Jaded

[9] Liar, Liar

Eventually we make it into the house. Jay instantly heads for the kitchen while he tightly clutches the box. He's clearly got his priorities sorted. Atty and I, on the other hand, we're summoned to the basement. I haven't seen this part of the house yet, wonder what Collette is up to down here.

As we descend the narrow steps, Atty stops suddenly. My nose squishes into his shoulder blades and I groan. All I hear is a chuckle and he's off again, as if nothing happened. Oh, he wants a fight, does he? He has no idea how 'generous' I am. Bring it on buddy, all I've got is free time.

All thoughts of annoying Atty fly right out my head as soon as I round the corner and behold the beauty in front of me. 2/3 of the space is flooded with rolls of fabric and mannequins sporting the most beautiful dresses I've ever seen. Sequins, lace, and all the glitter in the world litter the floor.

To the back of the room I spot a mountain of royal blue silk and I have to remind myself that Collette probably won't appreciate me rolling around in the fabric.

The 1/3 of the room spared from seamstress spillage is packed with decorations for all holidays, ranging from Halloween to Christmas to Valentines day. One particular box catches my eye, it's filled with plastic skulls fitted within hollow hearts with creepy looking leprechauns wedged in between. From behind it I can make out the edges of a blonde ponytail bobbing to its own beat.

Sure enough, Collette's peeks out from the same box, grinning. She rummages through the box maze to get to us. Once she's close enough though, she frowns as her gaze lands on me.

Collette stares for a few seconds, lips parted in surprise. Finally, she turns to Atty and simply says, "you were supposed to prevent this."

She then shifts to move closer to me and gently strokes my cheek. "Aw honey are you okay? What happened?" she coos.

Atty sighs and scratches the back of his head, "it's nothing serious. We were leaving the store and she tripped."

That was his grand plan? To say that I tripped? I'm probably a better liar.

"But what about-"

Atty interrupts Collette immediately. "It's fine, nothing to worry about."

With that he runs back up the stairs. Oh right, he's having a bladder emergency. He had me so distracted with his trashy lying that I almost forgot.

Collette gestures for me to follow her deeper into the box cave. When we reach the middle, she starts handing me various pieces of decoration to put in a different box.

"We'll take these to the store tomorrow, since Halloween's coming up," she explains as she wrestles with a haphazard mummy.

With slow, deliberate movements, she puts the mummy down and faces me head on. Collette tucks a golden strand behind her ear and sniffles. "Is there anything I need to worry about?"

Uh oh.

"Because," she continues, "this is the first time Atty has lied to me in years."

Oops, I don't want to be the cause of anyone's rebellion. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. I'm actually glad, it's a good sign."

Whoa. My mama would be gawking right now if she heard this. Noticing the shock on my face, she giggles and adds, "I think he's opening up a bit."

Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. Atty's pretty much the world's most sturdy clam. Although, we did have a nice conversation recently so maybe Collette's right.

"Do you run a dress shop as well?" I ask, gesturing to the fabric explosion.

"Oh, no that's just a hobby. Those dresses don't see the light of day."