Mask of A Legend (32 page)

A
year and six months passed, and Legend and Stephen stood in a church, thousands of people standing inside and out of it. Something big was brewing. “Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife, to love and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, to death do you part?” a priest asked. Stephen stared at Legend’s veil. It covered her face completely.

“I do,” replied Stephen. He looked at Mark on the side of him, his father in the front seat of the church and at Sylvia as she sat next to his father. Sylvia gave out a smile to Stephen.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the priest said. Stephen lifted the veil from Legend’s face. As he lifted it, her face revealed beauty once again. She had a single pimple by her right cheek, and her face shined beauty, like the mask she once wore. Her ugliness went away with time, naturally.

Legend looked at Jenny with happiness. Jenny stood behind her, her body not showing fatness to it anymore: it showed a skinny girl. Time took over, and Jenny lost the weight; as for Legend’s acne, it finally disappeared like her mother said it would. She looked back at Stephen, and kissed him on the lips, the sun shining over them through the painted glass windows of the church.

They both ran down the long aisle of the church, and came across two men standing by the front doors and holding the knobs. The men opened the doors, and Legend came to the sight of thousands of people standing in the Chicago streets, screaming out her name. Rice and more rice flew at her face, a face of a prosperous being, with the beauty of a thousand angels, real beauty that is. She threw her bouquet up in the air, and it flew down to Jenny’s grip. She caught the bouquet before Legend and Stephen jumped in the limousine that was surrounded by bodyguards, trying to keep the fans away. A perfect day.

Later on that day, Legend and Stephen sat at the head table of their reception when a man came up to Stephen. He sat down and asked, “So, Stephen, when is Legend going to begin her career again? The public is dying for her.”

“Well, she wants to begin it later on. Her acne’s almost gone. Plus she’s still in school, so I’ll give it another three months, and she’ll be ready for it again,” Stephen replied. Legend stared out at the audience, seeing happy faces as they reached the number of a thousand.

Legend then faced Jenny as she sat next to her, and asked, “So, how’s your diet going?”

“It’s going great.” Legend then turned to face a water fountain and saw a little girl walking up to it. Legend got up from her seat, and walked toward the little girl. She reached her and said, “Hi, what are you doing?”

“I’m making a wish, I want to look just like you, Legend. I want to be you when you were younger,” the little girl replied. She pulled a single penny from her pink dress. “I want to have your acne, and then I want it to vanish, just like it did for you.”

“Well, watch what you wish for, it may come true.” The little girl threw the penny in the water fountain. Legend’s mother approached her from behind and gave her a tight hug. “Well, Mom, I guess a girl like me could have everything,” Legend said. She pulled away from her mother’s hug and faced her. “It just too bad that Dad couldn’t show up.”

“Well, it’s his fault, not yours. Today was the happiest day of your life, and don’t go thinking of your father and allowing yourself to become upset.” Legend gave her another hug.

“I won’t. Listen, Mom, I’ll be right back, I have to go powder my nose.” Legend walked away from her, and headed toward the ladies’ room. She entered it and sat down, facing a mirror. She stared at her reflection, and smiled with tears in her blue eyes. “Yep, this is the happiest day of my life,” Legend said to her reflection. A single tear of happiness fell from her right eye. As the tear fell, Sylvia exited one of the stalls, and came up to Legend.

“Legend, you do look beautiful in that dress,” Sylvia said, hugging Legend.

“Why thank you, Sylvia. That’s a big compliment, coming from you!”

“Well, I finally realized that you are perfect, and I was just mean to you for nothing. I am sorry for that.”

Legend turned back toward the mirror, and saw Sylvia’s reflection. It was the reflection of a beautiful, young woman, with golden brown hair and lips that seemed like pure silk.

That’s when Legend turned to face Sylvia’s real image, and asked with a smile, “Angelica?”

Legend then turned back to the mirror, and looked at Sylvia’s beauty. “Yes, Angelica told me a lot about you,” Sylvia replied. Legend turned to her and stared at her in the eye again. “She came to me today, and said for me to tell you that I’m going to be the next granter of beauty. . . . That is, after I die,” Sylvia explained. “I’m an old woman, and my whole life I was made fun of, even when I was younger. And now, I was called old names. And today, I finally get a chance to create the beauty for girls who I’ve always wanted. I’m actually looking forward to dying.” Suddenly Jenny came in the bathroom and grabbed Legend by the arm. “Angelica even said to me that I could grant girls’ wishes, even while I’m still living. I guess it’s for practice!”

“Come on, it’s time for you to dance with Stephen,” Jenny said. She guided Legend toward the doorway.

Legend stared at Sylvia as she approached the door. Before she walked out, Sylvia said, “Enjoy your happiness, Legend. You deserve it.”

While Legend and Jenny came out of the bathroom, William approached Stephen and sat down beside him. “Well, Stephen, congratulations,” William said, hugging him.

Stephen stared at him, realizing that it’s his father giving him a hug, not just an agent, or even a business partner. “Thank you, Dad.”

William’s eyes widened. “Dad? You never called me that before,” William said. A shield of tears began to cover his old eyes. He looked at Stephen, and realized it was his son, instead of a business partner.

“I know, but I finally realized that ‘Father’ isn’t really a special name,” Stephen said. Tears formed in his eyes also. “I love you, Dad.” He gave William a hug, but this time it was a tight one.

“I love you, too, son.”

Stephen got up, and walked to the main floor. Legend walked to the main floor also, and stared at Stephen’s eyes, as he stood across the room. All the people left the dance floor, and Legend and Stephen walked toward each other. He grabbed her hand, and showed tears in his eyes. The dance music came on, and the prince and his princess danced, while all the people watched this magical sight. “I’m so happy,” Stephen said, dancing and still staring at Legend’s eyes. “You’re my princess.” He twirled her around, and then caught her eyes again.

“And you’re my prince,” she whispered.

Abruptly, Dina showed her presence at the front doors of the hall, and began to linger her eyes to the sight of Legend and Stephen. She cried, of course: Dina’s sadness was her own prison. She slowly walked out of the hall, knowing she wasn’t accepted there, and sat down on the steps. She stared up at the stars, and cried more.

“I’m such a bitch,” Dina cried. She caught sight of a star, a star that shined its light over the day. “I wish . . . I wish I had beauty on the inside. I wish my inner beauty would be seen to the world.” Someone tapped her on the right shoulder and Dina turned her saddened face to the sight of Sylvia. She looked up at her, knowing it was her, and then cried even more. “I’m sorry, Sylvia, forever calling you mean names.”

Sylvia walked in front of her and stared her in the eye. “Do you really mean that?”

“Yes, I really am sorry.”

“No, I mean, do you really want that wish to come true?” Sylvia asked. She reached out her old hand, and grabbed Dina’s right hand, ever so gently.

Meanwhile, Legend and Stephen still danced slow, and cried on each other’s shoulders, tears of happiness. But suddenly a man tapped Stephen on the right shoulder and asked, “May I finish this dance?” Stephen and Legend looked at the man. “May I finish this dance with my daughter?”

Legend looked up at her father, new tears forming in her eyes. Stephen let go of Legend, and her father grabbed her hand. “Daddy?” Legend asked. She was so angry at him for everything he’s ever done in the past. But, for some reason, for some miracle, Legend’s anger vanished, and forgiveness set in.

“You’re a beautiful bride, my little princess,” her father said. “I’m so sorry for everything that I’ve done to you in the past. Please, honey, would you forgive me?” They danced around and Stephen still stood on the dance floor, with a permanent smile on his face.

“I love you, Daddy,” Legend’s happiness was finally complete and her life was as perfect as can be. She looked up at her father, while her long, wedding dress brushed against the floor, and her tears of joy showed themselves to everyone. She had no anger in her, and no sorrow. She had no masks on, and no reason to ever wear one again. She closed her eyes, still facing her father, and cried, “I love you so much, Daddy. I love you so much….”

A
simple wish was made and granted by a girl who was less fortunate with beauty. She wished for beauty and was granted just that of what her wish mentioned, but little did she know that she would still be reminded of her ugliness every time she stared at her reflection. Legend became famous for her wish that wasn’t known to anyone, and for that, she lived a lie, a lie that wasn’t known to everyone. She and Angelica knew of her wish only, and for that, Legend became confused, she became somewhat lonely. But then, after she was granted her wish, she was able to meet the love of her life, and was able to show her love by her kiss. But after she took off her mask, she revealed her true image to him, and had to make a decision of his reactions to her mask. In the end, Legend finally discovered that she was able to get past that boundary between ugliness and beauty, and actually have Stephen fall in love with all of her, even after she showed her true image that was not beauty. Legend still lived happily ever after with Stephen, only because her true image shined over time, and finally found beauty within it. She was a legend to everyone, a legend that was called ‘Legend’. And for that, she finally discovered the true meaning to the eye of the beholder.

Legend found her love with Stephen, and with the whole world, even after her wish was taken away. But through it all, Legend was happy and content, she was happy with what she made. She made love, fortune, luxury and fame, she made it all, and all because of her mask of beauty, and her name. After she took off the mask, and time passed on, Legend’s name grew to a high number of fans, it grew to everyone. She was known as the beauty of all beauties and the goddess that shined her inner and outer self. She was known as the girl with an angel’s face, a girl who everyone felt. They felt her voice and her beauty in their souls, only because she was beautiful, inside and out.

Nevertheless, she shined her beauty to everyone, and never attempted to stop. She shined it to all, and shined it a lot.

Sometimes when a girl looks at another, she becomes jealous toward that girl, because she thinks that’s what beauty is supposed to look like. Such as a young girl, staring at a magazine cover, and seeing a model with the beauty of an angel. Well, that girl becomes saddened, because she feels that’s what beauty is supposed to look like, that’s why that girl is on a magazine cover. But what she doesn’t realize is that not all people feel that the model is beautiful. It’s all in the eye of beholder. But with Legend, she was a symbol to all men and women, they all saw her as beautiful, but in real life no one is going to reach Legend’s height. This story is only fictional, because such a girl can’t exist, no one’s perfect. But with this fictional character called ‘Legend’, she shined her beauty to all, her inner and outer, and that caused everyone to love her for that, and to idolize her as a goddess.

But, as Legend said to all girls when she made a speech on beauty, which she still says till this day, “Inner beauty lasts longer than outer. . . .” And if people would follow that, this world would look more at inner beauty, and cause the mental masks, that are worn often, to be taken off, and allow truth to be in the characters of many. For that, maybe someday a girl will take the place of Legend, and actually shine to all in reality. But, for right now, Legend symbolizes the eye of the beholder to all. Meaning, Legend is every guy’s fantasy, and whoever you choose to love, or choose to marry, once you find that happiness, just take that girl’s name, and put it in the place of Legend’s. Once you do that, read the story again, and say your love’s name in the place of Legend’s, and that’s when you’ll finally understand the true meaning into ‘The Mask of a Legend’.

THE END

Stephen Andrew Salamon is the author of the epic
Sugar Valley
(2014) and
The Wrath of Jeremy
(2015). He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia, in Chicago, in Screenplay Writing and Literature. He started writing at 12, finished his first 100-page story at 14, wrote his first epic novel at 17, and was published by 21. He lives in downtown Chicago with his wife, and enjoys challenging sentence structure to attempt to tap into readers’ subconscious minds and offer them an escape from their own reality.