The Face Behind The Mask

24

That evening, with Kelsey and Brick in their rooms out of earshot, Skyden confided to her husband that she couldn't easily put the trauma behind her. Though the perpetrator was apprehended, she didn't feel safe for herself or her children.

"We can't let him win, Sky." Cameron sat down beside her on the couch. "We can't live our lives locked down in this house, worried sick every time the kids are ten minutes late for dinner."

"I know," she said. "But it's hard to just turn the page and pretend everything is back to normal." She knew he could see her eyes glistening.

"You don't need to pretend. You'll get up tomorrow morning, get ready for work, and everything will be back to normal. You'll see."

She nodded. "Yeah. You're right." She couldn't shake the empty feeling of helplessness, of being victimized, and worst of all, feeling that she couldn't protect her kids. When Cam drew her closer, she laid her head on his shoulder and thought, 'If only it was that easy.'

The morning routine brought a sense of comfort, maybe even relief. With the kids off to the bus stop, Skyden made her way in bumper-to-bumper traffic into downtown Pittsburgh. She parked her car, rode the elevator up to the third floor, and immersed herself in emails, Google Docs, and Slack messages.

As the 10 AM strategy session with the team concluded, she considered another cup of coffee. Despite Cameron's reassurances, she didn't get much sleep.

"Josh and Peyton," said Lori. "Awesome job on the Miller project. Sasha said they'd never had so much positive feedback. You guys rock."

"I wish every project went that smoothly," said Peyton. She took a drink from her water bottle.

"I think they want to adopt you," Skyden said with a grin. 

Peyton shrugged. "That could be good for me. Maybe some of Sasha's exuberance will rub off."

"It's definitely some med she's on," said Josh. "Nobody's that extra 24/7. I mean, come on. She was probably one of those kids in grade school that complained about not getting enough homework."

Lori laughed. "I could definitely see that. Sasha like you, too, Josh."

"As a rule, I don't see clients as people," he said. "They're some other lifeform that I'll never fully understand."

"None of us do," Skyden said.

Josh scrolled through his messages. "Anybody hear anything from Tony's group?"

"I got a confusing email from Gloria," said Peyton. "Anybody else see that?"

"Yep," said Lori. "I saw that. Was that supposed to be in English?"

Peyton rolled her eyes. "I asked for some clarification and she said Tony would follow up. That was four days ago."

Skyden felt pairs of eyes on her. "So, I guess it's my turn to give them a friendly nudge."

Josh closed his laptop. "Oh, did they dump Grayson?" The mention of his name sent a little jolt through Skyden.

Peyton scowled. "The poster boy for white, male privilege."

Without looking up from her laptop, Lori said. "It's just sad."

"What'd I miss?" Skyden asked.

"Last Wednesday, or maybe Tuesday night he ran a red light and caused a pretty serious accident. I thought you knew."

Peyton stood and pushed her chair against the table. "Some place in the North Hills."

Lori said, "The passengers in the other vehicle are in critical condition. A man and his 80-year-old mother."

Skyden straightened in her chair. "What?"

"That's fucked up," said Josh. "I hope they throw his ass in jail."

"Apparently, he was drunk." Lori let out a sigh. "He was incoherent, rambling. That's what I heard."

"Everybody knew he loved his cocktails," said Peyton. She grabbed her water bottle and laptop and stepped out into the hallway.

While Lori and Josh made for the door, Skyden remained seated for a moment. She wished that things would settle back into the mundane and routine until she found her footing.

........

Later that afternoon, Skyden steered her Volvo to the curb in the pick-up area. Kids spilled out of the school onto the sidewalk, shrieking like flocks of crows and buzzing with the kind of furious voltage kids produce when the school day is done.

The friendly, silver-haired crossing guard tipped his faded baseball cap. Skyden smiled and mouthed, "Hi." She heard Alexa shouting, "See you tomorrow, Kelsey." Skyden watched her board the school bus. Kelsey waved goodbye and then got into the passenger seat next to her mom.

"So, no tennis practice today," said Skyden. Kelsey set her backpack on the floor at her feet and came up with a smile. "What're you gonna do with all your free time?" her mom asked.

"Sleep."

The back doors opened. Brick rolled in onto the leather seat and Jonas plopped in like a scarecrow. "Hi, Ms. McKenzie," he said with a polite grin.

"Hi, Jonas." She drove off the school property onto the main road.

"Hey, Kelsey," he said.

"Hey," she replied.

Jonas let out an awkward laugh. Brick punched his arm and growled, "Stop it."

Kelsey's attention never diverted from her phone.

Skyden was embarrassed for her son. His best friend was practically salivating, trying to sneak a peek at Kelsey any chance he got. She couldn't imagine what outcome he envisioned. If Kelsey were to turn in her seat, take his hand, and whisper, "I've been thinking about you, Jonas," the kid would probably dissolve into the leather upholstery.

They passed a Ukrainian Orthodox church with its gold onion domes reflecting the afternoon sun. At the next intersection stood a small Korean restaurant. Jonas said, "Anybody eat at that Korean barbecue? I hear the food is awesome."

"Nope," said Brick. Kelsey didn't look up from her phone.

Feeling the weight of the silence, Skyden looked into the rearview mirror at Jonas. "I think we tried it a couple of years ago before they closed for renovation."

Jonas returned a grateful smile.

"I don't remember that," Brick said.

"It wasn't memorable," Skyden said. "But they have new owners so maybe we should give it a try. What do you think, Kels?"

She answered with a small shrug.

A notification ping drew Skyden's eyes to her watch. Brick leaned forward from the back seat. "What's that?"

"I think it's the backyard camera."

Kelsey glanced over at her mom when the image updated. "That looks like Sadie."

Brick grumbled. "The Washingtons shouldn't have a dog if they can't keep it in their yard."

Jonas said, "Your neighbor's dog is in your yard?"

"Happens at least twice a week. She gets out, runs across the street, and takes a dump in our backyard." As the next image displayed, Kelsey said, "Yep. That's Sadie."

Skyden glanced at her watch before stopping at a traffic light. "Give them a break. They're seniors. Someone probably forgot to lock the gate."

"Again," said Brick.

Kelsey settled back into her seat. "Where's Dad going?" 

Skyden glanced at her daughter. "What?"

"Is he going back to Chicago?"

"I'm not sure," Skyden said.

"I thought that's what he said when he was on his phone."