So that was it then. One more lie to throw onto the pile that defined her life. She was so sick of all of it. All of the bullshit that saturated her everyday; her mother spouting out lie after lie, her father abandoning her for the second time. On top of that there was the ultimate betrayal. The look in his eyes was too much to take. The hatred and anger that emanated from him made her turn and walk away, but it was her pain and pride that made her keep walking.
And she kept walking all the way to Seattle. Home of Starbucks and the rain, Seattle was where she got her job waiting tables and fighting tooth and nail for the past five years to get to this point.
Today was the biggest days of Rebecca's life. The gallery was silent as a tomb as she stood in the middle of it sipping her double non-fat latte but the pictures on the wall seemed to scream out at her. The photos she had poured herself into for the past years were finally amounting to her very first real showing. Sure, the gallery was a small one, but tonight, and for the next three weeks, it was devoted solely to her life's work.
Most of the photographs depicted her life in Seattle. She loved to photograph people. So much of a person is written on their face when they think nobody is looking. Creases draw the map of a person's character where every scar tells a story. So many of her photographs were taken in that small diner where it all began. Well, maybe not where it all began, but where her freedom began.
There was a small room, however, to the right of the gallery that held something much more dear to her. Every photograph in that small room both warmed her heart and broke it. For a small period of time Rebecca had a family. A real family. One with family dinners that turned into brawls and a strict privacy policy that was thrown out the window every single time.
When she sent the release forms to the family for permission to use them in her show, she never expected them to be signed and returned back to her. With the exception of one, however, they were all returned. She knew that Sarah would never return the release, but hadn't expected the rest of them would.
Nora's had arrived first, as she knew it would. Nora was the one Walker that Rebecca had kept in contact with. When Rebecca settled in Seattle, one of the first things she did was write to Nora. She wrote letting her know how thankful she was for the family she was given for such a short period of time and apologizing for all of the strife she caused. Of course Nora would hear none of it, but try all her might, she could not convince Rebecca to come back "home". Home to what? To the constant reminder of her mother's lies? To the pain in knowing she would never belong to a family? No, that was fine. She always worked better solo anyway.
The only proof otherwise was the photographic prints showing that once she didn't have to operate alone. One night she caught Nora at the dining room table with a glass of wine staring dreamily into the flickering of a candle. She couldn't resist but to pick up her camera and capture the moment. At yet another family function Rebecca caught Kevin and Scotty laughing together in a moment meant only for them. Snap. Kitty sneaking a peak at Robert without him noticing. Snap. Justin in conversation with Tommy. Snap. There were just under two dozen photographs that bled her Walker life all over the stark walls of the gallery. Standing in the middle of the room made her throat swell and her eyes mist with emotion. "I need to get the hell out of here." She said to herself turning away and heading toward the gallery door.
"I'm out of here, Autumn!" She called to the gallery owner.
"Okay, Becca!" Autumn called from the back room. "Show starts at seven-thirty, so make sure you're here for a quarter to seven!"
It was the tenth time Autumn told her that today, but somehow Rebecca managed to stop from rolling her eyes before she called "See you then!"
After Rebecca had showered and moisturized, she stepped into the gown. It made her feel like someone else. She knew that she should feel like herself but with a pretty dress on, but staring at herself in the deep red silk she hardly saw herself. Sure, she could feel the thin cool material warm to her skin and see her mole on her shoulder that was exposed from the thin straps, but still she did not recognize herself.
As she curled the ends of her long hair, she could feel it tickle her bare back. She let her mind wander to the night of the fundraiser when she felt the warm of Justin's hands on her bare back. Shaking her head of the memory, she put on a necklace to show off the low vee of her neck. She then removed the necklace and added a paid of dangly earrings instead.
After adding minimal makeup and some gloss she put on a pair of black stiletto sandals and headed out the door. When she arrived at gallery Autumn was already arranging where the caterers were to stand and how the drinks were to be distributed. "Crab puff?" Autumn offered.
Rebecca's stomach rolled as she shook her head and placed her left hand on her lower abdomen. With her right hand she grabbed a glass of champagne and finished it off with two long swallows. Autumn started to laugh as she grabbed her own glass and drank deeply. "I think I may be just as nervous as you today."
"I seriously doubt that." Rebecca responded. She turned to the entrance as the clock struck seven-thirty. And so it began.