How It Happens (Rebel Girl)

     The characterization confused Rebel Girl at first. She recognized the name but the out-of-bounds skier killed by the avalanche was also described as "veteran character actor" and "age 60." That didn't seem right. Then she did the math. She considered the fact that he had been acting since before she met him nearly 25 years ago. She considered what 25 years could do to one's age and career status. So, he had probably reached "veteran status" and considering he never became a leading man, "character" seemed about right too. It was him all right. The husband of a handsome Santa Monica acting couple who had employed young Red Emma as child care provider for their son, also dubbed Red Emma. Rebel Girl and Red were in their salad days then, finishing up undergraduate work, taking jobs here and there. The handsome acting couple paid well and, when they went out of town, Red and Reb housesat for them in their handsome Santa Monica craftsman house, north of Wilshire, a walk to the beach.
     Rebel Girl wanted their life, or a version of it: the dust-free house, the wood floors, the light through the clean windows, the down comforters on the bed, the day planners filled with rehearsals and dinner parties, trips to Santa Fe and New York and yes, if she thought about it enough (but she didn't), the young handsome son, too. Rebel Girl would press the pump dispenser of the wife's lotion (once, twice, no more than that) and rub the fragrant lotion on the backs of her hands. She wanted to smell like that.
     Time went by and the handsome couple broke up and married other people and had other children. The break-up managed to surprise Rebel Girl despite her own mother's eight failed marriages. Red and Reb stayed in touch with the wife and saw the husband's face or name now and again in some production. Their handsome son grew up and learned to write poetry. He showed up at the summer writers conference where Rebel Girl and Red work and was brilliant and all grown up. Now he is finishing up his dissertation at USC. He married last year.
     And then last weekend, sitting on Chunk's living room floor, safely evacuated from their dusty canyon house with its wood floors and generally sunlight-flooded windows, their own handsome young son asleep on the couch, Rebel Girl and Red Emma watched as the handsome actor's body, wrapped in a bright yellow tarp, strapped to a sled, was pulled down the mountain. -RG