It was laying face-up on the beach. The sepia-toned, ocean-altered photo was easy to miss, amongst the scattered rocks and sand. As the group approached, the photograph became more and more visible. One group member spotted it and stopped to pick it up while the others gathered around.

“We should really clean this part of the beach more often”, says one girl, trying her bag and adjusting her gloves.

“I agree” says another.

“Would be more fun than the south side. I’m so over picking up used condoms”.

The boy holding the photo hands it to the few standing closest to him. They pass it amongst themselves and then to the mostly uninterested girls behind them. Everyone’s slightly intrigued by the photo when one member of the group gasps. Her skin goes completely white, her eyes wide with what looks like fright.

“Are you ok?” asks one of the girls closest to her. The concern in her tone draws the others’ attention.

“This, this is my mother. The, the girl in the dress”. She points franticly to the woman in the lace-trimmed, corseted frock.

The woman looks wealthy, and so does the man she’s with. He holds a cane and wears a 3-piece suit. She wears a flowing gown with a petticoat and lace headpiece. They look happy.

“Your mother? How’s that possible?”, says one.

“They probably just look similar. This photo IS very worn…”, says another.

They were trying to calm her down and get her to think reasonably, but it didn’t work.

“It’s her. She has that headpiece in her closet. It’s in a green velvet box on the top left shelf. Not to mention that they look identical”, says the girl holding the photo. They all lean in closer to examine the photo, none ever having met her mother. They shrug, pretending they may see a resemblance. The girl holding the photo turns and walks away, the others resuming their joking around and beach-cleaning. She walks until she can’t see the group and finds a rock to sit on. She starts to cry and examine the photo again.

She knew her mom had a life “before”, but she hadn’t thought to ask when “before” was. She always just assumed she meant “before her”. Now she knows, and her mother’s not even alive to elaborate. Or is she?