Mask of A Legend

by Stephen Andrew Salamon

  “Just concentrate on your feelings for Mark, and have him concentrate on Dina.” She felt her face, still staring at her reflection, and saw that she was feeling pimples, but she couldn’t feel them. “Why can’t Stephen have the character that Mark has? Why can’t he look for inner beauty, as well as outer, like Mark does? If only he was like Mark, then I would go up to him, and kiss him forever. But he’s not, and therefore I can’t get involved with him, I can’t go through the agony of constantly worrying about what I look like in front of him, and wondering if I’m as beautiful as he wants me to be.”

  She dried her tears away and then took down the mirror. She put it back on the ground and continued. “Put yourself together, Legend . . . . And always remember that, no matter if this is a mask, you are beautiful. . . .” She left her bathroom and walked out to the balcony, staring at the heavens above. “I just wish that my beauty was real. I just wish that I could show Stephen my real image, but I’m not, and that’s it.” Another tear fell from her eye and soared downwards toward the street below. “I’m not, and that’s it. . . .”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Aman stared out of his office window, concentrating on the California sun as it slowly sank into the earth, vanishing from sight. He looked at it, and concentrated on the rays, and held onto a photo that was clenched into his grip. He looked at the photo, and then at the sun, and noticed the image was fading at every moment the sunlight went away. He then turned around, and ran across his humongous office, and turned on the lights. It was like he didn’t want this beautiful image on the photo to vanish from his sight.

  He then turned around, and walked back to his window, when suddenly a knock came at his door. “Come in,” he said. The large, brown door opened. “Well, if isn’t William Drakson I see before me.” He walked up to William and gave him a hug. “So, how long has it been: three, four years?”

  “Yeah, something like that, Jack,” William said. He sat down directly across from Jack’s desk.

  “How’s your son, Stephen, doing?” Jack lit up a cigar and still clenched the photo with a beautiful image. “I hear he’s doing great with his modeling, and choosing models for your agency.”

  “Yeah, yeah, he’s quite a kid, especially his brains, he’s incredibly intelligent,” William replied. “I don’t know what I would do if he wasn’t helping me run my business.”

  “You wouldn’t be a millionaire, that’s for sure,” William began smiling. “So, is he still chasing the girls?”

  “Yep, I guess you could say he’s been practicing a lot with trying to find the right one.”

  Jack blew a puff of smoke that resembled a circle directly into William’s face. “Well, you know what they say, practice makes perfect!”

  “You got that right,” William joked.

  “So, I heard about your new find, your new discovery. People say that she looks like an angel, but I didn’t believe it, until I saw this.” Jack handed the photo over to William. “When I saw this girl, I knew I had to call you in for a meeting.” He got up from his chair and walked over to where William was sitting.

  “I know, she’s beautiful, and so is her name. . . . So, what is it you had to discuss with me that involves her?”

  Jack began circling his chair. “Well, I heard that Legend is supposed to shoot with John Fisher today, for MG magazine. So, since she’s going to be in our neck of the woods, I felt that I had to take the opportunity in having her do something that no model has ever done before.”

  William smiled.

  “What’s your idea?” William asked with suspicion.

  Jack grabbed onto Legend’s photo and paced over to his window, looking out at the California night. He looked at Legend’s image, and then back toward the night, when suddenly he turned around to face William, and gave out a matching smile. “William, we have known each other for many years, and throughout those years, you have made me a rich man, allowing my contracts to be signed by many of your discoveries. . . . When I heard about Legend, I right away began to study her career, but I didn’t want to see what she looked like – you and I were taught not to look at beauty right away. Just like the Angelica story that your father told us when we were kids. But when I saw her for the first time, and stared at this photo, I knew I had to do this.

  “William, every girl whom I wanted from you, to sign my contracts, I always would imagine what they looked like before I saw them. And every time I finally saw them, they never quite reached my expectations, my imagination. But when I saw Legend, she went beyond my imagination of a beautiful girl. That’s why I want to do this!”

  “Do what?”

  “In two days, the Glamour Association, which is made up of some of the top modeling agencies in the world, is going to be giving a charity event for women who were, and still are abused by their spouses. Well, I want Legend to give a speech at that televised event, while the whole world is watching, and allow her fans, which are mainly made up of teenagers, to grow into a group that is made up of women in their twenties, thirties, and even forties,” Jack said.

  William got up from his seat and walked up to him. “But why her?” William grabbed the photo away from Jack in a delicate manner and glared at it.

  “Because she’s beautiful, stunning, and also because she’s known as ‘the girl who doesn’t like to look at her reflection’. I mean, in every article, in every magazine that she’s done, they always mention how she’s so beautiful, but yet she has a phobia with mirrors. That’s amazing. She’s a symbol to all women, and for that, her voice has to be heard at this event.”

  “But what should she say?”

  “Well, I heard from a source that her father, and even her mother, used to abuse her. That’s perfect,” Jack replied. William showed confusion on his wrinkled face. “William, don’t you see that she’s the perfect girl for this job? She’s beautiful, but yet she doesn’t like her reflection. She’s stunning, but yet she was abused by her parents. She’s an angel to many, and for that, they will listen to her speak.” Jack’s voice was so excited that William could feel his energy strike his own.

  “What’s in it for you?” William asked, grinning and looking at Legend’s photo.

  “Well, all Legend has to do is wear one of my new garments, and then say at the end of her speech that she only buys my clothing.”

  William turned away from Legend’s photo and looked at Jack with concerned eyes. “Listen to me, Jack, I don’t think that Legend would agree to talk about her personal life, to a large number of people, for such a reason as that.” William walked away from Jack and sat back down in his seat.

  “William, she doesn’t have to know the real reason, it would just be between me and you.” William looked at Legend’s image again, and suddenly felt like he should guard Legend, protect her as if he was her father. Her smile caused him to feel this way, but that all changed when William walked up to him, grabbed the photo away, and said, “She doesn’t have to know!”

  “What’s in it for me?”

  “Well, that depends on what your price is. It would be just like old times, William, I give you the payment under the table, and no one knows.” William smiled, but suddenly remembered Legend’s face, and turned his smile into a concerned grin. “I’ll give you three million!”

  William’s grin rose to a smile again. He forgot about Legend’s face, and turned to the face of money, his eyes shining green, big money signs within them. “Alright, it’s a deal, she’ll be there in two days, just give me the address,” William said. He shook Jack’s hand vigorously and then got up from his seat. Jack handed him a card with the address for the charity event on it, when suddenly William’s cellphone rang, while it stood in his pants pocket. “Alright, I’ll see you, probably tomorrow, to pick up the money,” William said. He shook Jack’s hand and then grabbed onto his cellphone. He left Jack’s office, lifted up the antenna on his phone, and pressed the power button. “Hello, William Drakson speaking, who is this?” He stood by the elevator and
pressed the ‘down’ button.

  Chapter Twenty

  Stephen sat firmly in his first-class seat, his eyes on Legend’s face and her sitting directly across from him. He panned over at Dina, and saw her sleeping face turn away from him as she faced the window. He looked back at Legend again, and knew she was uncomfortable for some reason. Away from her beauty, he turned to the window and stared out at the night stars above. Stephen didn’t know what to say to her, he knew his lips touched hers three days ago, but he still didn’t know how to talk to her about it. He felt she was still uncomfortable for that situation that happened, but something inside of him forced his thoughts to turn into words. “You know, by now, you and me usually are arguing or disputing something, or else just showing our own perspectives on a certain issue,” he said. Legend’s face didn’t show a smile. “Legend, what’s wrong? If it’s about what happened three days ago, then–”

  “What happened three days ago was an accident. I was very emotional and so were you, and for that, it caused your lips to touch mine,” she defended.

  “What are you talking about? You’re the one who kissed me.” He still had a grin on his young face.

  “No, you kissed me!”

  “I don’t think so, we both kissed at the same time.” Stephen’s voice was begging to grow to a higher note.

  “No,” she said.

  “Yes!”

  “No!”

  “Yes we did,” he said. She gave out a loud breath of air and turned away from him. He smiled as he joked, “You see, we’re arguing, so I guess everything’s back to normal!”

  She turned to face him. “Listen to me, Stephen, I’m with Mark, and you’re with Dina, that’s how it is. . . . I care for Mark a lot, and I don’t want him to know about that . . . that kiss.”

  “What do you see in Mark anyway? What is it that he has, that I don’t?” Dina turned her sleeping head away from the window and faced Stephen.

  Legend saw the way Dina was facing, so she lowered her voice and said, “He doesn’t look for beauty on the outside, he’s not a pig like you. He has a great character. With you, you’re handsome and funny, but your character sucks when it comes to looking at girls like you do in your piggish way. . . . For example, take Dina, the first month into your relationship, you had sex with her. Most gentlemen would wait till marriage, but with you, you had to be an animal.” She was angry, yet her voice still stayed quiet.

  “Marriage? I had sex with Dina because I care, and still do care for her. I like her character, her inner beauty, just as well as her outer.” Dina turned away from him and faced the window again.

  “Yeah, whatever, Stephen. Listen to me, I know that me and Dina are good friends now, but there’s a lot of things that you don’t know about her. Things that she did in the past that would label her character as a ‘bitch’.”

  Stephen’s eyes jolted. “Well, there’s a lot of things that you don’t know about Mark either. As a matter of fact, if you knew half the things that I know about his character, then you wouldn’t be with him still, you wouldn’t be in love with him.”

  “First of all, I don’t love him,” she said.

  “You do, too, you said that to me three days ago.”

  “No, you idiot, I said for you to tell him that you think I love him, and then I wanted to hear his reaction from you. I never said I loved him. Furthermore, Mark’s character is known to me, and you’re just jealous that he has a character that I like.”

  “Oh yeah? Well, I know Dina more than you, and I got her character down pat. But you’re just jealous of her because she has a greater character than yours,” he said. Legend developed a sad look on her face and Stephen saw her sadness. “Alright, I’m sorry for that: you, too, have a great way about you. But still, you’re upset about something, Legend.”

  “Let’s just drop it, alright? I mean, this is so stupid to be arguing over who kissed who first, and which one of us has a greater view and knowing over our relationships with Mark and Dina,” she said. Legend smiled and Stephen grinned also. “Plus, it’s stupid, and very corny to be arguing over inner and outer beauty. I mean, it’s just not normal for people like us to be arguing about such a subject. . . .”

  “You’re right,” he said.

  Legend widened her eyes. “Oh my God, did you just say I’m right?” Stephen started grinning more. “No way, I can’t believe that you actually agreed with me,” Legend said.

  “Well, don’t get too used to it.” His cellphone started to ring. He reached into his black, sports coat and pulled out his phone, still staring at Legend’s smiling face. “You know, I like arguing with you, because we always make up at the end,” he said, pressing the power button on his phone. “Hello, Stephen Drakson speaking, who’s calling?”

  He heard a loud yell coming from the other side of the line. “Stephen, where the hell are you?” William asked, stressing. He drove in his limousine that passed a sign reading ‘Welcome to Beverly Hills’.

  “Father, calm down, I could explain.”

  Legend looked at his nervous face.

  “Well, you better get started. Did you know that I got a call from John Fisher, saying that Legend never showed up for the photo shoot? I had to make up some bullshit story, and then make another appointment for tomorrow,” William yelled.

  Stephen looked at Legend, and then turned away from her beauty.

  “Listen, Dina and Legend went out last night to some night club, and Dina got wasted out of her mind. When I woke up this morning, Legend was all packed and ready to go, while Dina’s clothes were still in her dresser drawers and she was still in bed. So, that’s why–”

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  Stephen replied, “Because I had too many things on my mind, and we had to catch a plane. But we should be in LA in less than thirty minutes.”

  “Why didn’t you take our private jet? You would have made it here in no time at all.”

  “Because, when you left for California three months ago, you took it.” Stephen’s voice was that of a smart aleck and Legend stared at him with dread. She started to see the true Stephen, the Stephen that always wants to make his father happy. She noticed, for the first time, his hidden character, his true character. But that was only a little piece to the puzzle his inner self withheld, and Legend put it into place.

  “Oh that’s right. Well still, that’s no excuse for you being late. I trust you, boy, with everything that my business holds, and for that, I’m not accepting any excuses.” William’s limo entered a big driveway that led up to a luxurious mansion.

  “Father, I’m only eighteen years old, and I have a modeling career, and this career that’s really yours. I can’t do it all!” Legend saw a shield of tears beginning to form in Stephen’s eyes. Frustration? Or unbearable hurt that his father isn’t seeing his hard work? They were undefined for now.

  “Alright, but you still shouldn’t have been late. Anyway, once you get here, I have to discuss with you about a job I got for Legend, it involves her giving a short presentation at a charity event.”

  Stephen looked at Legend again, and then turned his watery eyes away from her with embarrassment. “Alright, I’ll see ya soon, bye.” Stephen hung up the phone and quickly rubbed his eyes. “You asshole,” he added to the phone.

  “What happened?” Legend asked. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Stephen turned toward her. “No, I just want to get some sleep. Wake me up in about thirty minutes when we land.”

  Legend discovered another part to his character. The part that she found was Stephen could get hurt very easily: she found out when she saw tears in his eyes, and sadness in his words when he spoke to his father. It was another part to the puzzle she fit into place, and his true character was beginning to show more to her. Good or bad, Legend was relieved she found a breakthrough with him.

  “Alright.” Legend then turned to face the window and saw her reflection. “I’ll wake you up when we get there,” she added, pulling
down the slot over the window and causing her reflection to be no more. She turned to Stephen and saw his sleeping face. “Sweet dreams. . . .”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  An old woman, with a maid ensemble on, raced down a vast hallway, carrying silken blankets under her wrinkly arms. She showed nervousness on her face, sweat forming and her wrinkles were getting even more wrinkled as her nervousness showed more. She shot down a long, widened staircase and a single, huge, crystal chandelier shined her way. She followed the patters of the staircase, red, white, red, white, so she wouldn’t trip or fall, due to the chandelier’s lights being so dim. She finally came down the stairs and placed her tired feet on the marble floor and turned around to face the staircase she just exited from. She looked up it, the sweat dripping down her wrinkly face and sliding through each wrinkle, and her eyes caught the glare of another woman who was standing at the top of the landing. “Come on, Relinda, hurry up,” she said. Relinda ran down the staircase toward her, carrying silken blankets also. “Hurry up, they’ll be here any minute now,” she added. Relinda finally placed her feet on the marble floor and looked up at the staircase also.

  Relinda then looked at the old woman and said, “Alright, Sylvia, I already changed the beds for the guest bedroom, and given them fresh sheets.” She then walked closer to Sylvia. “What next?” Sylvia walked over to the foyer and looked out the window of the enormous front door. She looked out it with suspicion and nervousness as Relinda walked up to her and asked again, “What next?”

  “Now we wait for them to come,” Sylvia replied. She still gazed out the window and placed her eyes on the long driveway that formed into a circle, and a huge water fountain that stood in the middle of the front yard. She turned toward Relinda and stared at her young face, saying, “I just hope you set those beds up right, because you know damn well that those girls are going to complain!”