The Face Behind The Mask

2

Kelsey McKenzie wore a demure grin as a handsome freshman took his shot.

"I see you out there on the tennis courts," he said, barely able to maintain his focus.

"Do you?"

"Yeah, I do."

It was fun being Kelsey McKenzie with cute guys testing their game, flirting with her. She was naturally athletic and more than just pretty, an enviable combination.

"You play?" She enjoyed making him squirm.

"Not tennis." He blushed at his clumsy attempt. "Maybe you could teach me." He straightened to his full height as though that might impress her.

"I'm kinda busy," she said, seeing if he'd try harder.

He didn't. He looked down at the pavement as if searching for the next thing to say while she watched, her eyebrows raised in anticipation.

A glossy white Volvo pulled to a stop at the curb. A friendly, silver-haired crossing guard tipped his faded baseball cap to the driver, Skyden, a stunning young woman.

Kelsey waved goodbye to the freshman and got into the passenger seat next to her mom. Good looks were encoded in the McKenzie genes passed down through generations from female to female.

"Where's Brick?" Skyden asked.

Kelsey shrugged.

Skyden spotted her son, a rugged-looking pre-teen, amongst a group of friends and honked the horn, waving him over.

Brick jogged across the lawn, a light breeze tousling his dust-brown hair. He leaned into the passenger window, his friend, Jonas trailing.

"Can I go over to Jonas' for a while?" said Brick, his cheeks flushed.

Jonas ogled Kelsey, who was busy texting, ignoring him.

"We got some science homework," Brick said.

Kelsey snickered.

"Shut up," he said.

"Hi, Jonas," said Skyden. 

"Hey, Mrs. McKenzie."

"Are your parents okay with this?"

"Yeah, they don't care," he said.

"Okay," she replied. "Be home for dinner."

Brick nodded his confirmation. "I will."

........

Kelsey dragged herself through the living room, her backpack trailing her like a leashed dog. She had a brief encounter with her dad at the bottom of the stairs before she climbed to the second floor.

"How was the dentist?" he asked.

As expected, she answered with a terse, "Fine."

"I brought Chinese."

"Not hungry." She stomped into her room.

Skyden came in through the entryway from the garage, worn out from her daughter's sour mood.

"Good time? Huh, Sky?" He leaned in for a kiss.

"There's no way I was that miserable when I was her age."

Cameron shrugged. "I wasn't there."

"Well, ask my mom the next time you see her."

Brick burst through the front door, half out of breath. "What're we having for dinner? I'm starving." Spotting the take-out bags on the dining room table, he rumbled past his parents.

"Wash your hands first," said Skyden.

He grumbled something that she was in no mood to hear and trudged into the kitchen to wet his hands under the faucet.

"I'll set the table," said Cameron, kissing his wife on her nose. She followed him through the dining room, opened the brown paper bags, and removed fragrant cartons of Chinese food. "I got you some of those spicy Sichuan green beans you like."

"Thanks." She leaned in for a quick kiss.

"Oh. I got an A on that Science report," Brick called from the kitchen.

"Did you really?" said Skyden, opening the cartons.

"Yeah." He entered the dining room, drying his hand with a dish towel. "The teacher said there were only five A's."

"Wow," Cameron chimed in. "Way to go, bud." He raised his hand to slap a high-five.

"My hand's still a little bit wet."

"Nothing wrong with a damp high five. Don't leave me hangin'."

Brick slapped his hand.

"Oh, I heard from Megan Conway," said Skyden.

Cameron returned from the kitchen with plates and a handful of silverware. "Who's Megan Conway?"

"My best friend from high school."

"High school? How did she track you down after all these years?"

"Facebook."

Brick opened a carton and heaped a mound of fried rice onto his plate. "Facebook? Who even uses Facebook?"

"Don't say it," said Skyden. "She's still living in Ohio. It was nice to hear from her."

Cameron loaded his plate. "How does she look?" He licked garlic sauce from his fingers.

"Her profile picture is her yearbook picture."

"From high school?" Brick said. "That's seriously weird."

Cameron raised a forkful of lo mein. "Do you do any work at the agency or do you spend all day posting on social posting and watching cute cat videos?"

Brick cracked up.

"It's 2023," she replied with a tired smile. "We get breaks now. Even women."