Chapter 1
“Was it worth it?” A male voice asked.
The women lightly traced her fingers over the bandages. She stayed silent for a moment. With a sigh she met his eyes. He is grimly staring at her his dark eyebrows furrowed.
“Yes.” She spoke confidently her eyes never leaving his.
“You say yes yet you haven’t seen the results.”
“I know it will be perfect the doctor is very skilled.”
Silence filled the room. She broke eye contact first. She fidgeted with the thin edge of the hospital blanket.
“What will Penelope think? That the mother she shares a nose with went through so much trouble to get rid of it?”
She didn’t answer. It had been a thought of hers. One that nagged her from the moment she decided till the moment she went under. Like a constant drum against her head. Penelope would be fine. She thought. Penelope would understand. A shuffling in the chair nearby pulled her out of her thoughts. The man tired of her silence now stood up and started heading to the door. She anxiously twisted the ring on her left hand.
“I’ll see you at home Katharine.”
The man leaves silently. Leaving behind the seed of doubt he had planted in her mind. It quickly grows into a weed wrapping its roots around her brain. Around her nervous system traveling down her body and tensing her up till she was a block of cold doubt.
The weed control comes and ripped it from, her freeing her mind and body of Penelope and her husband. The weed control wore a white coat she ran her gloved hands over her clipboard. Her voice allowed Katharine to relax once more.
“Well, Everything went well Mrs.Fisher it should be completely healed in three months.” The Doctor flipped through her clipboard before she glanced around the room. “I see your husband has left.”
“Yes, he doesn’t quite… approve of my decision.”
“Ah well it’s a good thing you can sign your own forms isn’t it.” The doctor handed her the clipboard. “These are your waivers for the next surgery.”
She gently took the clipboard from the doctor’s hand. She ran her fingers over the form made of promises. Promises to make her happy. Promises to make her beautiful. She signed her name in delicate curves and swoops.
Seven long days later the doctor removed the cast and her nose is free. It’s not even completely healed yet, and she still loves it. She’s too afraid to touch it so instead she hovers her fingers over it. Afraid that one little touch will reveal it’s all an illusion. She looked in the mirror and stared at her nose. Then she noticed her lips. The joy of a new nose melts away like cheap plastic. She signed more papers. She noticed her cheeks her eyes and her chin. She spends hours running her finger over her face pinching and pulling the skin. Tearing into her hips and stomach with claw-like hands. All she can see is flaws. No matter what she does it’s all flaws. The tears fall quick. She cried as she looked in the mirror. Penelope watched from the doorway.
Penelope noticed her nose, chin and stomach. Penelope poked and prodded at her face. Penelope cried.
On Penelope’s eighth birthday party, her mother is no longer here. A strange new woman has taken her place. She came one day after her mother had removed the bandages, With bleach blonde hair a straight nose and puckered full lips she cut Penelope’s cake. She handed out a piece to everyone but herself; she handed Penelope the biggest piece. Penelope asks why she didn’t cut herself a slice.
“Cause mommy doesn’t want to get fat.” The woman spoke in her mother’s voice but it sounded foreign coming from her lips.
Penelope doesn’t eat her cake. Penelope doesn’t want to get fat either. Her father frowned and left the room.
That night Penelope slipped into deep sleep. Her mother wished she could do the same but sleep does not come so easily to her. So instead she sat on her couch with a glass of wine and watched The Real Housewives. One woman gets a facelift. Katharine considered calling the doctor right there and then to make an appointment. It isn’t till she’s clicked on the number she noticed her Husband. He was hovering over her like a ghost.
He snatched up her phone and hit the end button. Now he is a poltergeist. Katharine starred up at him in shock.
“I thought you were asleep..” She spoke in a small voice like a child who had just gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“What are you doing?”
“Just making a call.”
Penelope woke up and crawled out of bed for a glass of water. “To who.”
“Does it matter?”
“You were calling the plastic surgeon weren’t you.” Katharine reeled back as if he had struck her. She sprung up from the couch and got in his face. “So what if I was Nicholas? I’m a grown woman I can do what I want.”
She spit his name like poison from her mouth. As if it was eroding and burning her tongue, every second it stayed there. He doesn’t back down doesn’t so much as even flinch at her tone. He stared down at her with cold tired eyes.
“You have an addiction. You’ve drained your daughters college fund. Look at yourself you look like some sort of cracked out Barbie.” He kept his tone steady through his harsh words.
Penelope peaked out from behind the corner.
“HAH! I don’t have an addiction!” Katharine yelled. She is a hurricane trying to rip through the concrete walls of Nicholas. Howling and screaming she slammed trees and rocks against his walls trying to break him down and swallow him into the storm.
“I don’t even recognize you anymore.” Nicholas doesn’t sneer he doesn’t yell he keeps his shoulders relaxed and looked at Katharine with pity and sorrow. Katharine wanted to scream. But the words couldn’t leave her throat. She wanted to rip her throat open and make a tracheostomy so her words echo in the halls and the neighborhood. She wants to rattle Nicholas eardrums and leave him deaf. But she couldn’t. No matter how bad she wants to she couldn’t. All she can do is stand frozen in place.
“I’m going to stay with my brother for a while. Ive packed my bags.”
The weathered houses and buildings crack and break under the storm but the concrete walls stay intact. Amid her own storm, Katharine is drowning.
“I want to take Penelope with me.”
Penelope ran to her room and hid under her covers. She cried a moat around her. She hoped a prince crosses it and saves her from the storm like in the storybooks. Penelope woke before the birds and sun. Her cheek rubbed raw from her damp pillow. Penelope stayed in bed. She quietly waited as the sun rose. The sun’s rays danced across her face. Penelope ignored the sound of her door opening. She ignored the dip she feels on the edge of her bed.
“Penelope…” It’s her mother. She lightly shook Penelope to wake her. Penelope is already awake, but she pretended to be asleep.
“Penelope sweety.”
Penelope sat up.
“Am I going away?”
“No,” Her mother said softly.
“Is dad going away?”
“Your father is just going on a little trip.”
“Oh..”
Katharine lightly smoothed Penelope’s hair.
“You’ll visit him today and I’ll pick you up tomorrow night.”
“Where?”
“Your uncle’s house.”
Katharine stood up. She reached under Penelope’s bed and dragged out her small purple backpack.
“What do you want to take with you?”
Penelope carefully picked out a stuffed animal to shove into the bag as her mother walked to her dresser. The drawer loudly creaked as she pulled it out. She lifted a shirt and gasped at what was under it. At the bottom of the drawer, there were crumpled up dollars and tons of silver coins.
“Penelope what’s all this for?”
Penelope walked over to her mother and peered into the drawer.
“Thats my money.”
“What do you need all this for? Where did you even get it?’
“Its so I can be pretty like you.”
“Pretty like me?”
“Dad said your surgeries cost money.”
Katharine dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her daughter. She felt the prickling behind her eyes as tears threatened to spill. “Penelope you don’t need any surgeries.” “I just want to be beautiful like you.”
“You are beautiful.”
Katharine held Penelope close to her. Katharine cried. Penelope cried. Nicholas picked Penelope up, leaving Katharine alone on her couch with nothing but a glass of wine to comfort herself. She sat in the dark with the t.v on.
“Cosmetic Surgery Addiction is OUT OF CONTROL! If you or a loved one has an addiction call this number to get help. Consultation is free. Call now to receive counseling from certified therapists.”
Katharine typed in the number. Her finger once again hovered over the call button. Tears spilled over her cheeks.
“Hello?” Her voice trembled.
“Hello! How may I help you?”
“I’d like to make an appointment.”
