“Hmm, let me think. What if we put a snuggly turtleneck under it, and that way everyone would still be able to see you’re wearing Belle?”
Valentina smiles. “Okay, Mommy!”
I walk over and give Cassandra a kiss. “You’re so good with her,” I whisper, feeling vindicated. I made the right choice. It’s been a little over four months since Cassandra was reborn, and things are going wonderfully. My concerns about her and Valentina bonding have been largely unfounded. With the exception of a few meltdowns on Valentina’s part when Cassandra didn’t remember a favorite story or foods she hates, the transition has been smooth. I’ve had to have a few more sessions with Valentina, but I’m confident that from here on out, things will develop naturally.
When we arrive at Belkin Farm to go apple picking, it’s still early, and we get a parking space right up front. Valentina runs ahead of us to a stand selling apple cider and doughnuts.
“Can I have a doughnut?” she asks.
“You just had breakfast, sweetie.”
“Please, Daddy.”
I relent and buy one for each of us, since it’s a special day. We walk down the field and look at the signs for the apples, discussing which area we want to start in.
Cassandra pulls out her cell phone and snaps a few pictures of Valentina. When she’s finished, she starts typing something on her phone.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
She looks up. “Just posting this one to Facebook. She looks so cute.”
I grab the phone from her hand, and she looks at me in shock. “Cassandra, are you crazy? Do you know how many pedophiles scan social media for pictures of children? I don’t want any photographs of her anywhere on the internet.”
Her eyes well up. “I didn’t realize that. I’m sorry.”
“What’s a ped-phile?” Valentina asks.
“A bad man, sweetie. Forget the word,” I say, so angry I’m struggling to keep my voice even. I hand the phone back. “I didn’t know you had a Facebook account. Are you on any other social media?”
She shakes her head no. “Just Facebook.”
“We’ll talk more about it later.” I need some time to figure out how to handle this. “Come on, let’s go pick some apples,” I say cheerily, trying to salvage the day. Cassandra smiles at me, but the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
After we finish, I put the apples in the car and slip an arm around her. “Where would you like to go for lunch? Your choice.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know.” She’s clearly still feeling hurt.
“Well, what are you in the mood for?”
“I guess some soup might be nice.”
“How about the Chowder House, then?” I know it’s one of her favorites.
She nods, a bit more warmly. “Okay.”
“Let’s go then. Nothing better than lunch with my favorite girls.”
*
Cassandra’s upstairs, putting Valentina to bed. I pour two glasses of cabernet and wait. Things are back on an even keel, but I’m still disturbed by the thought of her posting things on Facebook. Every time I think I’ve covered all my bases, something new crops up.
She comes into the room and takes a seat next to me on the sofa. “Finally asleep.”
I hand her a glass and lift mine in a toast. “To the best mother in the world.”
She blushes but taps her glass against mine and takes a sip.
“It was a nice day, don’t you think?” I begin.
“Mmm-hmm. But we’ll never eat all those apples.” She laughs. “I guess I’ll be baking some pies.”
“That sounds delicious.” Turning to her, I brush a stray hair from her forehead. “Cassandra, I wanted to apologize for what happened. I should never have grabbed your phone from you. I sort of lost it for a minute there.”
She bites her lip. “Thanks. I was a bit surprised.”
“You see, I had a patient whose daughter was kidnapped and murdered after a stalker saw her picture on social media.”
She gasps. “What?”
I nod. “Yes, you can’t imagine the ways in which things can be tracked these days. Apparently he got into her Facebook profile and saw the photos and began obsessing about the little girl. He found out their location because of the geo info on the images, and eventually took her from their house.” It’s not actually a specific case that I’m citing, but I know that these kinds of things happen all the time.
Her face is white. “That’s horrible. I just downloaded the app last week. But all my privacy settings are on. I didn’t think it was a risk.”