Promises in Moonlight

Part 39

Evie laughed again and said happily. "They were great presents." She remembered the various presents she had received from her mother, and she knew for a fact, that she loved her presents. In any case, there was no point wishing for something that was never available to her. 

"Yes, but they weren't new." Annie mumbled and sighed.

"No. That they weren't." Evie shrugged. The other two girls couldn't understand how she could be so ok with this. No new presents. "Honestly girls. They were not new, but they were fab presents."

"Not sure how..."

Evie laughed again and said happily. "They were great presents because they came with love and they were things that I wanted." Albeit not exactly what I meant when I wished for things, but they met her requirement. 

Like a stuck record, Annie said, "Yes, Evie, but they weren't new."

"No. They weren't new." Evie shrugged.  New presents were not an issue because she knew her presents were perfect given her situation.

Clearly Tina and Annie wouldn't understand how Evie could be so ok with this because in their world, in their circumstances, new was possible, not a dream.

"Didn't you mind?" Annie tipped her head to the side as she considered whether she would mind. She was sure she would.

Evie shrugged, and decided to be honest, "Annie, it's what I was used to. I knew we couldn't afford new, so there wasn't really much point minding about it! It was my reality. " Evie looked at the ring, and at that point she knew the difference between this ring and her pre-loved, pre-owned gifts was that her Mum was doing her best, unlike Seth. Evie gulped and banked that sadness and instead continued, " My mum was doing her best." Both Annie and Tina's eyes smarted, holding sadness in bay. Evie continued, "We could not afford much. we were not rich." Evie chuckled. "Actually not even normal when it came to money. We did not have it!"

"You had no money."

"Yes. Enough to eat and pay bills, most of the time. But we could not splurge on stuff. And given that,  my mum was doing the best." Evie smiled and it was reflected in her eyes. "And, believe me, she was brilliant! She would find things that I loved, and they were perfect." Evie remembered and her smile grew. " I remembered, for my eight birthday, mum found a book where you cut out the silhouette and you cut out the clothes and dress the silhouette. I knew we could not afford a doll. But a few weeks before my birthday I hinted! I wanted a doll. I remembered I wanted a doll so that I can make clothes for her.  But even at the charity shop the dolls were expensive, well to us, dollars, which, we could not afford. But mum found the book.  I was so happy. Like really happy!" There were so many memories associated to that. "We could not afford a proper doll but the book was better!" Tina and Annie blinked in disbelief. Evie missed their reaction. She continued. "I used the templates from my present, because the book had the silhouette for doll and you had to cut out the clothes and dress the silhouette."

Tina frowned, "Cut out?"

Annie mumbled, "What, just on paper?"

"Yes, in the book, imagine sketch of a woman," and when Tina and Annie continued to looked bemused, Evie drew on the soil, "See, like this, arms, legs, torso, and head. Imagine that drawn on a paper.  That was the template." And she thought Tina and Annie understood, so she continued to explain how the templates was used. "  So I used those templates to create new clothes."

"Create new clothes?"

"Yes, you can draw skirts and cut them out, with like tabs at the waist, and then you put that on the template, using the tabs to kind off attached it. So obviously you can remove it and change it if you have others available. The same for dresses, or trousers, you just draw it out, make sure you have tabs, and then dress the template." She grinned. " I created a wardrobe every day! Using the magazines that some people left and mum brought them home, and when she finished reading them, I would draw the skirts, or dresses, with the pattern on the magazine pages, so I did not have to draw or colour them. It was practically like having material to dress dolls, in my case, I had paper to dress my paper dolls. And believe me, these paper dolls were well dressed! Currently fashions and in season! And of course, that would not be possible if I had a real doll. So, as I said, my mum was brilliant. She found things that I wanted, just different!"

Tina and Annie grinned.

Evie continued, "My paper doll lived in a tin, surrounding by wonderful paper clothes that I designed. Some were really swish! Some that clearly no doll or people could wear! I once tried to draw a bikini, but I could not get it to say on!   I created so many  outlandish outfits, I remember Sam chortling when I showed him my latest! But it was so much fun. They provide an inspiration, and was great for me, having to figure out how to do something. Creating things that were pure fantasy and, to be honest, it was time out from reality." Evie said quietly, " I still have the tin, the paper doll and some of clothes I created! ." The emotion in her eyes, remembering her mother's  kindness, compassion, and thoughtful gestures of affection, Evie smiled. "Honestly, it was wonderful. My mum was the best!"

"What about your dad?" Tina asked.

"My dad?"

"Yes. Didn't he get you stuff?" Tina knew that Evie's father and mother had not lived together. She'd heard someone talk about it in town.

"No." Evie said and couldn't quite mask the pain.

"Why not?" Annie couldn't help but ask.

Evie had often wondered about that. She shrugged. When Tina and Annie continued to stare at her, Evie said, "I guess I wasn't important to him" Tina watched the emotions flit through Evie's eyes. Evie bit her lower lip and turned her head so that Tina and Annie could not see her expression. She felt the hurt explode as it always did. "I well, I didn't matter to him." She mumbled. She had hoped that reviewing that would not have the same impact. Surely as you get older, it would not matter.

"Why?" Tina frowned. "Is it because he has a family in Auckland?"

Evie turned her head around. "What?"

Tina squirmed. "Some girl in school said your dad had another family. Is that true?"

"Yes. He did." Evie agreed. "He had another family."

"Did they get presents?" Annie asked guilelessly.

"Yes. He lived with them. I understand he bought them presents." Evie knew that. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Ancient history!" With a determined shrug she turned to the older girl, and with a forced smile in her voice said, "Come on Tina, you haven't dug a bit since we started talking." Evie got to her feet, "You dig. I'll go get some water." Evie knew that she was close to tears. And the last thing she needed or wanted was the girls feeling uncomfortable.

She left the two girls watching her with a frown creasing their brows. And unknown to her she left Seth believing that his grandmother was right. He had treated Evie badly. It had never occurred to him that the cheap ring would be so pivotal. He had a silent discussion in his brain: Thank goodness he set up an account for her and how she spends the money is up to her.