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Prelude:

I would be remiss if I didn’t add how this story came about. Remember, this section is called Part-Fiction. The truth to this story is that there really were four best of friends that got together: my three sisters and me. We really did have a girl’s weekend and we really did go to a brewery after a day of fun. We sat next to two gentleman and asked if they would take our picture. The gentleman really did stand on a chair to take our picture and we really did return the favor of taking their picture and joke about standing on our chair to take theirs. That’s where the truth of the story ends and the fiction begins. This story was born out of us talking later about “what-ifs”. We joked that my sister should have done a selfie on their phone. Then we started the story: what if we did take a selfie, what if he didn’t notice, what if his wife found it and thought he was out carousing, and it all built from there. I actually have my sisters to thank for this Part-Fiction story.

The Selfie:

Shellie, Mandi, Daisy, and Stef are the best of friends. They went to school together and each moved, with their husbands in different directions.  They cherish their friends’ time and make regular dates to have weekends together.  They have a rotation of where they will stay so their husbands won’t get tired of their silly antics when they are together.  Shellie lives in Ohio, Mandi in Missouri, Daisy in Wisconsin, and Stef in Indiana. 

Each became successful in their own way: Shellie became an architect specializing in remodeling healthcare facilities, Mandi owns 2 floral shops and has done well enough that she can leave her shop in the hands of her manager when she is out of town, Daisy manages an upscale woman’s designer shop, and Stef is a nurse at a local hospital.  As well as the four of them have done in their careers, Mandi is struggling in her marriage to Wes.  Married almost 15 years ago, the two have become distant.

This girl’s weekend is at Shellie’s house, in Ohio.  Shellie’s husband, Stan, is kind and compassionate, and thoroughly enjoys that his wife has such great friends to enjoy.  Whenever Shellie hosts girls’ weekend, Stan stays out of the way, but checks on them to see if he can refresh their drinks, drive them somewhere, or get snack refills.  “You are so lucky to have a husband that respects and loves you. He actually wants you to have fun” Mandi said to Shellie.  “I’m sorry you and Wes are struggling; I wish you could figure out where it went wrong and rewind.” Shellie responded.  “It started when my shops began to bring in more income than Wes’ financial planning office.  He hates that I earn more than him, even though I never bring it up or act like it is a big deal. He started withdrawing and finding ways to make him feel more masculine.  Like the time, he went and bought a new Charger, trading our SUV in, without consulting with me, or the time he joined a gym without telling me and would come home late with no explanation, and now he has hired a beautiful secretary that is 15 years younger than him.  Since he hired her, he has started spending more time at the gym, he’s dieting, and he colors his hair.  I really think he is preparing to have an affair”.

Daisy and Stef almost simultaneously, got up to get wine and cheese and start the music.  “This weekend is about fun, and it is our first night together in 3 months.  Friday night starts us off,” said Stef.  “Yes, let’s celebrate our friendship, cry when we need to, laugh together, and hold each other up” replied Daisy.  “I agree, Wes and I can work on our relationship when I get home. There is nothing I can do about it by worrying now. Tomorrow let’s go explore Shellie’s neighborhood and see what Ohio has to offer” exclaimed Mandi.  “Oh, I don’t know if my small town can handle us, who knows what trouble we can conjure up,” said Shellie.  That got them all laughing and toasting. They knew the extent of trouble these mid 40-year-old ladies would conjure up is too much giggling and being asked to quiet down.  Still, it was fun to pretend they were young and wild. Tomorrow would be an outdoor day; hiking, shopping, and stopping at a brewery to end the day before going back to Shellie’s to listen to music until the wee hours of the morning.  Stan just smiled as he walked through the kitchen, listening to his wife and best friends talk about the fun they would stir up.  He loved Shellie so much. He just wished Wes would see how wonderful a good marriage felt. 

Saturday morning brought the promise of a beautiful day; mid 70’s, no rain, and bright blue skies.  As everyone trickled out of bed, Stan got coffee ready and made scrambled eggs.  The 4 friends sat and drank coffee, talked about where to start their day first, and then went about showering and getting ready to explore.  They piled up into Shellie’s white Explorer, water bottle in hand, phones charged up, and a change of shoes for hiking.  Their first stop was the local downtown where they visited the quaint shops.  They passed by a brewery that specialized in local brews and farm-to-table food.  Shellie suggested they stop back by The Organic Taphouse, OT as the locals called it, after they explored for the day.  “You girls will love this place! It is dog friendly, great brews, unique cocktails, and small plate appetizers that will knock your socks off”.

After spending a few hours shopping, they headed to a trailhead that overlooked the Ohio river.  The views were breathtaking and just enough of a hike to burn off some calories from breakfast.  They agreed the next stop would be to the local wine and cheese shop to do some wine tasting and then stop and the Taphouse to finish their day up before returning home, where the real fun would begin. 

The wine shop was quaint and whimsical, offering local wines as well as some unique wines from Oregon, California, Italy, and France.  They tried several small bites of cheese and agreed that the Pinot Noir from Oregon was their favorite. They bought two bottles for later and headed to the brewery.  They were giddy from the fresh air, all the laughter they enjoyed throughout the day, and the 6 tastings of wine they enjoyed.  They talked about how special their time was and wished they could bottle the feelings they were having to save for later, when they weren’t together.

When they arrived at OT, they asked for an outdoor table.   They were seated next to a couple of businessmen, deep in discussion.  After they ordered, and were halfway through their drinks, Stef asked the guys, next to them, if they would take a picture of all of them.  One of the men smiled at them and said “sure, I would be happy to, if you wouldn’t mind taking one of us. We haven’t seen each other in years”.  The girls all scooted next to each other, while the man stood up on his chair to get a better shot.  This made the girls laugh and joke with him about how serious he was about this picture.  Afterwards, he showed them the picture, which they all agreed was great.  The guy grabbed his phone, gave it to Mandi, and went back to his friend to pose for their picture.   Mandi took his phone and joked about how she would stand on the chair to get their picture. This made the guys, who took their picture, laugh as he said, “please don’t do that, I don’t need an innocent picture to end up with a serious consequence”.  Mandi was feeling a little giddy after wine and half her beer, so she turned the selfie-mode on the camera and smiled a big smile. After she took her selfie, she turned the camera back around, took about 6 pictures of the 2 guys, so they wouldn’t immediately notice her picture, and showed a few of the pictures to them. They thanked her for the picture and went about their discussion as did the girls. That was the end of their encounter with those guys. 

After finishing their drinks, the girls decided to go back to Shellie’s to put on comfy clothes, enjoy more appetizers, indulge in their wine, and get the music started on their smartphones.  On their drive back to Shellie’s, Mandi told them what she did with the man’s camera.  “I can’t believe you did that,” said Stef. They all laughed about it, thinking how funny it would be when he started reviewing pictures later.

After the girls left the OT, the 2 businessmen talked about how much fun those girls were having.  “I wish my wife would do something like that with her friends” John, the picture-taker said.  “Are you two still struggling” asked Joe, the other guy.  “Yes, ever since her brother passed away last year, she hasn’t been able to get out of her anxiety. She accuses me of having an affair all the time.  I haven’t even looked at another woman, with those intentions in the 20 years we’ve been married. She is the only woman for me, but she just can’t see it that way”.   As the two continued their conversation, they didn’t even think of looking at John’s phone to review the pictures.  They left after another hour of conversation and parted their own ways. John lived in town, but Joe needed to return to the airport to catch a plane home.

Once all 4 ladies were back at Shellie’s, they got their comfy clothes on, poured a beverage, and convened in the kitchen to make appetizers.  Stan came in to kiss Shellie and say hello to everyone. He told them he was going to the basement to watch some baseball, do some reading, and would probably retire down there for the night, in the spare bedroom.  That was his way of telling them to have fun, don’t worry about making noise, and don’t worry about him being in the way.  They all sat down in the living room, after making their appetizers and began to reminisce on old times, talk about current times, and reveal their deepest secrets to each other.  They only had tonight and part of tomorrow together before they had to say goodbye again.  They were already planning their next weekend together. It was Mandi’s turn, with the state of her marriage, she wasn’t sure it was a good idea.  She told them she was going to try to get counseling for her and Wes, so they decided to reconvene about location in a couple of months.  For tonight, they were content visiting, singing, laughing, and hanging out. 

Before leaving on Sunday, they all reminisced on everything they had done; Friday night games, Saturday hiking, wine tasting, beer tasting, selfie-trick, and home for more girl-talks, Sunday morning champagne brunch and more laughter.  They said their goodbyes, promised to keep in touch via phone and texting, and promised to plan for their next weekend soon. 

A couple of weeks went by, and Shellie was home from work early on a Friday afternoon. She had decided to kick out, surprise Stan with his favorite meal and start the weekend early.  She turned on the television as she started her meal prep in their big, open, kitchen.  While she was chopping vegetables, she vaguely heard a reporter talking about an on-going murder investigation from almost 2 weeks ago.  The wife was the suspect but there was controversy around a photo found on the victims’ phone.  The reporter asked anyone who knew this woman to come forward.  Not sure why she was drawn to the story, Shellie looked up and dropped her knife.  The room started spinning and she felt like she was going to pass out. With wobbly legs she went to the living room and sat down, staring at the screen.  Looking back at her was Mandi, from the selfie she took at the OT.  Shellie was shaking so hard; she didn’t know what to do. “Dang it, dang it, dang it. What do I do” she yelled to herself?  She paced the room wondering what in the world Mandi’s picture could have to do with the murder.  She picked up the phone, not wanting to call her friend, but she knew she had to before this story went national. 

“Mandi, you aren’t going to believe what I just saw…..” After relaying the story, the other end was silent. “Mandi, are you there”?  “I’m here” Mandi replied almost too low to be audible.  “Oh my word, Shellie, what am I going to do? What do you think they have my picture out there for? You mean that nice man that took our picture is dead?  Do you think it’s because of the picture I took”?  “I don’t know, Mandi, but we need to call that number before this picture goes national” Shellie advised.  “MANDI” came a loud male’s voice on Mandi’s end.  “Too late” said Mandi as she slammed down the phone.   

Shellie called Daisy and Stef to let them know what was going on.  They were all unsure of what to do, but they knew Mandi needed to come forward with their crazy story soon.  Shellie went to the tv and did a reverse mode to the news.  Miraculously, she thought of hitting the record button when she had gone into the living room.  She’s not even sure what made her do that; it wasn’t as if this story would never air again.  When she got to the picture of Mandi on the cell phone, she couldn’t believe her luck.  Just on the bottom of the screen, you could see enough of Shellie’s hair and shoulder, with her butterfly tattoo.  Surely, their story could be corroborated with this information.  She ran to the phone to call Mandi, but it went to voicemail.  “Mandi, call me right away, I have something to tell you that might help”. 

Shellie was on pins and needles. Here it was Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and she still hadn’t heard back from Mandi.  Stan tried to reassure her that everything would be alright, but she was inconsolable. Once Shellie told Stan what happened, he completely understood how they thought the selfie was funny. The same thing happened to him in college, only with a digital camera instead of a cell phone.  When he saw the picture of the guy who did a selfie, he thought it was funny. It startled him at first, but then he remembered the guy’s face.  He had to believe that any officer or judge or attorney would get it; four girls out having fun, cutting up, and playing a joke on someone.  Shellie was worried about Mandi; she couldn’t figure out why Mandi didn’t return her call.   Finally, around noon, her phone rang, showing Mandi as the caller. 

“Mandi, I’ve been worried sick about you” blurted out Shellie without even saying hello.  “I’m sorry, it’s bad here; Wes and I are arguing like crazy.  He wanted to know what I was doing out carousing with a man when I was supposed to be with all of you. I told him he could call any one of you, I would give him my phone and step out so he could talk to you all without me around. He yelled at me, telling me I must think he’s stupid if he thought you four wouldn’t cover for me. I haven’t called that number because I am afraid; I don’t know what to say”. Mandi was crying as she talked but was still able to get her words out.   “Mandi, I took a picture of my tv screen and sent it to you.  Look at the corner of the picture, you can see my hair and my shoulder with my tattoo, thank God I chose my sleeveless shirt. Once you call the authorities and tell them the truth, you can point out my shoulder. I will be happy to do whatever I need to do to help”.  They talked for several minutes more before Mandi was convinced that she needed to call the number, identify herself, and tell them what happened.  They decided to have a zoom call with all four friends after Mandi called; Daisy and Stef were going out of their minds with worry. 

Mandi sent a group text telling them that she talked to an investigator, but he wanted to interview her in person, and agreed that any witnesses would only help her case.  They all agreed that they would do whatever they needed.   They jumped on a zoom call to talk in person.  Mandi told them that the investigator said he couldn’t go into too much detail, but the man was found dead, in his bed, from a gunshot wound. Apparently, a neighbor heard some arguing with the wife accusing him of cheating with someone.  The phone was lying next to the victim and when it was activated by the investigating officer, Mandi’s picture came up.  Mandi thought he went into a lot more detail than she imagined she would get from him.  The four friends talked for over an hour. Mandi agreed to meet with the investigator in person, so she planned to fly back to Ohio on Tuesday. Shellie was beyond excited to know she would see Mandi again but concerned for the reason.  The weekend couldn’t go fast enough for Mandi.  She was going to show Wes the cell phone picture, but she was fearful that their marriage was beyond repair.  “Hey everyone, let’s do a quick prayer before we hang up” suggested Daisy.  She was always the one that had the most faith; she always believed in the power of prayer, and often led the four of them in prayer.  Daisy prayed for safe travels, a good outcome of the investigation, and for the repair and resiliency of Mandi and Wes’ marriage. 

Tuesday morning arrived and Mandi was feeling hopeful.  Wes met her at the door with a to-go coffee and wished her good luck.  It was a start, albeit a small one.  After she showed him the cell phone picture and reiterated what happened, he seemed to believe her.  She told him that he was the only man she laid eyes on for the last 15 years they have been married. She reiterated that money and power didn’t mean anything to her, and she looked up to him for the man he was.  They had a long discussion about their marriage, the underlying blame he thought she felt because they couldn’t have children; a hereditary issue on his end, and the fact that he felt incompetent because not only could he not provide children, but he also couldn’t be the main bread winner of the family.  Through it all, Mandi assured him that her feelings for him never changed.  She told him that, in all honesty, she’d rather have dogs than kids anyway and since their Great Dane, Ted, died last year, she was yearning to get a new one.  He agreed to talk about it with her when she returned. He even offered to go with her, but she talked him out of it. The plane ticket was over 1100.00 since it was a last-minute booking.  They agreed to go to a counselor when she returned, but if they could continue these conversations, she doubted they would need a mediator. 

Mandi taxied straight to the investigator’s office and texted Shellie that she would call her when she was done. She was sweating bullets and felt like golf balls were sitting in her stomach as she walked up to the office.  She entered a tiny little office that smelled of burnt coffee and the slightest odor of cigarette smoke that probably emanated from the old green carpet, and dingy curtains; Telltale signs of years ago when smoking was legal inside offices.  She felt uncomfortable sitting in any of the fabric chairs, so she chose to stand after checking in with the secretary who wore a bouffant hairdo and bright orange lipstick.  While Mandi paced a circle in the waiting room, she could feel miss Bouffant staring at her as she filed her fingernails and popped her gum while she chewed it.  Mandi wondered what kind of investigator she was trusting her story to, but she didn’t really have a choice. Apparently, based on all the awards and thank you notes on the walls, he was pretty good; a regular Columbo. 

She heard some hacking and a door open before hearing a gruff voice telling her to come back. She turned and saw the investigator who called himself Cliff. He was tall, skinny, tan in a leather kind of way, and probably younger than his face looked.  From the smell of his office, his aged face was probably due to the smoking and alcohol and maybe too much sun.  He held out his hand, which had long yellow fingernails, and she begrudgingly shook it.  His smile was big, and his eyes were kind; they revealed a little hint of sadness that told her he had a story and a reason for all his smoking and drinking.  Cliff took out a steno note pad and a black Bic pen. Mandi wondered how many people still use steno pads instead of computers, but looking around his office didn’t reveal a computer in sight. In fact, he even had an old-fashioned alarm-type clock on his shelves; the kind that has big buttons on top and big red numbers.  She wondered if he still listened to a.m. radio stations.  

“Tell me again, why your picture is on the deceased guy’s phone” Cliff blurted out.  Mandi went over the story leaving no details out.  He looked bored, and a little amused when she talked about their girl’s weekends. She went over every detail of what they did that day leading up to the time they went to the OT and when they left. He asked if there were any other witnesses to their picture taking session.  Mandi couldn’t recall; she really hadn’t paid attention to any passersby or whether the wait staff was around or not.  She knew Shellie would still have the receipt, and it would give their waiter’s name.  Mandi was thankful for Shellie’s obsession with budgeting; if Mandi had taken the receipt, it would be part of the landfill.  He agreed that a copy of the receipt would be helpful.  She told him that her friends would be happy to cooperate; each had called their spouse upon returning to Shellie’s that night. Phone records should be able to corroborate the story.  Cliff wrote down everyone’s cell phone numbers and told her she could leave. He assured her that he would be in contact with her if he needed anything else. Reluctantly, but with a touch of relief, Mandi left the building and called Shellie.

Shellie and Mandi called Stef and Daisy to give them an update. Right now, it was a waiting game, but fortunately, Cliff was able to stop the airing of her picture since she had turned herself in.  Mandi had received several calls from friends about her picture, but it seems not too many people watch the weekend news; at least her floral customers must not. That, or they will just stop doing business with her and assume the worst.  Mandi called Wes and told him she was going to stay until Thursday, in case Columbo-Cliff needed any further information.  Wes seemed more engaged in their conversation than normal, asking her all about her meeting with the investigator, he asked how Shellie and Stan were doing, and even told her he was looking forward to seeing her.  He said he did a lot of soul-searching and realized that his insecurity was what started their demise.  Mandi told him she looked forward to going home and seeing about rekindling their marriage.  It was like a complete turn of events; she couldn’t believe they were going to get back on track. She knew they would, she could feel it.  That is, if she didn’t end up in jail.

The next day, Cliff called Shellie and said he’d like to get a picture of her in a sleeveless shirt, showing her tattoo.  He said it would be best if she had the same shirt on in the Selfie, if she still had it.  “Well of course I have it, it’s not like I throw my clothes out every 3 weeks” Shellie said to Mandi after hanging up with Cliff. “I’m glad he called you, that is promising” replied Mandi.  The rest of the day was low key; Shellie had to go into the office to meet with a new client, so Mandi hung around and read a book, to keep her mind occupied.

Mandi made it home safely, and she and Wes continued to engage in many discussions. They seemed to open a firehose of topics to discuss.  Wes confessed all his self-doubt, he admitted to hiring a pretty secretary to make her jealous and impress his colleagues. He admitted that he wanted them to think he was having an affair so he would seem masculine.  He swore to her that he never even thought of trying to do anything with the young girl; Mandi was the only woman for him, but he didn’t know how to get back to where they were, so he just kept pushing away.  Days passed by, after she returned home, and they hadn’t heard from Cliff.  They used their nervous energy to continue getting to know each other again.  They felt like they were dating again, and it felt good.

Exactly three weeks later, Mandi’s cell phone rang with the caller ID showing Cliff as the caller.  She was in the shop, so she quickly excused herself and ran outside.  “Any news” Mandi asked as she engaged her call button. “What is it with people nowadays, doesn’t anyone answer with a proper ‘hello’ anymore” quipped Cliff back at her. “I’m sorry Cliff, I’ve been a wreck for three weeks”. “Well lady, you can relax, the wife confessed what she did, so you are off the hook”. “Did you tell her why my picture was on the phone”? asked Mandi, almost demandingly.  “Calm down, it’s not like it matters, you are free from any charges, but yes, I told her.  I think she believed me because she broke down, sad that she didn’t have a reason to kill him.  I think she wished you really were sleeping with her husband; she would have felt justified. That lady is in a bad place; she started taking pain meds a year ago and got addicted. She kept getting into heavier stuff and kept it hidden from her husband, John. She said he never knew why her moods would swing so violently, he thought it was depression, but had no clue about the drugs” explained Cliff.  “So, John is the gentleman whose death I am responsible for. One innocent day, having fun, being silly, and I got him killed” Mandi cried.  “Listen lady, maybe it was a mistake to do what you did, maybe not. You didn’t do it out of malice, you just thought it would be funny. You can’t beat yourself up over it; it’s not like you knew his situation. It’s not like you knew his wife had drug issues”.  Cliff tried to reassure her, but he didn’t seem to do a very good job of it.  Mandi thanked him for his hard work and trying to console her. “I should have told them to look at all the pictures I took. I should have told him what I did so he could look at it and delete it” Mandi said before hanging up.

As Mandi stood out in the sunshine, she had a mixture of emotions. She was happy her name was cleared, happy that she and Wes were back on track with their marriage, sad that an innocent man was gone because of her innocent joke.  She was sad for the wife that fell into a world of lies, addiction, and mistrust which, ultimately, led to her killing her husband, and now a jail sentence.  She was grateful for her friends but wondered how long it would take for her to belly laugh with them again; wondered how long it would take before she ever looked at a camera the same. She thought about how fast life could take a turn and everything changes. She pondered on how one decision could change everything. If she hadn’t turned the camera mode to herself, if she hadn’t been the one to offer to take John and his friend’s picture, if they had gotten to the OT a little later, if John’s wife never took that first pill, If John had looked at his phone and saw her picture. She knew it would be a long road to heal, emotionally.  Mandi needed to see Wes. She needed to call her friends; she needed Daisy to lead them in prayer.