BEHIND HIS MASK

Prologue Reflections of how it all began... A canopy of sadness and gloom filled Jackson’s office as he crushed the wide selection of papers lying on his desk. Assorted pieces of multi-colored glass could be seen sifted throughout his shiny green finished marble floor. Enraged with hurt and pain, he released his aggression on the delicate collection of crystal vases and picture frames that once occupied the bookshelf behind his desk. He reached over to the cherry finished end-table, and then he took another gulp of the Chivas Regal Scotch bottle he had been working on since arriving at the office. The image of a distraught and not so well groomed man is the image he saw as he surveyed himself in the mirror. His eyes fell on his college yearbook nestled mysteriously in the middle of the psychology journals, and bound periodicals he referred to often in his practice. A strange sense of Déjà Vu halted his alcoholic stupor long enough for him to grab his yearbook off of the shelf. He opened the yearbook and leafed through its pages as if it were the first time he'd seen it. Funny, he had no memory of putting the yearbook there. Even though he referenced that particular shelf many times, he never stumbled upon it before. Why now? And how under the circumstances was he able to see it all of a sudden? The rage and depression he had been experiencing caused him to finally see those items. Jackson found enough strength to make his way to the chair behind his desk so that he could review the yearbook. He lifted the cover with apprehension, and then braced himself for the journey back to a time he almost forgot. He made his way through the book stopping only at the places that made a brief smile return to his face. Homecoming spilled out of the middle of the book, almost center fold style as Denise's picture reintroduced itself to him. “Miss Terminus University” hovered in a bold caption just above her bejeweled crown. At that moment, Jackson was webbed into the time warp that had him meeting Denise for the first time. It all happened on a cool September day while Jackson and Denise were registering for the fall semester. The grounds were covered with yellow and orange leaves dampened by showers earlier that morning. The sky showed no signs of a ray of sunshine anywhere amongst the overcast charcoal colored clouds. However, in Jackson’s mind when he entered the auditorium and laid eyes on Denise, he saw the sunshine he had been looking for. As he passed Denise in the registration line, she greeted him with a warm inviting smile. It was apparent that Denise had an instant interest for Jackson as well. Denise was the president of her sorority, and she was recently crowned queen of T.U. that year. She had the right curves, the perfect smile, and the fullest set of jet-black shoulder length hair Jackson had ever seen. Enthralled by her beauty, Jackson’s mind began its own journey unbeknownst to his conscious. But then the sudden boom of the clerk’s voice shook him abruptly, allowing him to return quickly to his present reality. "Boy do you plan on registering today? Or will it be next week? I have to take my lunch soon, so you need to move along. I don't have all day," commanded the heavy set, blond streaked woman standing before him. On the way home he rehearsed internally what he would say to Denise if he were ever to see her again. When he finally got back to his dormitory he headed straight for the shower. He would have to hurry in order to be ready for his fraternity's business meeting. As president of Gamma Gamma Phi, he had to be there to ensure everything on the agenda was addressed. The brothers had a lot to cover such as new probates, and their annual charity event, which was coming up next month. As Jackson raced around his dorm room searching for his keys, the phone rang. It was no surprise to him that it was his mother. He realized he should have called her to let her know he arrived back to campus safely. Even though Terminus University was just forty-five minutes outside of Atlanta, she reserved her right to worry, and still kept a close watch on him. “I’d better make sure I call her later,” he thought to himself. As he checked his watch, it confirmed his next thought that he was going to be late. “Damn,” he exhaled in his own disgust just as he gave the key its final twist in the lock. At that moment a guy brushed up against Jackson almost at the same rate of anxiousness. The mistake gave way to an arrogant “hello” from the stranger, but the encounter caused Jackson to drop his keys with the famed “Gamma Gamma Phi” shield dangling on the ring. In an effort to modify the mistake, the stranger immediately returned the keys to Jackson’s hands. Without giving the stranger more attention than he deserved, Jackson shrugged off the encounter and hurried to his car. After all, it was just a careless bump from a stranger. Minutes later he pulled up to the parking lot surrounding the student union building. Students were known for gathering casually around the building as they went to and from class. This was the meeting spot known to all as a place you could most likely be found if someone was looking for you. Another smile came across Jackson's face as he remembered how he was always rushing, and that day was no different. Not only was his pace rapid, but his heart thumped even harder than the rhythm of his steps as he walked on the yard. As his approach drew nearer to the student union, he realized that Denise was standing outside talking to her sorority sisters. Jackson found himself becoming very nervous as he walked over and asked Denise out on a date. Luckily Denise said yes, and so his natural reaction was to tell her that he would call her after his fraternity meeting. Jackson and Denise would soon enter into a world they both thought they could handle. However, in the years to come their relationship would manifest itself with more consequences than benefits. He finally stopped reflecting on his college years and became sad again as he stared out of his office window at the deep dark-blue night sky. On that night there seemed to be no trace of a moon, or a star which could give him some light to his darkness. Jackson found himself alone, in despair as his mind took its own course down memory lane.