The Photograph- Pt 1
Part 1
Part 1 of The Photograph, a four part series originally shared on my podcast, the Bookcast by DL White.
The once warm and inviting home now felt heavy with secrets, and I found myself questioning how well I really knew Robin Maxwell
“Jada, thank you so much for coming on short notice. I promise I won’t make this a habit.” Robin Maxwell fiddled with the sparkly earring that dangled from her ear. “The kids have already had dinner. Bedtime is 8:30. I don’t care if they’re asleep, but they need to be in the bed, under the covers. They usually watch something on their tablet for an hour or so.”
“We don’t need a sitter, mom. We keep telling you we’re—”
“Zayne, the very last thing I need is to get an alert from the alarm company that the house is on fire because you decided to put aluminum foil in the microwave.”
“That was last year,” her son whined, clicking his tongue while trying not to laugh.
This was my second time babysitting my coworker’s children. I knew it was a mistake to tell her that my apartment complex was a mile away from her house. Robin was a single mother raising two children on a staff accountant’s salary. I supposed i felt sorry for her. She had been so excited about going on her first date in years, until her scheduled sitter canceled. I felt bad and volunteered to watch them since I had no plans on a Thursday night.
I smiled reassuringly, slinging an arm around his shoulders. He was freshly thirteen and would tower over me when I took off my low heels. “Do not worry about them, Robin. I’m happy I could help. Have a great time on your date. The kids and I will be just fine.”
“Yeah, mom. We’ll be fine!” Zuri, her eleven year old daughter popped up behind Zayne.
“You don’t fool me, either, little girl. Both of you be good.” She sighed, picking up her purse from the hallway table. “Well… don’t be hooligans.”
“We aren’t hooligans,” Zuri said, then moved around me to wind her arms around her mother’s slim waist. “Bye, mom. Have fun.”
As Robin’s car backed out of the driveway, then took off down the street, I pushed the door closed and turned to find her children staring at me. “I know y’all aren’t looking for me to entertain you. Go… do whatever it is you normally do.”
“I usually game, but my friends aren’t online,” said Zayne with a shrug.
“I’m bored,” said Zuri. Her face brightened, her eyes growing wide. “Can I do your hair? And make up?”
I cringed. “No, you cannot put your hands in my hair and on my face. Go find a thing to do or I will make you hang out with me.”
Both stood there, staring.
“I’m old. You don’t want to hang out with me, I promise.”
“Mom said you were cool,” Zuri said.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “I’ve got to talk to Robin about her lying problem. Fine, what do you two want to do?”
Both shrugged slight shoulders. “Dunno. Something.”
“Why don’t we play a game?” I suggested, hoping to keep them entertained. “Didn’t your mom get you guys that new culture game for Christmas?”
“We played it once, then put it up. I don’t know where it is.”
“Well, I’d like to play it, so let’s find it.”
Zayne’s eyes lit up. “Might be in the hall closet.”
I made my way to the closet and opened the door. It was stuffed with random items, but way back in the corner, I saw a stack of board and card games. I rummaged through the shelves, trying to clear a path to get to them when suddenly, a stack of boxes tumbled down, scattering their contents across the floor.
“Crap!” I muttered, kneeling to pick up the mess. As I gathered the fallen items, I noticed an old, dusty box that had been under all of the other boxes. Curiosity got the better of me, and I pulled it out, blowing off the layer of dust that had accumulated on the lid.
I opened the box, expecting to find more games or toys. Instead, I discovered a stack of old papers and photographs. At the bottom of the box, a worn envelope caught my eye. It had no name or address written on it, just a simple “R.M.” scrawled in the corner.
My curiosity was piqued, but I didn’t have time to snoop. I dropped it back into the box and replaced the lid, then set it back on the shelf. I picked up everything that had fallen out of the closet and pulled the culture game out, setting it up on the dining room table.
For over an hour, we had a ball. I popped popcorn, poured lemonade and we played the game, dunking on each other for wrong answers. While we played, the box full of newspaper clippings and the battered envelope kept popping up in my mind. I couldn’t help it… I was nosy. I just needed these children to head to bed and then…. I felt bad about planning to snoop, but it wasn’t like I went looking for them. They just… fell out. Right?
When Zayne and Zuri finally started yawning, I knew it was time to send them off to bed.
“Alright, you two,” I said, smiling at them. “It’s getting late. Time for bed.”
They groaned in unison but didn’t argue. After making sure they were both tucked in, I made my way back to the hall closet, the mysterious box waiting for me like a secret whispering my name.
I pulled it out gently, setting it on the living room table. The house was quiet, save for the distant sound of a neighbor’s dog barking. I opened the box and removed the stack of papers and photographs.
The first few were old newspaper clippings, detailing various achievements and milestones in Robin’s life. One article caught my eye – it was a write-up about Robin winning an award for her work. I smiled, proud of my coworker for her accomplishments.
As I sifted through the articles, I came across the worn envelope again. My heart raced as I picked it up, my fingers trembling slightly. I hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to open it.
What I saw made my blood run cold. In my hands was a photograph depicting a dark, barely lit room. In the center, a figure was bound to a chair, their head slumped forward, face obscured by shadows. But it was the dark stains on the figure’s clothing and the floor around them that sent a chill down my spine. It looked like blood.
My heart raced as I tried to make sense of the disturbing image. Who was this person? What had happened to them? And why was this photograph hidden away in Robin’s closet?
I thought back to the conversations I’d had with Robin about her husband. All I knew about him was that he was not in her or their children’s lives. There were no photos of him. She never brought him up. There were no custody arguments, her children were never with their dad for the weekend or the summer. I assumed it was not a pleasant breakup and that he didn’t want to be involved with their lives but…. what if there was something more to the story?
I hesitated to flip through the rest of the photos, torn between my desire to find out more and my loyalty to Robin.
I took out my phone and snapped a quick picture of the photograph before carefully placing it back in the envelope and returning the box to the closet. I knew I was crossing a line, but my need for answers outweighed my reservations.
I closed the closet door and headed back to the dining room to clean up the game, put away the bowl of popcorn and wash the glasses we’d used. I checked on Zayne and Zuri, making sure they were under the covers as I’d asked. Zayne had his headphones on, connected via Bluetooth to his tablet. Zuri was on her tablet scrolling the Ulta website.
Satisfied all was well, I returned to the living room, then pulled up the photo on my phone, now wildly curious about my coworker and friend, The once warm and inviting home now felt heavy with secrets, and I found myself questioning how well I really knew Robin Maxwell.