Page 69 of The Stranger in the Mirror

She gives me a helpless look. “I do love children. Maybe I could get a job at Valentina’s school.”

I think. The old Cassandra doesn’t have a bachelor’s degree and I’m not sure what position she’d be able to obtain with only a high school diploma. Maybe the answer is not getting her a job, but having her go back to school. In fact, she could do online courses from home, solving both our problems at once.

“Do you mean a teaching job?”

“Maybe.”

Annoyance fills me. “You need a degree for that. And besides, you weren’t interested in homeschooling your own child. Why would you want to teach other children?”

“It’s not the same thing, Julian.”

I sigh. “Why don’t we look into some of the local universities and see if you could work toward your bachelor’s degree?”

She seems appeased. “I like that idea.”

“It’s settled, then. We’ll look into it first thing on Monday. It’ll be a lot of work, but I’ll help to pick up the slack at home.”

“Thank you, Julian,” she says, throwing her arms around me. “I’m excited.”

I return her embrace. “Great, let’s go celebrate.”

We go to the bedroom, and I shut and lock the door. As we slide under the covers, she presses her body against mine, kissing me deeply. “I love you,” she whispers.

“I love you too,” I answer, and lose myself in her while we make love. Afterward, I gaze at her while she dozes. Maybe we won’t have to move after all. We’ll get her enrolled in some online courses, and I’ll ramp up the hypnosis to make her believe she’s an agoraphobic. The wonderful thing about today’s technology is that her world can be confined to the four walls of this house.

− 59 −

Julian

I have the house to myself overnight for the first time that I can remember, and have decided to open the Odette Estate Reserve in honor of the special occasion. Valentina and her mother are at a group sleepover for kindergarten children and their parents at the New England Aquarium. Cassandra insisted upon going, but our hypnosis will begin again tomorrow, and soon she’ll be too afraid to leave the house at all. I’m confident I’ll be able to make her believe that the only safe place for her is within these walls. Why not let her have one last outing with Valentina?

“Hello, my darling,” I tell the real Cassandra as soon as I enter the secret room, wine bottle and glasses in hand. “We have the whole night to ourselves.” I pour my wine and take a sip, and then put hers down on the table. I tell her all about Valentina’s latest exploits. How well she is doing in kindergarten, and how much she reminds me of her mother. “I miss you so much. The last two years without you have felt like an eternity.” I lean back and take another sip, thinking of all the nights the two of us would sit together and talk about our day. “You won’t believe it,” I tell her, “but Valentina has asked for horseback riding lessons. Her best friend rides, and she’s now insistent that she try it. At first I said no, after all, it’s dangerous, but then I thought of how much you used to talk about wanting to ride. You never had the chance, so I think I will make sure our daughter does.” I don’t mention that the new Cassandra has reservations about it. I don’tthink she’d appreciate hearing about her replacement. Suddenly I feel gloomy. It shouldn’t be this way. She should still be with me, watching our daughter grow up together. Despite having told her a hundred times, I find myself apologizing once again. “You don’t know how much I regret losing my temper. If only you’d been willing to listen to me, to calm down. We could have worked this all out. I would never have had to replace you.” As I pour myself another glass of wine, I close my eyes, remembering the last time I saw her.

It had been a long day, and I’d been looking forward to a quiet evening at home. When I turned the key in the lock, I heard the sound of the television blaring from the den.

Valentina was by herself, watching a children’s show, and Cassandra was nowhere in sight. What the hell had possessed her to leave our daughter in the room alone?

“Hello,” I called out.

Valentina was sitting on the sofa, mesmerized, and didn’t even hear me come in. I walked over and stood in front of the television. She looked up, and a wide grin lit up her face.

“Daddy!” She jumped from the sofa and ran to me.

“Hello, princess. How’s my girl?”

“Did you bring me something?”

I pretended to think. “Hmmm, I don’t know. Let me see.” I opened my briefcase. “What’s this?” I pulled out a Moana doll.

“Yay,” she said as she reached for it.

“Uh, where’s my kiss?” I leaned down, and she gave me a peck on my cheek, then grabbed the doll and started playing with it.

Something was wrong. Valentina was only three years old. Cassandra would never leave her by herself for longer than a few minutes. “Where’s Mommy?” I asked Valentina, hoping she couldn’t hear the trepidation in my voice.

She pointed a finger toward the stairs.

“Come with me,” I said, and taking her by the hand, I led her upstairs and to her room. “Play with your toys, sweetheart. Daddy will be right back.” My unease built as I headed to our bedroom and saw that the door was closed. What was Cassandra doing in there with the door shut, making it hard for her to hear Valentina, and why had she left our young daughter alone? It wasn’t like her. I wondered if she was getting depressed again. It might be time to have her start another round of therapy.

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