I never thought about how there wasn’t a big difference between being in Italy and here… that bothers me a lot more than I figured it would. She never really lied before, but I guess if she had, how would I know, huh? I’ll have to think about it. I was pissed off for so long after… I made myself stop. I’ve been pissed enough. I’m done with it.
You’ve never… ever… had a boyfriend?
The bugs aren’t the worst they’ve ever been, but they’re still bad enough.
What kind of dresses are you working on now? Wedding or ice-skating?
-Aaron
P.S. That’s not your mom.
From: [email protected]
Date: November 26, 2008 12:38 a.m.
To: [email protected]
Subject: Gross, Yes and Yessss
Aaron,
Do you have to stay on top of a lot of your soldiers? You’re a noncommissioned officer, aren’t you? If a mouse got into my bin, I would throw everything away. :) Can you set up traps to catch them?
That’s 100 percent my mom. She’s 51. I’m sending a picture of her and my dad when I was a kid. She hasn’t aged, has she?
That’s nice of your friends to go visit. Do you think you’ll ever end up back in Shreveport? I hope I’m not being rude asking, but why don’t you stay with your dad when you go?
A LOT of body paint was what it took to pull off the Diva costume, and a bodysuit that I had to special order and almost ruined twice. That was the most stressful design of my life. The material was a nightmare. I would rather make my sister a dozen one-hundred-hour dresses than ever make that costume again. I’ll attach a picture of the opera suit. It’s hanging in my closet. My best friend was really into makeup effects and helped me do it.
I feel like a jerk for bursting your bubble with your ex. I shouldn’t have said anything, but who knows what she might have lied to you over. People say “everything happens for a reason.” I’m not sure if that’s true, but it was probably for the best. Maybe. If a little distance is all that it takes to tear a relationship apart, that should tell you something. Anybody would be mad. There’s nothing wrong with that.
If you want to get technical, I’ve had one boyfriend… in elementary school. Damon White. We were together for all of a week.
I’m working on two dresses right now. One is a wedding dress for my aunt’s shop that she was having a lot of problems with, and she asked me to take over. The other thing I’m working on is for an eight-year-old who might win a gold medal in the future. I’ll attach pictures of them after the one of my parents. The ice-skating one is my favorite. I like doing those more than wedding dresses, but don’t tell anyone I said that. What do you think?
My dad is coming to visit tomorrow for a few days. I’m excited.
-Ruby
P.P.S. Promise that’s my mom.
From: [email protected]
Date: November 28, 2008 12:15 p.m.
To: [email protected]
Subject: More Lies
Ruby,
I am an NCO. Most of the men under me have their “stuff” together, but I still check on them all the time. If I failed to remind them about something, even if it’s something I would assume they wouldn’t forget, I’d never forgive myself. If I tried to throw anything else away other than the ramen packets they got into, the other soldiers would dig through the trash for it. I used some of the baby wipes you sent to clean everything up. It’s all good… least until I get sick.
Now you’re lying. There is no way the woman in that picture is 51. She looks like she’s in her thirties. She’s your sister, isn’t she?
We’ll go with nice to describe my friends. Heh.
It’s just easier to stay with Max. My dad turned my old room into a workout room.
That costume looks like it’s straight from the movie. Have you thought about going into costume design for movies? What else have you got?
You didn’t do anything wrong. Thanks for saying something. I’m over it all now for the most part, but… goddamn, Ruby. It was rough. I was so pissed after she e-mailed me… but you made a good point. I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately… not like that but in general… and there’s a million different times I can think back on now and realize how fishy the things she’d do and say were. Who she would be hanging out with… why she wouldn’t answer the phone when I called… Maybe I’m imagining it, but I’ve got this gut feeling. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry about it all over again. I hate feeling like a dumbass. I’ve been in enough shit relationships, you’d figured I’d know and be used to it by now.
Don’t think I haven’t noticed you being vague about your boyfriend situation. It only makes me more curious. Why haven’t you dated anyone? By the time I was 23, I’d had… a lot of girlfriends.
The wedding dress is all right if you’re into those giant princess dresses… are you? I like the skating dress a lot more. Does work ever slow down for you or do you always have something to work on?
^^You don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.
Hope you’re having fun with your dad.
-Aaron
P.S. Tell me the truth about that picture of your “mom.” You’re pulling my leg, right?
From: [email protected]
Date: November 29, 2008 2:22 a.m.
To: [email protected]
Subject: Lies? Never (Not Anymore)
Aaron,
I’m picturing you as a momma bear with your soldiers, but if your nagging keeps them alive, they can deal with it. It’s a lot of responsibility, isn’t it? Have you thought about doing school and becoming an officer? Maybe you’ve already done school. I hate to generalize and assume.
Lol! No! I’ll attach a picture of my older sister. They’re almost identical, but you can tell my mom is the older one. I’ll give you that; they look like sisters. Cross my heart she’s in her early fifties. It’s all good genes, facial products, and she claims it’s helped that she’s never smoked anything in her life and doesn’t drink more than wine at dinner.
I might have believed you and your friends were good until you decided to use “nice.” You’re full of it, and it isn’t pizza you’re full of. You and your friends got into all kinds of mess when you were younger, didn’t you?
I’ve attached a couple more pictures of cosplay costumes I’ve done and still have. One is the female version of Ghost Rider and the other is Darth Maul. They’ve both been hanging in my closet for years. I think I might see about selling them online. I’ve done that for other costumes I’ve done and knew I’d never use again. There’s a lot more girls who like cosplaying than you would think…. There’s also a lot of parents with senses of humor who are willing to buy costumes for their kids.
I’m not creative enough to do costume design full time, plus… relying on big gigs to get paid is intimidating. What if I can’t find work consistently enough? Or what if I can’t come up with ideas? At the rate I’m going, I know that one day when I’m ready to move out, I can afford to have my own little place (with a roommate) and still eat with my jobs right now. It’s good enough for me.
No one likes to feel like a dumbass. Do you really think she cheated on you?
I should’ve known you’d keep bringing up the boyfriend thing. No, I have never ever, ever in my life been in a relationship with someone. I’ve gone on a few dates, but that’s all. I was into this guy for a long time. It wasn’t until recently that I decided I wanted to try and really date someone who wasn’t him.
How many girlfriends is a lot?