The Face Behind The Mask

7

Skyden was seated at the dining room table, her laptop open, when Kelsey walked in cradling a bowl of ice cream. Brick followed from the kitchen, spooning from a more generous serving of butter pecan. Kelsey leaned in over her mom's shoulder, her brows furrowed at the computer screen.

"So, how're things going with your BFF, Morgan?" she asked.

"Megan." She paused for a moment. "Okay."

Brick withdrew the spoon from his mouth. "Doesn't sound okay."

"She sends me messages constantly. It's like she has nothing else to do."

"Lucky you," he said.

Kelsey asked, "Is she posting anything weird?"

"Weird?"

"Like pics of her in a bathtub full of cats."

Brick laughed.

"Of course, it's gonna be a little weird," Skyden replied. "I haven't seen her in like twenty years. But no cat pics."

"Why don't you block her?"

Skyden tilted her head and looked back at her daughter. "That would be mean, don't you think?"

Kelsey shrugged. "Be better than some creeper sending you messages all the time."

"I didn't say she was a creeper."

"People get weird, Mom."

Skyden closed her laptop and got out of her chair like it was work.

"You okay?" Kelsey said.

"No, but I know how I can get back to okay."

Kelsey raised an eyebrow.

"A glass of wine and a nice, hot bath."

"Go for it," said Brick.

"No cats in the tub with me and no pics," Skyden replied. "Just me and my thoughts."

Kelsey grinned.

Skyden went out to the kitchen and took a wine glass from the cabinet. She opened the refrigerator and found the open bottle. She filled her glass and headed upstairs.

The cold wine felt good going down. She set her glass on the dresser and then went into the bathroom to run some hot water. She discarded her work clothes, slipped into her robe, and then carried the wine into the bathroom.

She clipped her hair up, off her neck, let the robe fall to the floor, and then stepped gingerly into the tub. She sat in the bath, feeling the water rise, and took a drink.

The solitude was a luxury, sitting alone, drinking, and thinking about nothing, in particular, other than how therapeutic the bath water felt. The chilled wine and the hot water loosened her muscles, took the tightness out of her neck, and lowered her heart rate. When she closed her eyes, she felt like she was floating, her lungs barely working.

Two hours later, she was still in relaxation mode, sitting on the couch in her robe, leafing through a magazine while the TV played a succession of HGTV shows. She wasn't paying much attention. She'd probably seen this episode or some version of it. The contractors had finished taking down a wall and now the new plumbing was going in.

She was surprised when Kelsey rumbled down the stairs, zipping her jacket. "Goin' over to Alexa's house."

"At ten o'clock at night?"

"We have an algebra test on Friday."

A horn honked outside.

"There's her mom." She tucked her algebra book under her arm.

"What time will you be home?"

"Not late."

"I want you home by eleven thirty. Kelsey, do you have your keys?" She heard the front door slam and glanced out the window. Kelsey jogged toward the SUV.

Skyden heaved a sigh of frustration and then returned to her magazine. When she turned the page, she froze.

There was a full-page ad for soup featuring two pretty elementary-age girls, all smiles with their arms wrapped around each other. One wore a colorful knit hat.

Skyden straightened, tossed the magazine on the couch, and jogged out to the dining room table. She flipped open her laptop and went to Megan's Facebook page. There they were. The same two adorable girls.

She clicked through more photos. The people in the photos looked like models, too perfect, too happy.

She felt her chest tighten, her neck going rigid. She went to her own page and her photo gallery and began deleting photo after photo.

Pictures of the kids at various ages. Delete. Delete.

Pictures of Skyden and Cameron. Delete. Delete. Delete.

Her mouth went dry and her hands trembled.

Photos of the house, class plays, vacations. Delete. Delete.

Photos of Brick playing baseball and soccer, Kelsey running track and playing tennis.

Delete. Delete. Delete.

She navigated to Megan Conway's page and blocked her but she felt no relief. She felt vulnerable and exposed. No wonder Megan hadn't asked about her family. There were dozens and dozens of snapshots of Skyden's life posted for the world to see and the realization came with the sudden onset of nausea.