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Turning the knob, I crack open the door and see Violet on the other side. “Oh, hi.” I open the door to let her in.
She turns around, picking two large shopping bags off the ground and hauling them in with her. “Girl, these are heavy as hell.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” I grab one from her and drag it inside. “What the hell is in here?”
“Clothes.” She drops the bag and sighs, dropping her hands on her hips.
“Clothes? For who?”
She looks at me like I’m dense. “Uh, for you guys?” She phrases it like a question.
“For me? Why? From who? You?”
She rolls her eyes. “Aziel sent me on a shopping spree yesterday. I’ve got to tell you, shopping for Lilah was super fun, but you? Not so much. What the hell is your style? I was torn between biker bitch or hippy.”
I burst out a laugh. “Um, neither I think. I don’t know. Why did you get all this stuff?”
“Because you’ll smell like shit if you keep wearing the same thing over and over again?”
“Well, obviously. I understand a couple outfits, maybe, but this is like an entire new wardrobe. Where did he get the money?”
She snorts. “Money isn’t an issue with them, trust me.”
I grab the oversized bag at my feet and start looking through the clothes. “This is too much.” So many clothes. Nice clothes, too. Not clothes from Target or the Gap like I used to get. Not that these are fancy or high-end clothes like I had in Mexico by any means, but they’re nice, brand name clothes. Harley Davidson, Urban Outfitters. If I had to pick out a style, I think these would be it, too.
“That’s what I thought too, but when I passed Aziel on my way up here, he seemed to think it wasn’t enough.”
I balk at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
She shakes her head. “You haven’t seen nothing yet. Come look at this, Lilah.”
Violet walks over to the window, and I hesitantly follow her over. Peeking outside into the yard, I see Charlie and a couple other guys, none I’ve met before, setting up a fucking swing set. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I say, complete shock rolling through me.
“That’s what I said! But, honestly girl, it’s nice having another girl around. And people seem to be happy having a little kid around, too. Makes us feel more human. Let Aziel do this for you.”
“But… but I don’t know. It seems like too much. I feel like this is more than I deserve. Shouldn’t I be doing something for you guys? For Aziel? He’s the one who saved me.”
Violet says nothing.
“Why would he do this for me?” I whisper to myself.
“I think it’s obvious. He’s got the hots for you.” She laughs.
“Maybe so. But having the hots for someone doesn’t mean you buy an entire store worth of clothes and a damn swing set.” I wave out the window to poor Charlie who looks like he wants to pull his hair out.
“Well, maybe he wants more than your ass.” She shrugs. My eyes widen and I look over at Lilah, who thankfully didn’t hear her. She is in awe as she presses her palms on the worn wood of the windowsill. Her nose is pressed against the glass, and her breath fogs the window with each puff of breath. “Sorry, I’m not used to having kids around. I’ll work on it.”
I walk over and pick out the first outfit I can find for Lilah. “Lilah, let’s get you dressed.” I slip on a pair of blue shorts and a white shirt with a sun on it. “Cute.” I tickle her belly.
“Lilah, let’s go get something to eat and let your mom get ready.” She reaches her hand out to Lilah, which Lilah grabs easily.
“I won’t be long, Lilah.” Sadness hits me as she walks out the door without a care in the world. It’s too familiar. Her leaving me. Someone else taking care of her. I feel guilty, and a little spoiled after being able to spend every waking moment with her the last couple days.
“It’s not a date.” I tell myself once I’m alone. “Just going out for a little while.”
I search through the bag of clothes and find a pair of jean shorts and a an ivory loose tank top. It cuts off right at my belly button, and the shorts are snug, accentuating my curves and butt. I frown at the dresses in the bag. I could go the rest of my life without ever wearing a dress again.
I rush to the bathroom, brush my messy waves out and pull it into a side braid. After I brush my teeth, I realize I have nothing else to do. I don’t have any makeup here, and it feels good to not have to wear any. I’m so used to be dolled up to look like a barbie, it’s refreshing to be natural for once.
