What If: Tara (Thalia) Stays

“Where Is Thalia Now?”

An influencer's Instagram story has 100 million views, trending and counting.  The same influencer posts on Instagram and TikTok, claiming that no one in entertainment has seen “Thalia” since late 2038, after she walked the red carpet for her movie “Dark Days”

“And Thalia was never seen again, in public.  It’s been 20 years.  Is She Still Alive?  Let us know in the comments…”, the fan and mogul end each post with this message. 

I shake my head with a light smile at the post and stories on my iPhone and look at myself in the balcony window of my beach house.  The same beach house I bought before meeting and marrying Jason.  The same home that I shared with Evan until he moved to Sudan with his wife.  I appreciate the posts and the love. 

My 25-year-old face and body stare back at me with confirmation.  I am immortal, and I will never change.  With sadness and love for my decision to stay home instead of hiding, I think of Jason. 

For 20 years, I’ve been declining interviews, sessions, shoots, and appearances to hide my secrets.  I wish I could age, say goodbye to the public, and ease their minds.  I miss being an actress and making great movies for people to enjoy.  My choice not to go to the desert cost me my career and closure for my fans.  This is a small price to pay to be with my family.  My heart is full because I get to watch my family grow and live.

Jason is a handsome 86-year-old man; his hair is completely gray.  I love seeing his messy gray hair and wrinkly face in the morning.  Jason helps me forget, for a second, who I am when I look at his beautiful face.  Jason never reminds me; he looks at me with the same love in his eyes since the day we met on the Santa Monica Pier. 

After confronting Jason with the truth of my immortality and powers, he continues to love me.  Jason knows that he will die, but he always says, “better that I leave you than you leave me, my heart could not take it.”  I explained that I could not go out in public after 60, to make sure no one sees me.  Jason understood this and said, “I’ll always protect you and our family”.  I see so much of Kevin in Jason.  I always wonder, do I have 2 soulmates, or am I loving the same soul again?

I skim through photos on my phone until I find one of Evan, playing with his grandchildren in front of our home.  Evan spends summers with his 2 children, grandchildren, and his wife in California.  We are through the roof when they visit.  Evan and his wife understand that my secret must remain, and they teach this to their children/grandchildren.  Evan’s stance remains to protect his family and me.  I sometimes feel selfish, letting my family carry this burden, but they never let me see it or resent me for it.  We all choose to keep loving each other.

Unfortunately, my “disappearance” became a reason to investigate my whereabouts on social media.

One morning, while Jason goes for a run on the beach, I make breakfast for us and move out to the top floor patio with a cup of coffee and my favorite eBook.  I take a few sips of my coffee and hear screaming in front of my house.  Thinking they are college students or political protestors, I continue reading and drinking coffee.  Once I heard “Thalia”, I knew.  The noise is moving to my house.  There were several knocks on the door, silence, and many knocks on the door and windows.  I hear several voices yell, “Where’s Thalia?  Are you in there?  Are you okay?

Fans have found my address, my destiny, my family, and my immortal family are in danger.  Once people find out about me, people will find out about my family, and we will never know peace again.  People will experience us; we will never die, so we will be tortured for eternity. 

This is all my fault.  I need to fix this.  I reach for my phone on the patio and hear Jason’s voice downstairs.

“Thalia no longer lives here; she lost her battle to cancer last year.  Please respect her privacy as I mourn my wife”

With many cries and sobs, the audience downstairs eventually leaves the beach house, leaving Jason alone downstairs.  I walk downstairs to hug Jason, but he is not on the front porch.  I no longer read minds or control them.  I stopped since I married Jason.  I will regret this decision in the next few minutes.

I see Evan alone with a shrug and a laughing smile.  He says, “Hi Mom, I’m Home.”

“Thalia!!!” a leftover fan in the back of the house yells.  “You are alive!”  The fan snaps a photo of Tara and runs away.