A Big Oops

Mary had worked everyday for the past seventeen years — including Sundays — to be where she is now. When she announced her two week long vacation the staff couldn‘t believe their ears. Everyone started whispering, trying to guess what made the CEO finally take a break. Did someone die? Maybe a significant other convinced her she should? No, everyone in her family was in perfect health, and her marital status remained the same: married to work.

That’s how she liked it, though. Her life being private and no one questioning her. It had taken her a long time to get that respect so she was going to take it for granted. However, that flew out the window for everyone around her, because when the cab pulled up to the airport she analyzed the first person she saw and deemed her as a worker.

“Excuse me!” She called to the stranger. “If you could take my bags while I get a drink, that’d be greatly appreciated.”

Before the woman could answer her, she brushed past to make her way to the fairly vacant bar. Luckily she was early, so she could have a drink before she had to check in. Mary didn’t get far through her drink before she felt a tap on her shoulder.

”Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I don’t work here.”

Mary immediately felt horrible for her actions. She knew how it felt to be treated like that, yet she treated someone like that. How could she possible be that sense?

“It’s okay, really. It happens all the time,” the woman assured her.

”Really?” Marys asked, starting to feel better and worse at the same time.

“No, I just wanted to make you feel better,” the woman smiled kindly as she sat on the stool next to Mary. “I did put your stuff through, though. I didn‘t want to hand it off to someone else and then be blamed if something came up missing.”

Mary scoffed as she sipped on her drink, enjoying the bitterness of it. She started to think of ways she could make it up to the woman, and the only thing that came to mind was to buy her a drink.

Coincidentally enough, the two women sat in the same row, on the same plane, going to the same place. Luck is what Mary wanted to call it so she could spend the week making it up to the woman. When they landed, she was going to find her and find where she was staying and maybe even plan a night out together. It would be nice to be friends with someone for once and just relax on an exotic vacation.

”I’m sorry Ms. Roy, but we overbooked and unfortunately we have no rooms left,” the receptionist apologized to Mary.

Disappointment bubbled up in her chest, but she knew things like this happened. It was crazy to think her first vacation would actually run over smoothly. Mary gave the poor girl a tight lipped smile before turning to walk out, but then she heard a newly familiar voice.

”She can stay with me.”

Mary saw the woman, Lisa, standing on the far side of the desk. She smiled at her. This week was supposed to be her making it up to her, not Lisa saving Mary at every inconvenience.

“Thank you, but I don’t want to impose on your vacation. Truly—“

”I think you owe me. For the misunderstanding at the airport back home? My fiancé broke up with me three days ago, knowing this meant a lot to me. I don’t want to be here alone, so really you’d be doing me a favor.”

Mary looked at the receptionist who only shrugged. Lisa walked up to her handing a key to the door and looped their arms together.

“It’ll be great. I promise,” Lisa said before tugging Mary towards the bar in the hotel lobby.

”Trying to get me drunk?” Mary joked.

Lisa laughed and that’s when she realized the vacation might actually be alright after all.

Two weeks later Mary and Lisa were giggling and walking through the airport. When they got to check-in, Lisa noticed a familiar figure in the distance. She froze, alarming Mary something was wrong. Both of them sobered up as Mary questioned Lisa about what’s wrong and Lisa only stared.

”That’s him,” she uttered, still in complete shock. “That’s my ex-fiancé. He’s with someone new?“

Mary’s heart broke as she watched her new friend start to tear up, so she looked away to find the man who caused this. She spotted him, tracing Lisa line of sight and noticed he was a good looking man. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He had a charming smile, a lean build, and radiated with great energy to anyone who didn’t know what he had done to Lisa.

Feeling eyes on him, Nathan turned his head to see his ex, standing with a woman. When Mary’s eyes found his, she knew what she had to do. Fight fire with fire is one thing she learned with running a company. It made others jealous, made them want what they rejected, and come crawling back. She did the one thing that would make any person jealous and grabbed Lisa by the face and planted her lips on hers.

The kiss took Nathan and Lisa both by surprise, but did something different to both. For Lisa it made her happy, but confused. For Nathan, it hurt him that Lisa could move on so fast. But he had no room to feel that way. The kiss broke and Lisa immediately started laughing, bringing joy to Mary. She threw her arm around Lisa’s shoulders and they laughed as they walked by Nathan and the woman he was with.

“That was great. His face was priceless!” Lisa yelled as they walked out of the doors.

“Yeah, but now I’m catching feelings for you.”

Lisa snapped her attention towards Mary who was staring at her with the goofiest smile she could muster. They both started laughing once again, and they called a cab.

Maybe everything leading up to that moment had just been one big “oops” but it was a pretty lucky one if you asked Mary and Lisa.