Even Monsters Get Lonely

It was late, or early, depending on how you look at it, when Shannon and André returned to his home.

Shannon was giggling as she said, “The look on that salesman’s face was so funny! He had been looking at us with such disdain all night, but that sure did change when you pulled out the money to pay cash for all that furniture.”

André shook his head as he sat down on the couch and said, “Oui, well, I liked the lady salesperson better anyway. My question is, do I look homeless or something, is that why he looked as if I was beneath him?”

“No, no, you do not,” she told him as she sat down next to him. “In fact, I think you look very nice, with and without clothes.”

André yanked her into his lap, with a playful hiss.

Throwing her head back, she laughed as he tickled her neck with his 5 o’clock shadow. Then right in the middle of their silliness, her stomach growled.

He raised up to look at her and in a disbelieving tone, he asked, “You’re hungry again?”

“I can’t help it, baby, the tummy wants what the tummy wants!” Shannon told him with her lip poked out in a pout. She then started laughing at the look on his face before she got up to head for the kitchen. Once there, she fixed herself a bowl of cereal and some toast.

André followed her in and leaned up against the counter, his arms crossed, as he said, “I’m glad to see your appetite has picked up, you were a mite to skinny.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you don’t eat much. Although, I’ve always had a slim build as my mom had.”

“What was your Mére like?”

“Beautiful inside and out,” she began, reminiscing with a smile. “She had dark brown hair like me, though she preferred it short, less mess she always said. She was an artist, loved to draw and paint and our house was full of her paintings. Well, the ones she didn’t sell anyway.”

“So, she was well known in the art world?”

“Yeah, she was,” she answered. Then she continued, “When she died the worth of her paintings went sky high. I think dad, in his desperation, sold most of our personal ones. I did manage to hide a couple of them, but he’s probably found them by now.”

Suddenly her hunger was gone, and she was just tired. Thinking about her dad was depressing. So, standing up, she put her dishes in the sink. She then told him softly, “I think I’ll go to bed now.”

He nodded in understanding as he said, “I have a bit of work to attend to before bed. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

Shannon nodded and gave him a kiss before leaving the kitchen. Once she was in her room, she let the tears fall silently as she changed into a nightgown. Then, crawling into bed, she tried to sleep.

André watched Shannon leave, and felt her sadness tug at his heart. She had been through so much, and he knew she needed to face her father soon. She needed to be able to either make-up with him somehow, or completely cut him completely out of her life.

He gave a heavy sigh, either thing was going to be difficult.

With a shake of his head, he headed to his office and sat down at his computer to work. He was soon absorbed in the nightly running of his business, which he had been neglecting the past few days.

He runs a large import business that imported silk, and other types of cloth, from all over. It wasn’t exactly the business his father had started in France, but close, and he was proud of it.

“André?”

He looked up to find Shannon standing in the door. “Ah chérie d’amour (sweetheart), what’s wrong, can’t you sleep?”

She was rubbing her hands up and down her arms as she walked over to where he sat. In a whisper, she said, “I get so cold without you. First, it was the jitters, now it’s the cold. I don’t know which is worse of the two.”

“Come here then and let me hold you. I only have a bit of work left, and then I’ll be finished,” he told her as he tried to pull her into his lap.

“Oh, no, baby, I’ll be in your way on your lap!” She said in protest as she tried to pull away from him. “I’ll just sit over here on the couch.”

He tugged on her gently, saying, “But you’ll still be cold. Now don’t argue with me, because you won’t be in my way.”

“Are you sure?” She asked looking at him with wide-eyes.

“Oui, chérie d’amour, I’m sure,” he reassured her. Then, pulling her down into his lap, he wrapped one arm around her. He then adjusted the way his chair was placed so he could comfortably reach his mouse.

Shannon lay her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh.

It wasn’t long before he heard her heartbeat and breathing steady. This was a sure sign that she now slept.

Giving the top of her head a kiss, he whispered, “Dors bien mon amour.” (Sleep well, my love)

Then he continued to work until his body reminded him the sun was about to rise.

The next evening André took Shannon back to the all-night café they’d seen the night before.

Shannon had talked to Val, the night manager, and she had given Shannon a job on the spot. It was decided she would start working there two evenings later, six hours a night, two days a week. She was excited and happy to be working once more, even though she knew it would be hard being away from André.

Time flew by and was soon more than three weeks since Shannon started her job.

André insisted on taking her to work, and sometimes she thought he just drove around the block and parked until she got off. She did wonder what he was doing during that time, but she never asked him, and he never said.

Although, last night she’d noticed his laptop in the backseat. So, she thought perhaps he was working too.

Shannon, being a naturally friendly person, had met a lot of people. She thought that the people in this town were a lot friendlier than those in her hometown.

For example, there was an older lady named Mitsi that comes in every night Shannon worked. When Mitsi first came in, Shannon felt like she was being studied by Mitsi for some reason but didn’t know why.

Then last night, when Shannon became cold toward the end of her shift and put on a sweater, Mitsi had seemed concerned and asked if she was feeling alright. Shannon told her she was anemic and tended to get cold easily. She didn’t like lying to the sweet old lady, but she couldn’t tell Mitsi the truth, that the cause of her being cold was from being away from her Beloved for too long!

There were others as well that she’d gotten to know and could almost call friends, and they always tipped well.

Something else that had happened in the last three weeks, she and André had gotten married!

He had taken her to, her new favorite, Italian Restaurant. While there, he had gotten down on bended knee and asked her so sweetly to marry him.

With a happy sigh, she thought back to that night, soon losing herself in the memory.

Where are we going, André?” Shannon asked as they got into the car.

The night before he’d told her they were going out the next night and to dress pretty. When she asked him why he’d just smiled a secretive smile.

So, she’d picked out her nicest dress she’d bought with her first paycheck. She’d also put on a pair of fancy pumps and wore make-up for the first time since she’d been living with André.

André had worn a pair of black dress slacks that were snug in all the right places. He’d paired them with a dark sapphire blue dress shirt that had to be tailored the way it clung to his broad shoulders. He had left the top two buttons undone, giving her just a peek of his pale skin she so loved to touch.

“I’m taking you on a date ma chérie; to a nice Italian restaurant, I found. Very fancy, even has someone playing the piano so patrons may dance if they like,” André had answered.

“Oh wow, that sounds really nice,” she’d told him. “You know I love to dance”

Once they’d arrived, he’d her door for her before taking her hand to lead her in. He was being even more of a gentleman than usual!

Inside the restaurant, the smell of the food had almost made her moan, it had smelled so good.

André had given the hostess his name and she’d quickly seated them. Since neither she nor André drank alcoholic beverages, he’d had them bring them a pitcher of sweet tea with lemon.

After they had placed their orders, Shannon had turned her attention to him. She had then asked, “So, André, how come we’re at a fancy restaurant tonight?”

“Don’t you like it?” He had asked, giving her what looked like a pout.

Shannon had squinted at him. Not wanting to upset him, she’d hastily added, "You know I do, it’s Italian. It was just a surprise is all, but a really nice surprise!”

“Oui, it was wasn’t it,” he had said softly, reaching across the table to take her hand. “I wanted tonight to be special, our first official date if you will. Since I accepted you as my bien-aimé (Beloved) and have let my guard down I have come to realize how much you mean to me. Then I realized I’ve never even taken you on a date. My mére is probably rolling in her grave with shame right now.”

Shannonhad giggled. As their food arrived, she told him, “It’s okay André. I don’t feel neglected.”

They had eaten, talked about everything, and had laughed. Next, they had danced until dessert had been brought out.

As Shannon had begun eating her Cannoli, she noticed André becoming more and more fidgety.

“André are you alright?” She had finally asked, putting her Cannoli down. Then, concerned about him, she had whispered, “Did you feed, are you hungry?”

“Non, non, nothing like that,” he disagreed as he shook his head. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Well ask me then before you explode,” Shannon had said as she giggled.

André had stood up then. He had walked around the table to her side where he dropped down to one knee next to her. He had then said, “Marry me my bien-aimé, my Beloved.”

Shannon had gasp as he pulled out a beautiful ring with a diamond surrounded by blue sapphires. She had come to love this man so much, but she had never expected this. So, tears had filled her eyes as she cried, “Oh André!”

“Will you?” He asked again.

Shannon had looked into those beautiful hazel eyes. Smiling she’d answered, “Yes, André I will.”

He had placed the ring on her finger, then pulled her into his arms for a kiss.

She began to feel his hunger and desire as it washed over her in waves. She leaned slightly back so she could see his eyes.

His eyes had been dark by that time with need and desire.

So, she had whispered, “Take me home.”

After paying for their meal, he had done exactly that.

Shannon gave a sigh of happiness, pulling out of the memory, as she twirled her ring around her finger. The first thing she’d done the next day had been to call Tamara first thing to tell her the news.

Her mind once more swirled with memories.

Tamara had gushed, but she’d finally calmed down.

Shannon had than asked Tamara to go dress shopping with her.

Tamara said, “yes”, then added, “we need to get you a dress that will rock André’s world!”.

So, the next evening the two girls had gone and found the dress they believed would do exactly that!

They’d found a dress in a deep midnight blue color, and it had clung to all Shannon’s curves. From the front, it looked modest enough with a simple cowl-neckline, but about half of her back was bared. It showed more skin then she was used to, but she had still loved it. It fell gently to her ankles and was slightly flared at the bottom.

“Girly you look beautiful,” Tamara had said as she’d circled around Shannon. “André has fed you up and you have some curves now!”

“Yeah, the man does love to feed me,” Shannon had murmured as she’d turned this way and that, looking in the mirror at the dress. “You don’t think it’s too much for a wedding. I mean it will only be us since he has no family and neither do I.”

“No, because it is your wedding and a bride needs to feel and look beautiful even if it’s only four people who will see her,” Tamara had emphatically told her.

Shannon had felt a pang of sadness at the thought of her mom not seeing her marry, and yes, a regret that her dad wouldn’t be giving her away. Her feelings about her dad were so torn because she hated what he had become and had done to her. Yet, she could still remember the loving daddy who had cherished her when she was little.

Shannon had pushed those thoughts away as she changed out of the gown, and back into her street clothes.

They had been shopping for Tamara a dress when she’d suddenly said, “You know Shannon, André only pesters you about your eating because he cares and wants you to be healthy.”

“I know, and it means the world to me because it has been so long since I really felt like anyone did,” Shannon had told her. Then she had admitted, “I called my dad yesterday.”

Tamara had raised an eyebrow as she continued to look through the dresses in front of her. She’d then asked, “Really, and what did he have to say?”

“I got his answering machine,” Shannon had told her. “I almost didn’t say anything, but then I simply told him I was alright, and that I plan to visit soon.”

“You’re braver then I am then,” Tamara had told her, “because I don’t know that I could bring myself to look at him.”

“Yeah. Honestly, I don’t know if I can either but... my mom left me a painting, and if he hasn’t sold it, I really want it. It’s a portrait of me and her in our backyard having a tea party. I think I was about four in it.”

“Aw... it sounds precious. I hope you can get it,” Tamara had said.

“Yeah, me to,” Shannon had agreed with a soft sigh.

“Now, I absolutely love this red dress, so I’m going to try it on,” Tamara had told her, changing the topic. “Then we’ll go look for the perfect pair of shoes.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Shannon had agreed and two hours later they had everything they needed for the wedding.

So, they had headed back to André’s house, exhausted, but excited for what was to come.