[ WP ] You live in a world where each lie creates a scar on the liar 's body . The bigger the lie , the deeper and larger the mark . One day , you meet someone that only has one scar ; it is the biggest one you have ever seen .

The air moved in circles as the fans tried to cool the bank in a vain effort. I rolled up the sleeves to my white button down and loosened my tie, already uncomfortable with the day. Regardless I worked closely with clients in securing loans or otherwise declining their offers. Not long after my lunch break, where I sought the refuge of a nearby ice-cream shop, a woman walked into my office. With large brown locks hanging across her face, I greeted her with a genial smile, while rolling down my sleeves to conceal countless little nicks on my arms. 
 
 Her complexion, however, shocked me. Her skin was like porcelain: completely flawless and smooth, besides one deep scar which ran from her neck to her right forearm. The scar ran deep as if it had been burned deeply inside her flesh. She must have caught my gaze and crossed her arms to obscure the sight of her scar, already conscious of how it might affect her business. I immediately made eye contact and tried to keep my vision focused solely on either my computer screen or her luscious green pupils while she requested a car loan. 
 
 “ Why don ’ t you do some financing with the dealership? ” I asked as I typed her information into the computer. 
 
 “ It ’ s a private seller, ” she replied. “ Besides the dealerships treat me like I don ’ t understand cars. It ’ s condescending as hell. ” 
 
 “ I certainly understand, ” I responded. Before I could make eye contact, my gaze briefly lingered on her scar then back to her face. I tried to smile the best I could. “ Well it looks like your credit is good. You ’ re in the eightieth percentile for your age group, which is great. You have a relatively large average account balance, which is good sign of financial security. There ’ s just one more issue I need to clear up before I can grant you your loan. ” 
 
 “ The scar? ” she sighed. 
 
 “ Yes, unfortunately, ” I answered. “ The bank has a policy to deny loans to individuals with numerous or particularly deep scars since it ’ s a huge red flag that you may not be using the loan as you claim. With that said, if you can adequately explain your scar, I can use my discretion to grant you the loan. ” 
 
 “ Goddamnit, ” she remarked. “ I really need this car. ” 
 
 “ Ms. Grant, ” I tried to comfort her. “ Just be honest with me. I ’ m not here to judge you. I want you to have this loan, but you need to communicate with me. ” 
 
 “ Alright, alright, ” she conceded. “ My ex-husband was a piece of work. He used to beat me and my daughter. Always careful to never leave a mark, that son-of-a-bitch. I always wanted to report him, but I just…I could never find the courage. I always convinced myself that he would change or realize what he had become, but he…never changed. He just drank and slept and worked and made himself miserable. I don ’ t know if he was disappointed in me or himself, but he always liked to take his frustrations out on me. 
 
 “ One day, I took our…my…daughter to her grandmother ’ s. My mom had been asking for her for ages and I decided she could spend the night. When I got home, he was there. Drinking. Yelling. Screaming at the top of his lungs, because I forgot to tell him. He waved around his gun with reckless abandon and refused to let me out of his sight. He just drank straight liquor at the table while he forced me to watch. When he seemed dazed, I got up from the table and dug through the cutlery drawer. Apparently I made too much noise for his drunken stupor. When he rose from the table, gun in hand, I had a knife and threatened him with it. 
 
 “ He just told me, ‘ Marie, put down the goddamn knife. Marie. Put down the goddamn knife. ’ While he did, he slowly lumbered over to my corner and…and I did what I had to. It was self-defense. That night, I called my daughter and told the first and only lie of my life. I told her she had to stay with grandma since her dad ran away and my work wanted to send me away for a while. I did it for her. I needed to protect her. ” 
 
 She fell silent and I approved her loan. 
 
 ***** 
 
 More stories at r/Andrew__Wells
