When I finish at the bottle store I walk the block down the road to my car. I don't park it near the bottle store so Jeremy doesn't see it and ask me questions like,
"How on earth did you bag a car like that on minimum wage?!"
Or
"Jesus Lily did you win lotto and not tell me?"
Or, my favourite and the most likely question he'd ask,
"Where'd you steal that from?"
It's quite warm this afternoon, the sun is late setting and is still yet to hide behind the skyscrapers in the city. As always, I'm on high alert while walking. Checking for any black sedans, or hooligans like those boys who came to the store that time. But there's nothing. In fact I've been lucky with how quiet and unproblematic my life has been the last wee while.
When I get home I stare at the dusty boxes stacked in the corner and sigh. I know I need to start going through them, I've been putting it off for long enough. I finally think I'm ready emotionally for one box at a time at least.
I head to the kitchen and pull out a pair of scissors to cut the tape from the top of the boxes. I look at them for a moment, mentally preparing myself before taking the sharp scissors to the top box. The smell hits me immediately, floral scented roses with a strong lavender note and my eyes prick with tears. It's her smell. And for a moment it's like my Grandmother is with me in the room.
I gasp through the sobs wanting to rip from my chest and furiously wipe away the tears pooling in my eyes to open up the folded top of the box. A purple flowered dress lays at the top, it's soft to touch and I lift it and bury my face in the nostalgic scent it holds. Taking in deep breaths of her lingering smell, I bring the dress out of the box and set it down on my small couch and turn back for another item. There is all sorts in this particular box. A few more dresses, a woolly cardigan, gardening magazines, recipes cut from various magazines or books that are stuffed into a clear plastic sleeve. When I get deeper in the box a few more random items come into view. A large, old looking brown book that I notice is a photo album when I pull it from the bottom. It's very dusty and I place it on the ground beside me to collect the rest of the things from the box. Something is wrapped in news paper and when I unfold it it reveals a crystal flower ornament, a Lily. My tears well again remembering how happy my grandmother was when I got this for her one Christmas. She treasured it ever since so I find a home for the delicate keepsake on my shelf with my books.
Going back to the unpacking there's a small colourful wooden box at the very bottom and I retrieve it. The lid design is beautiful and I run my fingers over it to wipe off the dust. I don't recognise it at all, the lid looks to be hand painted. A teal background with a gold boarder, marigold flowers and two swallows are printed on the front. I know them to be swallows as they're similar to the ones inked on Seven's chest.
Curiously I open the box, teal velvet lines the inside and I realise this is a jewellery box. What catches my eyes first are a pair of thick, gold half hopped earrings. I pick one out to inspect it and notice the three tiny diamonds embedded down the front of the hoop. Next is a diamond tennis bracelet, the middle stone a polished carbonado. A matching gold and carbonado stone ring set on a thin band. A thicker, much larger gold band that looks more suited for a males finger although it too has a very tiny carbonado stone in the middle of it. I realise the two rings are a matching his and hers as I look over the box more closely, it's then that I see it. I hadn't noticed it before because it is so small. But engraved in a perfect cursive print on the very lip of the lid is my mother's name.
Evangelina.
This is my mother's jewellery box and her jewellery. The realisation has the box slipping from my fingers in shock. I have not seen nor heard my mothers name in a very, very long time. And to be holding something that belonged to her, that she herself had held is quite emotional. I take a better hold of the box so as not to drop it completely on the floor and instead sit it on my coffee table to stare at it.
My nose runs and I wipe it with the heel of my palm. I had not even realised that I'd started crying again. Between my grandmothers things and finding my mother's jewellery box, this has been more emotional than I had anticipated and I definitely won't be opening any of the other boxes tonight. I pinch my mother's ring between my fingers and realise this and the matching larger gold band must be my parents wedding rings. This has me crying in fits and I toss the rings back into the box and close the lid on the shiny jewels.
My knees come to my chest and I wrap my arms around them, hugging myself as I rock soothingly on the floor while I cry. I haven't cried like this for some time. Right when my grandmother passed I cried like this many times a day, it would drain me of all my energy but this cry is somewhat therapeutic. I've never properly grieved for my parents, I don't remember them enough to do it. There are no memories of them for me to dwell on, no specific mannerisms that remind me of them. I grew up with only a dull sadness when thinking of my parents. Mourning only what could have been, not what once was. But seeing something like their rings just hits a little harder. They had a life, they were in love and married. They were real.
I hold myself and wonder what life was like for them. How they may have met, when they first told each other they were in love, their wedding day, finding out about me. My birth. I wonder a lot about what they would be like now, how old they'd be, what their careers would be, the house they'd have that I'd be able to go home to during breaks at University like everyone else. I don't know how long I've been on the floor of my living room for when my phone buzzes. It's a text from Seven, telling me he's on his way to pick me up. I'd almost forgotten of our plans to go out for dinner and of me to stay at his home again. I suppose I should pack my overnight bag and shower the dried tears off my face.
I feel a lot better emotionally after my little break down and a hot shower. In fact when I change I decide on wearing my mother's earrings with my outfit. Whatever that outfit may be. Seven hasn't said where he's wanting to go for dinner so I'm not sure what to wear. My make up is done, my hair is tamed and so I sit on the living room floor in my underwear and my mother's gold hooped earrings and flip through old grainy photos of my grandmother when she was my age with people I don't know.
A heavy knock drums against my door signalling Seven's arrival and I close the photo album and skip excitedly to the door. I unlock my three locks before opening the door for him.
And there he is.
I swallow heavily so I don't drool. Seven is standing at my front door, his usual messy hair brushed back and tamed off his face. A light blue collared dress shirt is buttoned to the top and secured by black tie. A thin checkered brown and white full suit on; slacks, jacket and waistcoat all matching. His usual gold rings adorning his fingers that clutch a white box. For a moment I think it's a pizza box but it's a little deeper than that.
He looks hot. So bloody hot I can't decide if I want to rip his clothes off or keep them on.
I'm at a loss for words staring at the beautiful man in front of me. And what stuns me even more so is the way he's mirroring the same look on my face to me. I glance down and remember I am only in my underwear, my cheeks flush immediately.
"C-Come in." I step aside and let Seven in.
"Are you planning on wearing your underwear to dinner?" Seven chuckles and my red cheeks burn even more.
"No of course not. I just don't know what to wear yet. You haven't told me where we're going." I say and he grins, cheeky dimples notch his cheeks.
"I was hoping you'd say that." He bites on his bottom lip and hands me the white box.
"What is this?"
"Open it." He says grinning and I move to the couch to open it up. I lift the lid and move the crate paper to reveal the black fabric. I pull the garment out of the box and gasp.
"If you don't like it you don't have to wear it." Seven says as I hold the dress up to myself.
"No, no I love it! Let me just go try it on." I assure him and almost run to my bedroom. I pray that this fits me, it's already so gorgeous and I haven't even seen it on.
I remove my bra, as the dress is strapless and hangs off the sides of my arms. I slip it on, silently praying one last time before zipping it up. I could scream at how well it fits, it's practically moulding to my body and I do a small victory dance in relief. This is most definitely the most beautiful dress I have and will ever wear. It's expensive too, the real silk and designer label told me that.
I hold my breath and walk to my mirror to check if the image displayed back to me matches the feeling this dress gives me.
Holy shit.
I almost laugh at myself. There's no way this is me, in this dress. There's just no way. I've heard of women having their princess moments, especially while trying on wedding dresses but this most certainly is mine. The black silk drapes heavily across one arm, the other side is purposely less material making the garment look fluid in the way the silk falls. It's cinched at the waste, a band of mesh and boned corset around the middle. The silk then continues, falling off my hips and to the floor, a long slit parts the side showing my leg. I stare at myself for minutes and then grab a pair of strapped black heels of my own that pair with the dress perfectly.
I must have been in here for some time as I hear the faint rapping of knuckles against my bedroom door.
"Lily? Is everything alright?" Seven calls through the wooden door.
"Yes! Yes I'm coming!" I answer and with a breath open the bedroom door.
Seven's eyes almost pop out of their sockets and I take enjoyment in watching his reaction to me in the dress.
"It fits perfect." I beam at him but he can't seem to stop his eyes from raking up and down my body.
"Yeah, I see that." He comments biting down on his bottom lip, eyes finally meeting mine.
"You look stunning, Lilianna." Seven says, he doesn't smile but there is a warmth behind his eyes as he looks at me, I'm unfamiliar with the emotion behind his voice, pride maybe? I don't know.
"Thank you." I blink down at myself, unsure of how to accept his adoring attention.
"We should probably go then." He nods.
Seven takes my overnight bag for me, and am caught off guard when he places it in the small boot of a two seater car and not his usual SUV. He explains on the drive to our dinner that his car is getting fixed so he's driving this one for now. Apparently the top comes down but he keeps it up because it's a bit cold with it down at this time. I'm glad he does, although I would like to experience riding in it with the roof down, doing it now would blow out my hair and I'd turn up to dinner with hair as messy as Seven's usually is.
We drive through the city, Seven taking a route to down town that I've never been before and pull up outside a large building. It's at least twenty stories, probably more. It's grand and old, but the cars lining up outside of it are all brand new and sleek. The entrance is littered with lights, it's actually very beautiful.
Slowly Seven drives the car into the car bay at the entrance and two young men in dark green jackets and matching round hats open our doors for us.
"Good evening, madam." The guy nods to me, he can't be much older than I am, maybe even younger, but he offers his hand for me to get out the car.
"Thank you." I smile at him and notice his ears and cheeks turn bright red.
"Thanks lads, crash it for all I care." Seven jokes as he gets out the drivers side and the valet on his side laughs before hoping in to park the car.
"Shall we?" Seven puts on a fake posh accent and offers me his arm.
"We shall." I try my best to mimic the same voice he used and link my arm with his, gripping his bicep as we walk up the large steps to the building.
"Where are we?" I ask Seven as two more men dressed in the same green jackets open the doors for us to enter. The lights are bright but the room itself is dark. Bustling noise fills the huge space, machines chime and people cheer, coloured lights flash and tellers call for last bets.
"Welcome to the casino." Seven grins.
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