Confessions

41.

I must say, I was genuinely surprised at the amount of people that showed up. It's not a huge town; most people in Cashmere Hills prefer staying in their homes enjoying time with their own family. My guesstimate is that over a hundred people are here, minimum, and the number will only get higher as the night goes on.

As the crowd flooded in through the front doors, us workers went to our positions: Kiara and I stood behind the register, Cameron went to the middle of the room with a microphone, and Chanel... well, she was busy flaunting her heels and being demanding.

I cannot describe the amount of butterflies I felt in the pit of my stomach as I watched the guests marvel over Cameron's photography. Some folks touched the frame in awe; a few even shed some tears. It was undeniably visible just how easily Cameron had touched the hearts of many. No two guests were alike: some were dressed classy, some were dressed casual, a few looked like they'd gone through hell and back, but almost all of them looked like they'd just dropped a weight of guilt and shame as they roamed around the gallery.

It was breathtaking.

Once the microphone was on, Cameron tapped it with his finger. "Good evening, everyone." Most people looked to the center of the room, although there were some people who couldn't tear their eyes away from the heart-wrenching photographs. "Good evening," he said once more. "My name is Cameron Montgomery, founder of this organization, Fesser. I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of you in attendance, and a thank you for coming out tonight to support our cause.

"You can go anywhere in the world, and realize how different cultures can be." I leaned against the counter as I heard Cameron talk. I didn't know he was going to give a speech. "You might not speak the same language; you might have different customs as to what is polite and what is not. But you know what the one thing every single living person has in common?"

Silence. Now everyone was paying attention.

"Smiles?" someone from the crowd shouted out.

Cameron chuckled. "Very true, we all have a smile. But beneath the gleam of our teeth, we all share something else, without a doubt."

We all hung onto his every word.

"Secrets."

No one moved.

Cameron nodded and kept his serious composure. "It's a melancholic fact that every human being on this beautifully damaged planet is plagued with secrets, guilt, words they cannot say, actions they will not speak of. Whether we do something intentionally or not, we make mistakes and err to no end. Despite our best efforts, we fail to meet the standards that have been set for us, because those standards equal perfection, which couldn't be more far from reality. We... are... human..."

If one could fall in love with words, I'd be madly in love with Monty's speech.

He paused. He took in his surroundings and looked at everyone in the eye. "That is the sole foundation on which I have built Fesser. Every single photograph inside this room is based on a real-life confession people have submitted anonymously. Feel free to stay as long as you'd like. If you desire to purchase any of the photos on the wall—the one in glass displays throughout the room are not for sale—feel free to bring to the cashier the alphanumeric code on the frame you'd like." A moment of silence as Cameron finally let a small smile slip. "And once again, I hope you enjoy your visit to Fesser."