Skin Deep
(Urban Legend)
By
Robby Richardson
“Now you little munchkins need to get to sleep,” trying to get the McNamara twins down for the night was like trying to get a gambler to stop gambling. Casey was a normal teenager, if you counted doing babysitting on a Saturday evening normal. Its true Casey had been babysitting since she was young but the money wasn’t worth it. Casey had a long sheet of black hair that always seemed to roll back into curls no matter how much time she spent straightening it. Her face seemed to resemble a porcelain doll which her mother constantly reminded her of. Although it always remained elusive to her especially when she saw her wide nostrils and wide eyes that bulged like in a constant state of shock. The McNamara twins had always been one of the worst jobs that she had ever taken upon as clients. They were identical twins except for two small differences. Gary had A.D.H.D and was the worst of them. Larry had a wide gap between his teeth from a lost baby tooth. She dreaded the day the tooth would grow back in.
“You guys need to go to sleep, your mom said nine o’clock and she meant it,” Gary was hopping on the bed, “no she didn’t . . . you just got your boyfriend coming over again”. “NO,” she exclaimed helping Larry under the covers. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, “night Casey, thanks for playing with us tonight”. She smiled as he placed his Batman covers over himself, “your welcome Larry, I’ll see you next week alright”? He nodded and Casey turned to see Gary hopping on top of his bed once again. “Casey and Martin sitting in a tree F-U-C . . . Gary Ronald McNamara if you finish that sentence I swear I’m going to tell your mother”! He smiled, “fine,” “now get into bed and under the covers”. Gary groaned and crawled under them, “is Martin coming over”? Casey shook her head, “no Martin is at work and not going to be able to come over”. Tucking him in tightly she ordered “not another word Gary, now go to bed”! She exited the room but in a soft whisper she could hear Gary repeating his song and just as she shut the door, she knew he had finished it this time.
Suddenly she felt a soft vibration in her left jean pocket and knew her phone was ringing. She grabbed her phone and saw that she had gotten a message from Martin. She smiled as she replied back to his message.
[Martin]
Hey sexy, what are you doing right now . . . missin me?
[Casey]
You know it. Just babysitting wishin you weren’t working [Martin]
Oh yeah, so that means that you are all alone huh? I can get off work early, swing by . . . have some fun?
[Casey]
They won’t be home till twelve, can you get here fast?
[Martin]
Like the wind.
It only took Martin thirty minutes to arrive at the house. She had to admit that he wasn’t that best looking guy with his black hair that hung around his eyes like curtains. His hairdo looked as if it had been cut with the help of a mixing bowl. He had black glasses and was a bit of a nerd. However he was one of the most intelligent men she had ever met with the added inclusion of descent money that he constantly spent on her. He was unshaven and was dressed in all black. Although not her first choice she smiled when she saw him, “hey, how did you get off work early”? He smiled as he entered the house, “what . . . no hello”? She smiled, “hello,” and she gave him a little kiss, trying to cop a feel she slapped his hand away. “Not yet . . . now tell me how did you get out of work early”? He shrugged, “I pretty much run my department as long as the work gets done I am free to call my own hours”. “You know, I have been dating you for four months and I still have no idea what you do for a living just your stupid work number. I’m starting to think that you are trying to hide it from me”.
Martin ran his hand over her cheek, “I will in all good time, but since we are on such little time. Why don’t we start to have some fun.” “But Martin,” he placed his finger over her lips, “questions, questions all these questions. I promise that you will know everything in time. I don’t want you to get bored with me so soon”. She tried to speak but Martin leaned in and kissed with such tenderness her questions about his mystery were soon forgotten. The door didn’t even seem like it was closed as they wrapped each other in a passionate kiss making their way to the living room sofa. They kissed for what seemed like seconds but it felt like a lifetime. Martin seemed to be antsy as he began to shuffle with her shirt. She pushed him away softly, “what”? She shook her head, “sorry I can’t,” Martin’s black rimmed glasses fell slightly down his nose, “what do you mean? It’s not like we haven’t done it before”. She gave a flirty little smirk, “no, it’s not that”. He pointed up the stairs, “the kids”? She shook her head, “no . . . it’s . . . you know a women thing”. Martin recoiled, “oh,” she chuckled, “your face is so priceless. It’s not like it’s a disease or a contagion or anything”.
“I know it’s just well . . . I don’t mean to be rude but I just really needed some tonight, I feel like I’m going crazy”. She chortled again, “Well that doesn’t mean that I can’t help you out . . . what exactly would you want?” He gave her a look that could not make it planner what he wanted, “nothing your mouth won’t be able to fix”. She gave him a disgusted face, “you know I hate that”. “You said,” rolling her head, “alright, alright, but you better be quick . . . never know with those two upstairs”. He nodded as she just shook her head, “you don’t care, you’re just happy you’re getting yours”. “But Casey,” she lowered his zipper, “you’re just lucky I like you”.
Sunday blew by as Martin was once again stuck at work all day. She didn’t see him at all that day. He promised to meet with her right after school, but there were no promises with that. When Monday came Casey started off her morning with the usual, “stupid school”. However her attendance was necessary if she was to stay in her parents good graces. Her older brother had strayed from the path, which caused them to send him to a military school. She had not seen him in over three years, every day she wished she could see him, and tell him how much he was missed.
Other then a few red bumps around her lips, Casey’s routine went off without a hitch leaving her to be driven by her mother promptly at seven twenty five letting them arrive ten minutes before the bell. She adjusted herself in the mirror applying more make up to the bumps that seemed to be growing in size. She shook her head shaking the foolishness away, and applied more, but no amount would cover them. “Damn pimples,” Casey shut the visor mirror, which just made her religious mother cry out “Language Casey”! She stared out the window hoping nobody would be too cruel about her pimples.
“Yuck Casey you’re starting to get moles on your face,” Casey pushed her best friend, “shut up Martha”! Martha was blond and pretty everything that Casey wished she was. She had cherry lips that shone like she had permanent lip gloss. The boys all loved her and with a flutter of her eyes she sometimes could hear their stomachs turn over inside them. “Didn’t you put make up on them,” pulling out her compact she stared at her reflection, “oh my god”! She stared hard at her red sores that were as big as small marbles. “They were not that big before . . . I think . . . I think their growing,” “growing” snapped Martha, “whatever they are I would go to the nurse about them . . . could be herpes”. Casey dropped her compact as she stared at her, “herpes,” she repeated chewing on her straw from her soda, “herpes”?
It didn’t take her long to sprint from the table and make her way down to the nurse. The dreaded Nurse Camilla, an overweight lady that had worked at the school since the day she left school. Hair like swamp moss with a nose the size of a cucumber. She seemed tired by her job and as Casey knocked on the door her tired, “what can I do for you” made her seem bipolar too. She lazily rose from her table her mood uninterested as she looked annoyed from being taken away from her People magazine. “There’s a problem with my lips . . . or, the area around my lips”. She walked closer, “well let’s just take a . . . Jesus”! Her eyes rested upon them as her hand clenched her chest. “I, I don’t know what that is,” she took her by the arm and moved her to a leather examining table. She sat upon it as the nurse examined her, “its not herpes is it”? The nurse shook her head, “no, no dear, they sure don’t look like cold sores”. She examined harder, “I don’t know what they are. I have never seen anything like that,” she moved closer as she placed a glove on her hand. She examined the bumps, “I really am stumped. Would you give me permission to examine one”? “What does that involve,” she held up a sterile scalpel, “I just want to make a little incision”. “You want to cut me”? She waved the knife, “my dear the bumps are literally twitching,” “do it then”! She leaned in and said, “You’re going to feel a slight nick alright”?
She leaned into the sore and gave it a small incision. “Did you cut me yet,” “yes my dear,” frozen in her spot she gave off a confused, “oh . . . I didn’t feel anything”. “Wait . . .” she froze as she began to pick at the sore, “I see something”. She continued to poke and then she dropped the scalpel and recoiled in horror. Her mouth was open in disgust as she seemed to want to vomit in her mouth. “What, what is it,” but Casey didn’t have to look hard to see what the problem was. A small maggot lay in the middle of her jeans, she screamed as she realized that sores in her mouth were actually maggots. “GET EM OUT,” she screamed as she began to rip at her face, “I will,” the nurse screamed, “GET EM OUT”!
“I think that I’m gunna be sick. Maggots . . . how, why?” Martha looked disgusted as she started to turn green, “your face looks like it was hacked up. No wonder they had to get parent’s position”. “I need you to drive me someplace,” ‘I can’t I have cheerleading today”. Casey moved towards her as the parking lot began to empty with cars. The day went by quick when you sat waiting for parental consent and the nurse draining pores filled with maggots. “I don’t care if you’re meeting the president. I had maggots in my face, your driving me someplace . . . you hear?” Her eyes widened as her mouth opened comically, “um . . . alright, where exactly,” “we are going to go see Martin,” “MARTIN”?
“A funeral home . . . the stupid address he gave you is a funeral home” replied Martha twenty minutes later, “I . . . I didn’t know, I should’ve asked”? Martha continued to sound disgusted as Casey exited the vehicle and walked up to the small funeral home. A sign on the door clearly indicted that they were closed. She pulled on the door and shook it several times. All the lights were off except for one behind a door at the end of a long hallway. Curiosity over how she got this disgusting disfigurement moved her around the corner as her rage seemed to build inside her. How does a person get maggots buried in their skin? It just didn’t happen to normal people. She moved around the back and found the back door unlocked. She moved around a small kitchen and made her way to the door she had seen with the light on, “Martin you here,” she called out but loud music seemed to come from the basement. She gritted her teeth as she made her way to the door, “I’m gunna kill him”.
She began to move down the old stairs as the music seemed to drown the creaking of them. She heard a low rocking in the background and decided to proceed on. “Martin,” she called out again, but knew he was down there by his raggedy breathing. She growled and made her way down the stairs “Martin I swear to god I’m going to kill you when I find out . . .” she stopped and fell to the ground in sheer terror. The answers to her serious illness were clear, she vomited, “Martin you’re sick”! Martin had become close with the bodies he prepared for grieving families. His sweating body lay naked on top of a marble white corpse, “Casey what the hell are you doing here”!?!
The End?