28 A Fine Man

People were waiting for the show to unfold with bated breath. How would the guy react? What will he say to her? Will he raise his voice? Will he call her names?

Shirley too wanted to know what will happen next? She has gone through something similar, although it was not her fault she has borne the burn of it. This time it was the girl's mistake so what would the man do?

The video finished soon and the man turned the phone to the manager. Next, he faced Sam and Shirley. In a leveled voice he spoke.

'I am sorry. I know where the fault lies and it was our wrongdoing. Please accept my apology.' The man said looking at them in their eyes. Shirley was taken aback by his apology. He knows the true color of her girlfriend yet he was the one to ask for forgiveness. He did not force her to say sorry neither he demeaned her. Shirley had an inkling why he did that but she was not sure if her conjecture was correct.

Nevertheless, Shirley looked at Sam and both of them nodded in mutual understanding. It was Sam who spoke as she was the victim and has the right to accept or reject his request for forgiveness.

'Apology accepted but please be aware of who you kept by your side. Nowadays it is easy for a wolf to hide in sheep's clothing.' Sam threw a meaningful look at his side and nodded at the man.

The woman clearly wanted to retort but she also knew that her hand was already exposed. She must hide her true intent lest he grew cautious of her. So she decided to shut her mouth and drank the bitter insult that was almost at the tip of her tongue. Shirley saw the woman's face contort with rage. She knew that the woman wanted to lash out at Sam and her but somehow she held back.

Shirley watched as both of them left the place.

'What a downbeat way to start the day! Ahh! But I won't let this incident stop us from having fun. Let's put this behind and start afresh. What do you say, Shirley?' Sam beamed at her.

'How could anyone say no to such a cute face?' Shirley teased. 'But let me grab my purse, first. Initially, I wanted to show you my room and did not bring it with me. You patiently wait here and I will be back in no time, okay. And do not get in any trouble, missy. You hear me.' She said sweetly and left when Sam nodded her consent.

Shirley quickly grabbed her purse and went back to the lobby. But surprisingly on her way she met the same man. He was not with that obnoxious woman but alone. Out of nowhere, Shirley had this urge to ask him, why did he do that? she knew that it would be impolite to ask such a personal question but she was never the one to hold herself back to do what she wanted to. This time won't be an exception either.

So very boldly she stopped in front of the man and very politely she addressed him.

'Excuse me, I know that it might appear that I am being rude but I wanted to ask you something. May I?'

That man looked at her and realized who she was. He took his time to respond and then nodded at last.

'Thank you. What you did earlier, said sorry on her behalf. You clearly knew that she was in the wrong. But you neither insisted her to ask for forgiveness nor blamed her for anything. Can you please tell me why?' She waited for his answer and what he spoke really did not disappoint her.

'I know my girlfriend the best. She would have apologized for my sake but I did not want that. An apology that lacks sincerity is worth nothing in my eye and I assumed that your friend and you would not have wanted that either.' Shirley nodded.

'In my eye, a half-hearted apology is not what you women deserved. So I apologized in her stead. As for why I did not shout at her. I love her and could not stand other people shout at her so how could I do that. Moreover, if I want her to acknowledge her faults I won't do that in public where she would be open for criticism. For a woman, her reputation is very precious. And I won't tarnish her character consciously even if she is in the wrong.' The man paused as if searching for the right words.

'Words said in a fit of anger can cause more harm than actions. Deeds can be forgotten but words always remain imprinted in one's mind. And saying crude words to her won't solve anything.' Shirley's conjecture was indeed true. If a man loves a woman he could not bear if other people say bad things about his woman. So how could he be willing to provide ammo for them shot at her despite her being in the wrong?

'You know that she is like that, so why not leave her? I know it is painful to let go of your love but if that love bring pain and question your sanity than that love is not worth holding onto. I know from your looks that this was not the first time that something like this happened. Shirley saw that man's shocked expression that he schooled immediately but that was of no use as she has already caught it.

'But still, you took her side and when proven wrong apologized on her behalf. I have seen the pain that reflected your eyes and the willingness to endure it. I could understand why you would do that too but you need not continue like that. She maybe was not like that in the past and had changed over time. You must be hoping for her to change back to her former self but friend that seldom happens.' She sighed but continued.

'We live in a world where people change their colors like a chameleon. Please accept this truth and move on. You will find a better person I promise. Do not treat my words like air after all I am too is going through the same thing. Take care.' Shirley said her piece and walked away. She has seen in his eyes the shocked glint when he heard her admission of sharing a similar fate. She knows that now he will be fine.