line of almost ten ladies of all ages.   I kissed every single one of them. Some of them asked for my phone number and I told them to ask Tim.

When the turn came to the last lady, she didn’t give me the kiss but showed me a picture from her iPhone. The picture was with the words of “A pleasant and unforgettable night” written in lipstick. 

Her name was Lily. We started to date for about two months. I proposed to her. Her answer was, “I am Tim’s  mother. Will you marry me?” 

***** 

Notes from the author 

Dear readers,

Was Tim’s mother the woman whom I met or was it a set up by Tim? Any chance Tim could be my son?

This is a fiction.