The Fear Face

I know that face. It flashes when there is the sound of a siren. That happened when she was getting her high school senior portraits taken. I bought that photo. Rose is standing up at a fence, arms folded and resting on the railing. The photographer had no clue that he was capturing something important.

I spent an hour or more taking Rose’s senior portraits on campus this Wednesday. Her purple gown fluttered in the breeze. This time it was difficult to get a photo without the fear face. Rose is only thirty, but she has had many battles with her own brain and body. I had to be silly to get smiles.

The stress is closing in. She is concerned that her brain is not up to the task. She is still healing from the stroke. I told her she was “drinking from a fire hose.” After graduation she needs to rest and heal, before searching for a job. She is still fragile. I feel her uncertainty. Her brother calls it ‘beat down.’

I want that fear gone. I want to see serenity in its place on her face. I tell her all I wish for her is to be happy, healthy and safe.

Mama