“What’s that for?”
“Germs. I can’t risk infection after all the surgeries.” He nodded and believed her and assured her he wasn’t sick if she wanted to take it off.
“I’m so relieved to see you. I couldn’t sleep all night, thinking about you in Brussels. What a god-awful thing. I lost a friend at the Bataclan in November. He went to the concert and was shot and killed. These are crazy times.” He glanced around after he said it. “I like your new apartment.”
“I grew up here. It still feels strange being here without my mother.” He nodded, sorry for her. From what he could see, she looked all right, but he noticed around the mask that she was very pale, and when she moved her arms, he could glimpse some nasty scars on her forearms and one wrist. He observed a big one on her ankle when she crossed her legs when they sat down. He poured a glass of wine for each of them.
“I ran into Stephanie today, by the way. I’m shooting for Vogue tomorrow, and she’s sending me some new girl they want. Steph says you’re traveling for a few months but you’ll be back soon. I didn’t tell her I talked to you. I was curious to hear what she would say.”
“She suggested we tell people I’m pregnant to buy some time. I was very clear with her.”
“Stephanie doesn’t give up easily. She says she’s had a million requests for you. She thinks being unavailable this time will only make people want you more. She’s probably right. Are you sure you want to quit?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitating, her eyes meeting his over the mask.
“That thing is very distracting,” he said, pointing at the mask. “It’s like talking to a woman in a burqa. I’m not sick or anything,” he reassured her again.
“I’m not supposed to take it off. An infection would be dangerous for me.” He couldn’t argue with that. But his practiced photographer’s eye noticed something unsettling at the edge of the mask near her ear, where the biggest scar started. He didn’t dare ask her about it, until his second glass of wine.
“Are you hiding something under that mask, Véro? You can tell me, if you are.” She hesitated for a second, as his eyes bore deep into hers. “You know I love you, even if you are smart enough not to go to bed with me. But I love you anyway.” She laughed, and didn’t answer his question. “What happened to you in Brussels?”
“I was a few feet from the bomb. A hell of a lot of shrapnel happened. They put me in a coma for three months, while they did most of the surgeries. They got a lot of the shrapnel out, but not all. And I’ve got some pretty nasty scars all over my body. I look like I got hit by a train. There’s no way I could still walk down a runway in an evening dress. People would run for the exits screaming.” She smiled as she said it, but he didn’t.
“And nothing touched your face? That’s amazing,” he said, and watched her eyes intently as he did.
“I have a few there too.”
“Is that why you’re wearing the mask?” he asked her gently, and she didn’t answer him at first. She thought about it, and then she nodded. He was her friend, and she trusted him. She had no one else left.
“You don’t need to see that. It still looks pretty rough. I have two more surgeries coming up, but some of it is as good as it’s going to get. I’m still getting used to it myself.”
“You don’t need to hide from me, Véro. We’re friends. I was a medic in the army. I’m made of pretty strong stuff. The mask must be annoying,” he said sympathetically.
“You get used to it. I went for a walk without it the other day, and several people looked as though they were about to scream. It’s only on half my face. The other side is fine. The right side took a heavy hit.”
“You don’t need to wear a mask for me. You can take it off if you want. I promise I won’t faint.” He smiled at her.
“I nearly did when I saw it,” she said, but she made no move to remove the mask. It was humbling to have him see how damaged she was now. She hadn’t touched her glass of wine. She hadn’t had a drink since the explosion and she wanted to be sober with him, although they had had some wild nights at parties they’d gone to. But those days were over for her now. It felt like her carefree youth.
He reached out and held her hand, and they sat there quietly, not talking, as she leaned against him. It felt good just being close to someone, and not having to pretend that she was better than she was. They sat there for a few minutes, and then she reached up and gently unhooked the mask looped around her ears. The left side of her face was toward him, the right side away from him.