by Kim Conklin
That morning when she logged on, an old illusion soared across her social networking stream, cutting her like shrapnel. Softly backlit, the photo showed her as part of a matched pair playfully leaning on one another, look as much like brother and sister as a couple.
The image was startlingly unfamiliar. Looking at it, no one would guess it had been their last attempt, their last failure. No one would believe that they had never really been that way, or that the life they shared was built on mind games, manipulation and subterfuge.
No one would know that the woman in the photo no longer existed.
She looked through other albums and saw other illusions with new eyes. She hastily deleted two, then left the rest as markers of a deceased daydream.
The next morning, sunshine filled her heart. She happily recalled a conversation five months earlier with a woman she had known was only pretending to be her friend and was probably one of his lovers. She had gone along with the ruse anyway because she was weary of counting, of caring. The other woman had offered the latest bullshit bestseller advice: In three years, you'll be happy again.
She smiled, wishing she could tell the other woman that it hadn't taken nearly that long and to be very, very careful or one day she would no longer recognize herself in the mirror, and that in the end, a life of pretending isn't a real life.
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Written for the 52/250's Tombstone challenge. Thanks to Ludmila Gileta for the inspiration.
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tombstone indeed...very good response to the challenge, Kim!
Some powerful moments in this piece, Kim:
"the life they shared was built on mind games, manipulation and subterfuge"
"be very, very careful or one day she would no longer recognize herself in the mirror, and that in the end, a life of pretending isn't a real life"
Yep! great. -- * Q
Thanks Mata, Kathy, and Quenby! Glad you liked it!
Fascinating piece filled with hard truths.
"a life of pretending isn't a real life"
Yes.
Well done, Kim.
Thanks, Bill!
Here lies a "deceased daydream." R.I.P. *
Best writing advice I ever got was to write about cardinal issues. You do. Wonderful. Fav.
Thanks Frank and Jack. Glad you liked it!
What a killer ending. Great, gorgeous piece.
Thanks, Jules. Glad you liked it!
"...the latest bullshit bestseller advice..."
Preach it, sistuh.
"...a life of pretending isn't a real life." Amen to that. Well done! *
Nice work, Kim!
Thanks James, Pamela and Christian! James and Pamela, so glad it struck a chord...
Compelling voice, intriguing characters, insightful story. A life of pretending isn't a real life? I don't pretend to know.
Nice work, loved the ending
Thanks J. and Gloria!
Enjoyed this from start to finish, but especially the finish. *
Thanks Foster!
It's cool that you used 'The Social Network' in this. Somebody should do a 'people in the Facebook age are more connected than ever before, but also more lonely' kind of story ...
Thanks, Eli! And you raise an interesting question. I read that lots of people prefer social networking to face-to-face interactions these days, but is it enough?
yes
thanks, kim, for this
Thanks for your comment, Gary!
I love this image:
...an old illusion soared across her social networking stream...
There's so much in this story. So much truth. Whether or not to keep the photos, whether or not you can literally keep looking at a self that didn't feel like yourself really strikes a chord.
Thanks, Kate!
Read and liked this so much on 52/250 and it touched me again in the same way on second reading. It has a deep understated sadness beyond what the narrator is telling us.
Lovely
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came back to this to pay my respects. the title already deserves accolades. and deep truth in this one as in all your pieces, connected to something deeper worth writing about.
Thanks very much, Susan and Marcus, for the great comments! I'm glad you liked it!
I've been reading story after story of yours, Kim. All so good - I have to come back and back.
This is 'just so'- a snapshot, an interpretation, these truths. What you conjure at the beginning is so vivid and beautifully written. I love the tension between the image and reality. This is a thing to feed one's mind through again and again. *
Thanks so much, Catherine!