Rebecca's Decision

Rebecca shoved open the door to the women's restroom and walked quickly to the sink. A woman applying make-up was the only other occupant. Rebecca turned on the cold water tap and began rubbing water over her face. "Are you alright, dear," she heard the woman say. "You look ill."

"I'm fine, thanks," Rebecca replied as she made her way into one of the stalls, latching it behind her. She stood leaning against the side of the stall, tears welling up in her eyes, a torrent of different emotions rushing through her. She heard footsteps, then the door opening and closing as the restroom turned silent. Rebecca began sobbing quietly, unsure of what to do.

The marriage proposal was a dream-come-true for her but the conditions attached to it were almost unthinkable. Could she possibly walk naked out into a crowded restaurant? And even if she did it could she possibly do that kind of thing over and over again? That might be the worst part of all...not knowing when or where Andrew might ask her to take her clothes off. She'd be in a constant state of anxiety! Rebecca wiped her eyes and tried to think it through logically. I'm only considering this because I love him, she thought to herself, but knew immediately that wasn't completely true. She did love him but would she have ever considered doing this if Andrew had been some working class stiff struggling from paycheck to paycheck? Not a chance in hell. She'd never thought of herself as being particularly materialistic before but when you grow up poor and then get a taste of the other side of life it's hard to go back. Money matters, she thought, not wanting to lie to herself. Money always matters when you don't have any.

Rebecca wiped her eyes and her fingers trembled as she fumbled with the zipper behind her back. She slid her hands beneath the straps of her dress and pulled it down her body to the floor. As she stepped out of it she saw it lying in a crumpled heap on the stall floor. That's my favorite dress and I'm going to throw it in the trash, she thought numbly, barely believing that she was actually going through with this. But he'll buy me another. Oh, he's going to buy me whole closets full of beautiful dresses for doing this, I'll make sure of that.

Rebecca continued undressing until she held all of her clothes and shoes in a ball against her bare stomach. She unlatched the stall door and walked to the large white trash can in the corner. There was one last moment of doubt and hesitation before she shoved the lid open and jammed her clothes into it.

As she turned toward the door she got a glimpse of herself in the mirror and the shock of what she was doing hit her. A wave of panic and despair washed over her as she stared at her naked body in the mirror. Her face had turned a beet red and the unmistakable feelings of arousal were coursing through her. Andrew was right about what I'd experience, she thought to herself. This is exactly what he wants.

Rebecca stood at the restroom door for what seemed like an eternity, terrified of what she knew was in store for her beyond it. She breathed deeply trying to calm herself, half-expecting the door to open at any moment. "Oh, god," she said quietly as she pulled the door open and stepped out into her new life.