Catfish - Elaine and Francesca

Elaine

“Hey Fred!”

She was on. Time to get to work. Elaine cracked her knuckles and placed her fingers on the keyboard. They were bent, like a Sheppard’s crook, and glided gracefully across the keys.

“Hey Rachel! How’s it shaking bacon?”

“Lol. You’re so funny Fred. Not much going on here. I have a lot of homework though, so the usual. Lol. How about you?”

“Me too. Lol.”

“Lol. Hey baby, I have something to tell you.”

“Yeah, babe?”

“Promise you won’t get mad?”

“With all my heart, baby.”

“Ok, here goes. Baby, I think I’m bi.”

Elaine stared intently at the screen. Sweat dripped down her temple. She noticed her palms were moist, as if she had washed them but did a poor job of drying them off. Why was she so flustered? Rachel was just a student. She had gotten over the novice’s fears of talking to students long ago, with experience, practice, and natural talent of course. And it’s not like she hadn’t had a student come out to her before. She was the gayest teacher on the planet. Students came out to her all the time. But this was different. Not just because she was pretending to be someone else.

“Freddy?”

‘Shit, keep focus Elaine.’ She thought to herself.

“Yeah babe?”

“Are you ok with this?”

Elaine stared at the screen. She responded

“Of course I am.”

“Oh that’s a relief! Thank you so much Freddy! I love you!”

Elaine’s heart skipped a beat.

“I love you Rachel.”

I love you Rachel. That’s the first time she had said it, well wrote it, aloud but it was true. It wasn’t one of those loves where you first see the person you instantly want to marry them. In fact, she thought Rachel a bit dowdy at first. Frizzy hair, crooked nose, small beady eyes, a plump figure; she wasn’t going to make the cover of Glamour magazine anytime soon. That’s why she started this endeavor in the first place. She was bored, and it wasn’t like anyone would miss the child if she killed herself when “Fred” inevitably left her. Well, maybe her parents would, but she thought they would probably be as useless as Rachel was, so it didn’t really matter. But getting to know Rachel, finding out she liked Thoreau and Dickens, Socrates and Plato, classical music and fine art, all the things that make an intelligent, sophisticated person. And when she read her essays, so well written and beautifully crafted with phrases as graceful as a bird taking the wind under its wings and soaring into the air. Sure, she had her dorky, Star Trek loving side too, but Elaine knew she could weed that out of Rachel, and transform her fully into the sophisticate that she was meant to be. Just like Elaine.

“I’ll always love you Rachel, no matter what.”

“You too baby! Hey, sorry Freddy, I got to go to my trumpet lesson, but I’ll talk to you when I get back ok?”

“Ok baby, have fun!”

“Thanks! Ttyl.”

Rachel logged off.

Elaine looked at the screen. ‘Talk to you later, my sweet ingénue.’

Kelly called “Honey, come to dinner!”

“Coming.”

Elaine logged off.

Francesca

“Hi Dave!”

Francesca saw the message on her screen. Her fingers leaped over to the keyboard and typed faster than a crook on the run.

“Hey Rachel. What’s up, babe?”

“Not much. I have a lot of homework. So the usual. Lol. How about you, baby?”

“Same. Lol.”

“Lol. Hey baby, I have something to tell you.”

'Tell me?'

“Yeah, what is it sweetie?”

“Promise you won’t get mad?”

“Promise.”

“Ok, here goes. Honey, I think I might be bi.”

Francesca held her breath. Her heart raced. She was shaking so badly it caused her long, blonde hair to quiver. Why was she getting so flustered? It was all a joke. Just something to do with Monica and Jessie. Making fun of the class nerd. Getting her to fall in love with someone she should know is way out of her league. Just planning to text her for one day only, and then leave her high and dry to sulk and cry all by herself. But Felicia knew it had become more than that. She started messaging her every week. Then, she started messaging her every day. Now, she was messaging her all the time. She was learning about Rachel. Seeing pictures of her dog, Spock, who was named after a character in Star Trek, a really cool but nerdy show she had Francesca, well Dave, watch. Finding out about the summer home where Rachel’s family used to go in Montauk, but had to sell since her mom lost her job. Being confided in when Rachel told her about the uncle who used to take her into his room, same as Felicia’s uncle did to her. Yes, this had become more to Francesca than just a game. But she was terrified to think of what it had become.

“Baby?”

‘Shoot.’ Francesca realized she must have been a thousand miles away.

“Yeah, sugar?”

“What do you think? Are you ok with this?”

Francesca looked at the screen. She responded.

“Of course baby! I love you no matter what!”

“Oh Dave! I love you too! No matter what!”

Francesca winced.

“Davy, I just want to let you know, you can tell me anything. Anything at all. And I’ll still love you. Always.”

Francesca stared at the screen. Her eyes welled up.

“Dave?”

“Yeah baby?”

“I got to go to my trumpet lesson but I’ll text you when I get back, ok?”

Francesca wiped her eyes.

“Ok, sweetie. No problem.”

“Hey, Dave? I love you!”

Francesca smiled.

“I love you too.”

Rachel logged off. Francesca stared at Rachel’s words. She admired them, soaking in their meaning like a flower soaks in the sun. If only those words were for her.

She logged off.

Rachel

"I love you." That's what she said. To both of them. And it was true, she loved them both.

But she knew she could only have one.

Rachel sat on her bed as she closed the lid on her laptop. She knew it was wrong to tell two different boys she loved them, but it was the truth. Davy was so sweet and caring, but Fred was so smart and witty. She didn't know how to choose between them. She was hoping the realization that she was bi would drive one of them away, that way she didn't have to make the difficult choice. But they both took it so well. She shouldn't of been surprised. David was so kind, and Fred was so cultured; how could they not understand?

"Honey," Mrs. Stein called, "We have to get going."

"Coming Mom!" Rachel called down. She jumped off of her bed and decided to leave the matter alone until the next day, when she was well-rested and could think more clearly on the matter.