|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 4:17 pm
This couldn't be what he'd expected when she'd called to ask for his help the night before. But as she showed him in she skipped the usual parts of her house, barely giving him a tour in passing, to go straight to her bedroom. The door to the large area was open and she stared into the cavern with a small frown and her hands on her hips, defiant. She'd conquer the mess if it killed her. Her closet seemed less than impressed with her spunk and seemed even more daunting to go through.
Every year, as was tradition, she wanted to give back to the community and empty her closet of older clothes or things no longer in style that Harmony wouldn't borrow. The women could exchange clothes and did share occasionally. Kyndall had a bit more of a figure than her daughter but still filled out the clothes well enough that they didn't stretch unnecessarily. It was the nice thing about having a daughter with similar tastes to her own. She gave the excess to charity and was happy to do it. The Mayor's charity drive was a perfect cause and the man to her side just happened to have a bin in his workplace.
See? She wasn't much of an airhead, was she?
She glanced over at him over her shoulder. "Well, shall we?"
She realized this wasn't much of a job for a guy as he had no opinion about style or versatility in women's fashion. He was, however, her friend and a hard worker. She was confident between them that they could tackle it. Of course she'd treat him like any girlfriend and probably confound him senseless with questions he might not begin to know how to answer but as insurance against this, or perhaps as incentive to endure, she had a bottle of wine sitting nearby with two glasses.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 5:23 pm
Tony tried to get a feel for the place, but he was herded to her room as soon as he had arrived, and he didn't have much of a chance to adjust his bearings. He looked around once he was allowed to stop, though, and blinked at the task that stood before them.
When he offered to help her clear out her closet to find things to donate, he had imagined something like his own closet. Orderly, everything in its place, maybe too few clothes hanging on the hangers at the moment. True enough, some of his stuff was still in boxes and more of it was waiting to be washed on top of the washing machine, but he still kept things far more ordered than this chaos seemed to be.
He looked at her with the sneaking suspicion that he had been tricked.
But he was the one to agree to help, and not take notes.
"Ah, I think you should tell me what I need to do here. The last thing I want to do is donate something you wear every day, or is some sort of heirloom you could never part with." He looked at her, skeptical now, seeing her impressive and imposing closet, that he could be of any help to her. He would try, though, as best he could.
"You lead, anyway. There might be something alive in there."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 12:46 pm
"Don't be ridiculous, Tony." she chided, stepping inside the closet. She turned around slowly, trying to get an idea of where to start. It wasn't that she spent a lot on clothes but somehow they seemed to build up anyway. Clothes, shoes, Accessories. They all were piled everywhere. She'd done that the night before to try and help their efforts and only made things look worse. There were clothes she had hanging up, tops and skirts that were classic standbys that she would never get rid of.
Her closet didn't usually look like this but she doubted she'd ever get him to believe that ever again.
"Here, bring me that box."
They'd probably fill it before they were through. She kept all her clothes in remarkably good condition despite how often some pieces were worn. It was Harmony that tended to coffee stain or stretch them in her day to day life but having a school uniform had helped with that. In the back of her closet was a single rack with a few large dresses in bags for special events - art shows, dances, weddings. One bag in particular held the dress she'd had hand made for a ball she planned to put on for charity after the drama club production of King Arthur.
She picked up a pair of shoes, pretty floral purple ones, and studied them. Normally she'd ask her daughter if she should keep them or if she liked the color, but Harmony had to work today and wasn't helping. She doubted Tony would have an opinion that would help. His opinions were male, probably. Short one or two word answers. Still, as she put them in the box she couldn't help but start a one sided monologue of her thoughts. This was normal.
"Oh! I wore these to the art show I met Alexandre at! He's so cute and I love that painting he gave me. It seems like such a shame to get rid of these but then again I'm getting rid of the dress I wore them with so it doesn't seem right to keep them unless I kept them both but if I did that I'd never get rid of anything."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:02 am
Tony watched her as she disappeared into the closet, thinking she had just stepped into some hellish dimension. He was going to have to follow her, just to pull her out of there so nothing ate her or she didn't get lost forever. Of course, she had a map to the place, as it were, while he would be stumbling blind.
He frowned, standing where he was, not moving to save her. Even his hero complex had its limits, and cavernous closest full of women's clothes seemed to be one of them.
But he was bound by his word. He'd promised to help.
"Box, right," he said, moving to do something he at least knew he couldn't mess up. He grabbed the box with gusto and delivered it like a champion empty box mover. He then took up standing again, watching her helplessly. He almost asked if she needed another box.
"You have one pair of shoes for one dress?" he asked, which he immediately felt was probably a very stupid and manly thing for him to ask. Still, that was all he had gotten out of the story she shared with him, and his mind was stuck there. It certainly made sense, if that were the case, as to why her closet looked so full.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:23 am
She looked at him when he spoke and for a few fleeting seconds resembled a deer in front of oncoming headlights. She knew how differently men and women viewed clothing most of the time but here was yet another example of that difference brought to light. It never made sense to her but that was probably why she thought men's fashion was so boring. There wasn't much in the way of variation to it. Short of going back to togas or kilts it had pretty much always been some sort of pant and a shirt for them. Not so for women.They were the lucky ones.
"Well, yeah." she replied slowly, as if he were a child she had to explain a simple concept to. It all made perfect sense to her. She didn't know why he didn't get it, too. "It was a special occasion and nothing else I had matched the dress."
The fact that he was so manly in his thinking, and helpless, actually charmed her. She was hopeless for him. Truly and stupidly hopeless. But she was glad he was here to help and noticed he hadn't yet crossed the threshold into the closet itself. At that she chuckled softly, wondering if he thought the place would eat him up if he stepped over the line or drag him into closet hell for getting too close. Neither was true, of course; she was a living example of that.
"At some point you might actually, I don't know, get close to the clothing?"
Thankfully everything she didn't want him to see was tucked away carefully so that neither of them had the potential for that sort of embarrassment. That was the last thing she wanted to think about and could have been disaster if she hadn't thought about it the night before. Slinky nightgowns were all well and good when you wanted to feel desired but not so much when you have a male friend over goodly enough to help you with charity work.
"My date went well," she ventured, changing the topic entirely, "in case you were wondering. Dave and I have a lot in common. We took in that new art show at the gallery. He's asked me out again for this weekend. I haven't actually dated in ages, Tony. I'm convinced I'm going to blunder it up completely."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 5:55 pm
Tony looked at her dejectedly when she spoke as if it was all too easy, and he was an idiot for not knowing. Of course, she hadn't meant to imply that, and he didn't really feel that way, but he shuffled and nodded his head dumbly.
"Right. Shoes to match the dress. I understand."
He looked down at this feet, wondering about his old shoes, feeling weird knowing they were one of the few pairs he owned. Did that mean he should have far less clothes? No, things were getting too complicated. She lived by her rules, and he lived by his. At least where dress codes were involved.
Granted, he didn't have much of one.
"Well, yes, I mean..." he stammered, then scooted closer. She was right, to be helpful he would have to be closer, and he tried not to look like he was actually scared of the fight against her closet. He held one of the boxes for her dutifully. He listened as she spoke about Dave, nodding his head and smiling.
"That sounds like it was nice. I'm sure you'll be just fine. You're very casual and easy to relate to, I'm sure that's why Dave asked you out again. Just be yourself, and you'll be just fine. An old cliche, but there it is."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:50 pm
Dave. Safe, sweet Dave. She almost felt a little sorry for him all things considered. She didn't expect them to work out in the end but maybe they would and who knows? It could grow into something more than it began with. She certainly hoped so. And Tony's advice was taken to heart. She was being herself with him and they did have fun together. Maybe that was enough. Maybe that was all there is. Maybe.
"I know you're right, of course." she commented, pitching a few shirts into the box that she'd never cared for much but Harmony brought home for her on one of her thrift shop outtings. It wasn't long before his box was full of clothes and shoes of all kinds and she was working on another. She didn't get a lot of big boxes, just in case. They could get heavy.
She noticed Tony still wasn't actually inside of the closet and decided to let it go, rifling through the built in closet drawers of tee shirts and sports wear. She kept most of her clothing in good shape, mostly cause she had so much of it but most everything she bought was second hand before it came to her. Some things she improved, hemmed, redesigned but most everything wasn't new. Expect for the occasional dress or skirt or pair of shoes she couldn't live without. Trying to clothe two fashion conscious women would be expensive otherwise.
By the time she filled the second box she was ready for a break and some wine and offered him the first glass of red. There wasn't much more she could get rid of, anyway. Her closet looked infinitely cleaner and more manageable. Maybe she'd help Harmony tackle hers later on in the week. She went and sat on her bed with her glass, smiling at him and letting him steer conversation since she'd already alienated him with talk of girly things.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:23 am
Tony moved the completed box into the bedroom, out of the way of their work, labeling it and closing it just so they didn't get confused. He liked to be ordered, at least in things like this. His attention to organization had been in turmoil recently, between bouts of falling behind at work and simply lacking the time to put in as much energy as he usually did to keep things organized.
At the moment, though, he could afford the small extra effort.
Returning to the closet, he took up his job as box holder again, letting her sift through the items themselves as he was certain he would just be asking her about everything anyway. How did he knew what would be donate-able? Even ruined looking clothes could have sentimental value and he would have no idea.
Nope, safer to just hold the box.
He did the same for the second box as he did the first, moving it to join the other one before he took the glass of wine she offered. "Thank you," he said with a smile. He wasn't sure what to talk about, and didnt know he was charged with finding a topic, so he sipped at his wine and watched her for a long moment before the silence became too much.
"So... ah..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 12:49 pm
“You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty today, you realize.” She mused, staring at him over the rim of her wine glass. She was only sipping at it. Reds were very strong for her tastes. Not many men she knew would brave a woman’s closet for the call of friendship. Even if he’d been awkward and only held boxes he kept her motivated by being there and he organized things as best he could. She couldn’t ask for more expect maybe someone who could respond to her girlish monologue.
Still, when all was said and done most men would rather do anything than tackle a project like this. She admired him for it and thought it was unbelievably sweet. She was content to sit in her own musings for a while and realized he looked a bit awkward still. This was the only big project she had planned for the day.
“Why don’t we round out the afternoon? I’ll make dinner and you can pick a movie?”
That was, of course, unless he had plans already for his afternoon. They could take in the donations the next day without too much trouble. For now it was nice to feel accomplished and take a break from her normally busy schedule. What was more normal than hanging out with a friend? She had tons of movies on shelves scattered about, DVD and VHS. Along with books and manuscripts. She wasn't too bad in the kitchen, either. Hardly gourmet but with children you learn to prepare basic things and make them your own.
"I can make pasta or meatloaf."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 12:35 pm
Tony felt like he was being teased, and he eyed her over the rim of his glass skeptically. That look in her eyes confirmed, at least to him, that she was mocking him but he took it in good spirits, nodding his head and lowering his glass.
"Oh, yes, I feel I've done a service here today. Without me, who would have held those boxes for you?"
At least he hadn't dropped one.
"Pasta or meatloaf? I've not had meatloaf in a long time," of course, he hadn't had anything close to 'real' home cooking in what amounted to most of his life at this point. Easy, frozen, or fast foods were the name of the game around the Darrow household. So maybe her child had made her pick up some skills, but since he hadn't had to raise his, the skills were lacking.
Much to his own shame.
He smiled, accepting her offer, thinking it might be nice to unwind and not have to worry about anything save whether the movie they chose was terrible or not.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 11:41 pm
"I'm serious!" she protested, meaning it. She was trying not to laugh at his self deprecating remarks or imagine the closet eating him alive as he seemed to fear. She was mostly failing in this, snickering when she let herself dwell on the mental imagery. It was not helping her prove her sincerity in complimenting him. "Not many guys I know would even go into a girlfriend's closet to sift through it. Let alone a friend's."
No matter where you sat on the issue of gender equality men and women just seemed to have this wall between them on issues of fashion and clothing. She considered Tony well groomed, handsome, and able to take care of himself. She didn't, however, think he'd ever be the type of man to track fashion trends or buy shoes to match an outfit, even for a wedding. It wasn't wrong, or bad, just different.
"Meatloaf it is." she smiled at him from underneath her bangs and then directed him to the wall o' movies where he could find releases from every era he liked, every genre imaginable. Whatever he wanted. She disappeared into the kitchen a while to make meatloaf smothered in mushroom gravy with mashed potatoes and corn. The great thing about meatloaf was that it would keep for when Harm came home and was easily reheated. It was her mother's recipe she followed and was happy with the outcome.
She left the bottle of wine with him while he waited and once everything was cooking properly she came back out to check on him.
"Find anything?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:37 pm
"Well, I suppose I'm not like most guys. No, I think that's very obvious," he sighed. He knew he was not brawny or tough like most guys, for one, and he was a bit of a wuss when it came to social things. He was very awkward, and the movies always liked to imply that 'real' men were confident.
Tony smiled though, shaking his head.
"I didn't do much to help you, anyway. I was just holding boxes. Still, I appreciate the offer of dinner. I'll take what home made food I can get, to be honest. We don't cook much in the Darrow household."
He wandered to the movie wall, feeling more at ease, at least. He looked over the titles thoughtfully, though there were many he did not recognize. He felt obligated to pick something, though, and he basically took a movie from the shelf at random and hoped it wasn't something embarrassing.
When she returned from cooking, he offered her the movie. Yes, it had taken him that long to come to the conclusion of doing it randomly.
"I ah... I'm not very familiar with a lot of the movies you have. So I thought any of them would be better than anything I've seen recently." He chuckled sheepishly. He had a bit more wine, and was feeling contentedly loose.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 2:19 pm
"At least you picked something funny."
It was an older movie but one she enjoyed. By older, of course, she meant made before either of them were born. Possibly before their parents were born. But it was charming and in color, remastered, and she sat down on the couch after popping it in. She took up her wine glass and took a few long sips from it, feeling relaxed and content. She wasn't at all surprised to learn the Darrows weren't big on cooking. They were both bachelors and she knew Tony wasn't home often. She didn't know about Nathan's habits but she could imagine a teenage boy probably had girls on the brain and wasn't much at home, either. Harm was rarely home if she could help it.
She sat well away from him, careful of boundaries though it might have been nice to snuggle up to him instead. She wasn't sure what their limits were as friends and preferred not to make them uncomfortable by testing them. They were having a good day. Besides, if she got really comfortable there she wouldn't want to get up and she still had food cooking.
She watched the credits and let herself relax, thinking about the day and how nice it felt to do something productive. Before she knew it her timer went off and her glass of wine was empty and she was very calm indeed. She got up, leaving him to enjoy the movie with witty bantering. Dialogue was so much better in older movies, she found. She finished up the few things she had left to do and then served them both. She didn’t mind eating on the couch. Things were very informal in the Rosen household unless it was a special occasion.
“I hope you like it.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:45 pm
Tony moved to sit with her, though not too close. He was aware she was scooted well away from him and imagined that to be her personal choice and her safety net. He wasn't going to break the boundaries she set up, even though she was actually trying to do the same for him.
Maybe they both worried too much.
In any case, he was feeling relaxed and he found he smiled easily, enjoying the movie and just spending time doing something different from his routine. It was nice having friends, he remembered, and being able to just hang out with them.
"Oh, it looks and smells delicious," he said, drawing his eyes from the tv as she put the food down for him. He looked a little perplexed. "You don't mind eating in the living room?" He supposed it wasn't surprising. It wasn't like he sat up to table for every meal, and he certainly didn't ask Nate to do it.
Still, he didn't want to make a mess, or for her to risk her couch for him because she felt obligated to. He'd follow her house rules to the letter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 5:39 pm
"Sure, why not?"
She found they rarely used the table except in formal instances because neither of the Rosen girls were usually in the house at the same time on the best of occasions, let alone for meals. They usually ate alone, separately, and went about their business. Kyndall spent many nights with her plate on the side table and a book under her gaze while her food got cold. She'd pick at it and read and then finally give up and put things away. That was the norm and she wasn't about to try and make them eat at the table when they were trying to watch a movie.
Besides, she didn't want to pretend to be anything other than who she really was around him.
"Don't worry about it, Tony. I trust you be able to eat over your plate like any civilized adult can."
She set her plate on the couch arm and turned her attention back to the movie, taking prim bites every once in a while. She might actually eat a full meal because she could watch a movie and eat at the same time. Reading a book and eating was harder to balance. He was right, it had turned out pretty good. She was grateful for that because it made a better impression on him. This was his first experience with her cooking.
"Save room for dessert." she warned.
She snuck sideways glances at him to see if he was enjoying the movie as well as the food. She didn't entertain often. Ms. Lowell was the extent of their extended family. He had a small family and so did she. It made no sense for them to be alone on Christmas. Though they had each other but she didn't know their relationship. From what he made mention of it didn't seem very close.
"Tony, I don't suppose you and Nathan would like to join Harmony and I for Christmas this year, would you? Unless, of course, you have plans. We'd love to have you both for dinner."
She was assuming Harmony's complicity in this, of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
