The Selfie

I’ve always loved my time alone in nature. If only my agent could book me some roles as “mid 30’s Yoga teacher’esque brunette” to play the part of “Woman who goes glamping”, I wouldn’t be so compelled to go on these solo excursions to A Quiet Place in Pawling, New York. Staying at the log cabin tucked away in its own small plain surrounded by trees is worth that 2 hour drive down the I-278.  Against Jenny’s advise, I’m going without my husband. She’s always been a little weary of John. Sure, he can be a bit possessive, but I think deep down he trusts and respects my personal time and space, which is funny to say, especially after me and Jenny’s most recent “We don’t judge, this is a safe space” session. Sometimes I wonder if I tell her too much, bestie or not. I can understand she’s just beng a concerned friend and looking out for me now that I have a break between movie shoots. But I post everything online and share a thousand selfies every hour anyways, so there’s nothing to worry about. 

As for the “occasional fanatic who gets a little too into my roles”, I’ve taken every precaution to ensure I’m not suddenly visited by one, especially that guy James, who’s literally a postcard away from the cops busting down his door. If something were to ever happen to me, that would be the guy. It helps that John used to work for the CIA, which is already more than enough to keep the creeps at bay. He’s 6 feet 3 inches of Massachusetts-born muscle and special ops training. I still have my doubts that he actually quit, though. And as of recently, I’ve been getting the feeling he has some doubts about me. In any event, it’s of to 24 hours of solitude and selfies. 

EPILOGUE: Police report- 2 weeks later

Upon reviewing victims final post with entry time dated 2 weeks prior to the discovery of her body at a cabin located in Pawling, New York, a selfie confirms there was more than one individual on the premises, unbeknownst to the victim, who was under the assumption that she had been alone.  Suspect, 35 year old James Cobb, appeared in the background of said self-taken image moments before allegedly attacking Emily Joynt, and is currently being detained and undergoing inception treatment in order to extract his confession.

Alternate Ending #1-

With eyes, locked onto Jenny and trying desperately in vain to scream “SHUT UP!!!” loud enough to go unnoticed by John, I stood there, exposed and in shock as she, like the oblivious gossip queen I’d always known and would soon regret to have confided in, attempted to catch her tongue two seconds too late after nonchalantly letting slip a truth that I’d so painstakingly concealed from him for so long, but felt John had always suspected. “You looked SO good in those pics! He really knows how to capture your good si…” and that was all it took. You could almost hear the gears in John’s head shift, as the look of “…wait a minute…” crept across his face, upon realizing that I had in fact not been alone on my “twentry-four hour solo camp excursion”. His doubts were confirmed by a truth that slipped through the cracks of what was meant to be me and Jenny’s “safe space”. Whoever coined the phrase “loose lips sink ships” must have had a friendship like me and Jenny’s, because ours was sinking fast..

Sure, it was my fault, I mean… someone would have eventually noticed that those “selfies” were taken by another person, in this case my “special” friend, James. So much for trying to-live-it-up a little. And who would’ve thunk John would’ve taken it so hard. In the end, I don’t know what shocked me more, the fact that Jenny spilled the beans, or that look on John’s face as he pointed the gun at me. 

Final thoughts? “…Hey, a girls gotta have fun.”

Alternate Ending #2-

It’s funny how time flies when you’re having fun, but can stop in an instance. The hours went by like seconds. It felt like only yesterday I was wrapping up my last shoot and thinking “God I could really use a break”. As I drove back up the I-278 to Brooklyn, I get a call from John saying he’ll be back later, and to wait up for him at home. So of course, I decide to head towards Jenny’s and drop by for a little surprise visit. I couldn’t wait to show her all the pictures I’d taken. The lake behind the trail leading up to the cabin. The small family of deer that decided to turn my porch into their personal play ground. It all seemed like a dream. A dream I didn’t want to wake up from. As I raced back, I couldn’t help but think “man that was a great trip, maybe I should’ve taken John along with me”. But he’s always so busy, he probably wouldn’t have appreciated just sitting in front of that old cobblestone fireplace like I’d done so many times before, alone. I still remember the smell of the burning wood and the crackling sounds. Before I knew it, I was already pulling up to Jenny’s. “There’s so much I want to unpack on my bestie!” I thought to myself. In my excitement, I forget my manners, let myself into her apartment, burst into her room, plopped myself down next to her while she was still in her bra and panties, and went into a flurry of details about my trip. I just went on and on for what seemed like an eternity, as she sat there speechless, as though time had stopped. Even as the tears started running down my face, I just kept smiling and telling her how great a time I had. “And here’s a cute little rabbit I fed! And look, here’s that old tire swing we used to swing on, do you remember that old tire swing???”. At this point, it was all I could do to keep myself from falling apart, as a single tear finally rolled down Jenny’s flushed cheek. “I should have known” suddenly slipped through my lips as I continued scrolling and laughing. The memories passed by faster and faster with every swipe. My face, dimly lit by the flickering, tear-stained cell phone screen seemed hypnotized by the now unrecognizable images that flashed in front of my crying eyes. Then, in an instance, everything stopped…

I raise my head. 

“It was absolutely magical, Jenny, I wish you could’ve been there.

And you too… 

John.”