The Woman in the Green Dress

My husband surprised me with a weekend at The Greenbrier for our anniversary several years ago. I had always wanted to stay there because I love historic hotels, and it was every bit as beautiful as I imagined.

The first evening after dinner, we were heading back to our room. The hallway was quiet, and I remember seeing an older woman walking toward us.

What caught my attention was her dress. It was a beautiful dark green dress that looked elegant but somehow different from what everyone else at the hotel was wearing. Not like a costume, just timeless.

As we passed each other, she smiled warmly at both of us. I smiled back and said hello. She didn’t stop, just continued walking down the hallway.

That was it.

I didn’t think about it again until the next morning while we were checking out.

I happened to mention to the woman at the front desk how much I loved the hotel, and I said something about the elegant lady in the green dress we’d seen the night before. I even joked that she looked like she belonged there more than the rest of us.

The woman behind the desk paused for a second before asking where our room had been.

I told her.

She smiled politely and said, “You’re not the first guest to mention seeing a woman in a green dress on that floor.”

She didn’t elaborate, and honestly I didn’t ask her to.

Maybe she was talking about another guest who stayed there often.

Maybe she was teasing me because the hotel has a reputation.

Or maybe she meant exactly what she said.

I’ve stayed in a lot of historic hotels over the years, and I have never thought twice about seeing another guest in the hallway.

For some reason, though, I’ve never forgotten that woman in the green dress… or the expression on the front desk clerk’s face when I mentioned her.