Lolita's Perception

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚗

Tuesday: June 12th |1947|
For the very first time since summer's began, Mother finally agreed to drive all the way up to Hourglass Lake. Of course, Humbert ended up coming along with us. He always seems to be hanging around now. No matter what. Not that I mind too much...

By four o'clock that afternoon, our seemingly endless drive had finally come to an end.
I hopped right out of the backseat before Mother had even gotten a chance to turn the car's engine off, almost immediately soaking in the atmosphere of what I like to think of as just about the most fantastical place in the whole wide world.

Even with a sparse trail of wispy white clouds speckling the sky, late afternoon sunbeams shone high above the dense towering pines, and the bittersweet scent of sap hung heavy in the fresh mountain air. Luminescent rays of light sparkled against the lake's emerald blue water, making it look like a witch's potion swirling around and around in a great big cauldron at least twice the size of a football field.

"I think it's just wonderful that we're able to take a trip out here as a family—don't you, Monsieur Humbert?" Mother wistfully remarked as the three of us made our way along the lilac lined path hidden by dense pines, eventually leading us down the cerulean lake. Humbert and I stayed a few steps behind her the entire time, his hand lingering against mine every now and again.

"A family!?" I retorted back in complete disgust.

"Oh, you know what I mean..." she glanced back at Humbert for a moment or two, sighing as we reached the sun bleached dock. "You, mon chérie, certainly know what I mean...don't you?"

The tone in her voice was so pathetic, it almost made me feel bad.

...Almost.

Humbert cleared his throat, obviously evading her question. He instead glanced at me, slowly leaning forward until his eyes met with mine.

"What do you say we get this picnic started?" he playfully asked. A soft, charming grin crept across his face, instantly causing me to beam just as wide. I couldn't help it. His smile is just so nice that it makes you wanna do the same. I never knew a look on someone else's face could make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

"I say, let's do it!" I replied, giggling as his fingers lightly tickled at my sides.

"Don't you think we ought to chat for awhile—" mother began, before I quickly cut in: "Mother, you know I hate when the food sits around getting all hot and mushy in that dirty old bag!"

"I just had this bag dry-cleaned last week!" she gasped, clearly offended. "Besides, you really mustn't be so picky."

"I'll be picky if I want to!" I exclaimed with a mischievous smile, pulling the gingham picnic blanket out of her bag and carelessly tossing it onto the grass next to the dock.

With a disgruntled sigh, Mother bent down to straighten it out. She quickly stood back up, wiping her hands on the skirt of her dress as glared down at me.

"When will you ever learn...hmm??"

Her voice was condescending. Mocking, even.

I just glared at her, rolling my eyes as I tumbled down onto the picnic blanket without a care in the world.

I could tell Mother was about to start yelling, but Humbert took a seat right next to me before she got a chance to. After that, she couldn't do a thing besides try and squeeze in between the two of us. I could help but laugh a little. To think that this time, she was trying to break us up.