The Mask of Mr. Connel

CHAPTER 3

It was a warm Saturday morning. It was the kind of morning where the curtains would flutter in a calm breeze which in turn allowed gentle rays of tepid sunshine to caress your skin. Alexis devoted these days to usually just relaxing and watching movie marathons with a bag of butter popcorn, some O.J. or maybe she would just sit with a newly purchased novel and read away the day, but today she decided to do some spring cleaning instead (in the middle of autumn). After hours of reminiscing over old mementos, disposing of unwanted junk and constantly rearranging her apartment, she finally could take a well deserved break. While Alexis was relaxing, she started feeling strange, the kind of strange a recovering drug addict would feel after staying of the ‘stuff’ for a while.

“Maybe a hot shower would clear my head” Jane said to herself.

Before stepping into the bathroom, Alexis got out a black dress to wear on a date with John, which was scheduled for that night, after doing so Jane walked into the bathroom and dressed out of her sweatpants, her socks, top and underwear. She walked to the sink, now stripped completely naked, and opened up the hot water faucet to rinse off her face. When she looked up into the mirror she saw a feint silhouette of a man behind her. Feeling more curious than panicked, she frantically spun around to inspect who was behind her but there was nobody. Dismissing it as just exhaustion, she put her palms to her eyes and rubbed in an opposing motion.

Jane turned up the heated water and stood underneath the shower head just forgetting about the reality around her. All the glimmering hot water paired with the steam clouds highlighted her nude figure, making her look even more sensual, desirable, seductive. She closed her eyes and began drowning her thoughts. She let her mind drift, it was no island holiday, but she felt her fantasies were sufficient (for now). Alexis began feeling, alive, aroused, and really turned on. She opened her eyes and she saw Justin, standing under the shower with her. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and pair of blue Levi’s jeans, drenched in water. Alexis just stared at him, and then he groped her wet, bare buttocks, pulled her closer and kissed her almost violently.......

The water started to run cold, which snapped Jane out of her fantasy, making her realise that this was all just a figment of her imagination.

She was dressed as if she were attending an awards ceremony with the stars. She wore a backless black dress with a matching pair of stilettos and a silver locket. Jane stood at the side walk waiting for John to arrive.

A silver Ford Mondeo came to a halt in front of Alexis, it was John. John got out of the car to open the door for Alexis, upon doing so, he also kissed her hello. Jane found him to oddly silent which was quite unusual.

“Hey John, are you doing okay?”

“I’m fine baby,” responded John while wiping off his forehead, “I couldn’t be any better, actually.”

“Alright then.” said Jane sounding pretty worried.

It wasn’t a very long journey but it was a silent one. John and Alexis arrived at a restaurant called Arthur’s Bistro. When being seated down, John inconspicuously checked his coat pocket to see if the little box he had brought along was still with him at the same time, as the evening progressed, John’s anxiety grew more and more. Shortly after being seated, they placed an order for their meals, and then Jane excused herself to use the bathroom. When she left, in an attempt to ease his apprehensiveness, John pulled out the box hidden in a pocket on his coat and opened it up, quite carefully. As the box became more ajar, it began to exhibit a little sparkle at its core, much like a clam would when it opens up for the first time to reveal a pearl inside, if the clam shell was made out of plastic and the pearl was a diamond engagement ring. John had already starting planning a life out in his head.

“Are you going to pop the big question tonight?” asked a passing by waiter.

“Yes I am actually, she is the girl of my dreams.” replied John who seemed to be a little less daunted.

“A word of advice, make it a night she will never forget.”

“I plan on doing so.” responded John.

“Would you like to make any requests?” asked the waiter.

“Oh no thanks, I’ve got all I need already.”

“Okay then. Good luck buddy.” said the waiter just before he left.

At the first glimpse he got of Alexis leaving the bathroom, he hid the box away.

“Who was that?” asked Jane.

“Who? Oh the waiter, he was nobody, just an old friend of mine.” answered John.

“How come you have never mentioned him before?”

“He was not really important.”

Once again, their voices were being drowned in silence, like an awkward first date and Alexis really began to feel uncomfortable so she decided to perhaps introduce some proper conversation to the table.

“So how was work today, that secretary still screwing the CEO?” said Jane, trying to lighten the mood a little.

“What? Oh, uhm yes she is still a slut.” blankly said John.

“Hey, what is wrong with you? You seem to have some thing on your mind.” stated Jane.

“No, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Are you sure, because we can always talk about it...” said Jane before she was interrupted by John.

“God-dammit for the hundredth time, I-AM-OKAY! What part of that didn’t you understand?” snapped John.

“Oh, I’m sorry for actually caring about how you feel!”

“So now you’re trying to say that I don’t care about how you feel?” exclaimed John.

“That is not what I had said at all! You know what, just take me home, I think you’ve caused a big enough scene for tonight.”

“Wait! Alexis, I’m sorry please just...” pleaded John.

Heedless to John’s plea, Alexis walked right out of the restaurant, leaving a dumbfounded John behind. Trying to resolve the situation, John threw down some bills on the table and walked out to go after Alexis.

When John had caught up to her, he grabbed her arm to try and talk her straight.

“Let go of me!” screamed Jane.

“Alexis, please, you are overreacting.” argued John.

“I am not overreacting. You were being an asshole for no apparent reason and then you snap at me, like I did something wrong!” yelled Jane.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” retaliated John.

“Wrong with me?” asked Jane.

“Yes, what is wrong with you? Over the past couple of days, it just seems like you are trying to push me away, so if you really want to leave, say the f*****g word!”

“Do not try to pin all of this on me, you know how stressful my job can get, besides I was not the one who was having freaking mental breakdown five minutes ago!” exclaimed Alexis.

John just continued trying to argue his point, but Alexis was taking no bullshit, so she signalled for a taxi. She got into the first one that stopped in front of her, and she told the driver to go to any place that is not here.

The taxi driver had left her at a coffee shop that was further uptown. Alexis needed to get her mind off of things, so she called up a few of her old college friends for a ‘reunion’.

They travelled from bar to bar and partied from club to club. Alexis danced and drank, even when there was no music playing. She had only been drunk three times in her entire life, which was at her prom, a frat initiation in college and at her older sister’s bachelorette party, but on that night Alexis decided to get blisteringly drunk. At one point in the night, she even tried to call up Connel, but reached only his voicemail. It was just before dawn when Jane had gotten to her apartment, but by then she could barely even walk straight.

That Sunday, while fighting off a brutal hangover, Alexis still managed to ignore all attempts of John’s communication but at the same time, she was trying to reach Justin to apologise for anything stupid she may have said the night before although just like the night before, her calls were diverted directly to voicemail. As the evening grew closer, signalling the end of a wasted day, Jane felt unsatisfied by her drunken escapade on the prior night, she desired more, something almost dangerous and she had just the thing in mind.