The Shower in 1992

Prologue

Shannon was excited to go skiing but she didn’t realize until they got there that they were going to be living dorm style for the week. It made her nervous because she was very shy about her body.

Chapter One

The first 2 days she was able to avoid being in the bathroom when anyone else was by going very early in the morning to shower.  Shannon freaked out the second morning when she heard the door open while she was washing her hair but whoever it was went to the bathroom quickly and left, leaving her alone again. She was relieved.

On the third morning she overslept and by the time she got into the bathroom someone was already in the shower.  She was going to go back to the room and just forget the shower when the shower turned off and a woman emerged from it.  She only had to take 2 steps to get her towel but she only took one step out and stood there. Shannon was frozen, looking in the mirror as the woman squeezed her hair to get out as much water as possible. She looked past the woman’s body to the snowy hills in the window above her.  She could feel her face flush with embarrassment.

The woman, without looking at Shannon or asking if she was going to shower, said, “Sorry for taking so long but I think there is plenty of hot water left”.  She grabbed a towel and started drying her hair.

Shannon, still looking anywhere but at the woman, said, “That’s ok, I don’t take long showers so it probably will last”.

Shannon’s body stiffened when she saw the woman take a step towards her, still with just one towel, which she had wrapped around her head.  She could see her reach out her hand and knew she was going to introduce herself. She didn’t know what else to do but turn around and face her.  She reached out her hand and the woman took it, saying, “Hi, my name is Sinann, what’s yours?” Shannon introduced herself in return.  “Nice to meet you.” Sinann said as she turned back to get her second towel. She started to dry herself.

Sinann moved over a number of steps to a bench and said, “I’m out of your way, you can get in now.”  Shannon was freaking out. She absolutely panicked anytime she anticipated people seeing her body, even in a bathing suit at the beach or a pool. She always wore a t-shirt and shorts over her bathing suit and never, ever took them off, even when going in the water, unless she was alone.  The idea of someone seeing her naked was completely unbearable.

Finally, she realized she was going to have to say something.  She looked at Sinann and said, “I’m sorry, but I am really, REALLY self-conscious about my body so I am going to wait until you are done, is that ok?”  

Sinann, looked up, covered herself with her second towel and said, “Oh my god, I am SO SORRY! I didn’t even think about that. I will get out of your way asap. And I am REALLY sorry for not covering up right away. I am so bad about that.”

Shannon let her shoulders relax and smiled.  “It’s not your fault, I am just super weird about it. It’s something I need to work on.”

Sinann smiled back and said, “Well, we both have something to work on I guess, right?”  

Shannon laughed and said, “It seems we do!”

Epilogue

Shannon and Sinann found themselves on the same ski lift later that day and laughed hard about the morning’s start.  They decided to have lunch together in the ski chalet and by the time they were done they had both made the decision in their own heads that this was the friend they had been looking for their whole life.

They have been best friends for 22 years now.  Shannon still doesn’t get naked in front of anyone and Sinann still does.

The End

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Drawing and short short story by Marty Coleman

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