Little White Lie

Chapter 5

|5|

•Charlotte•

A knock on the door made me turn to it as I helped Dad wear his sweater. He had worn it the wrong way round. 

"I'll get it." Mary said as she walked out of the kitchen and towards the door. "Hey darling." I heard her say as dad smiled at me and leaned down to kiss me on the head. 

"Do you need any money?" He asked me with a smile on his face as I grinned at him and shook my head. He nodded and sat down in his usual chair. I needed to take him out for a walk around the neighbourhood soon. 

"I'll see you later, dad." I wrapped my arm around him tightly, and he hugged me back just as I saw Lizzie enter the room. 

"Morning, Uncle Steve." She smiled a little and dad, with hope in her eyes that he would remember her. 

I wanted Lizzie to visit him as much as she could, so he could have a familiar face other than myself and Mary. We had spent the summer together, her family visiting my dad, helping me while I worked. 

"Lizzie." Dad smiled at her as he outstretched his arms. She grinned happily that he still remembered her and hugged him tightly. "How are you? How are your dad and mom?" 

The smile vanished a little from her face. Lizzie's dad had left her when she was four years old. Dad had forgotten but she plastered the smile on her face again. "They're good, and Daniel misses you." She told him about her little brother. 

Dad nodded with a smile on his face. "Will you join us for dinner tonight? I'll be making your favourite." He asked her and Lizzie nodded. 

Lizzie and I walked out of the living room and waved goodbye at Mary as we walked out of the house. The cold air breezes through my hair that I had decided to leave down. I pulled my jacket closer to me, knowing it might rain today and walked towards her car. 

"I'm going to be staying behind with Mr Collins today for my session, so I can't drive you home." Lizzie told me as we sat inside her car. 

"You have one today?" I questioned as she started the car and indicated. She pulled out of her parking space and nodded. 

"They called mom, reminding her the sessions started." She mumbled as she turned left. 

Lizzie went to after school sessions with a teacher every other week to catch up on her work. They wanted to make sure she was understanding what they were teaching. She couldn't focus on the normal subjects but Lizzie was a superb dancer and an artist. She loved drawing and designing clothes. It was her hobby but the only problem was she couldn't express herself in school because they didn't provide any of those classes. She was determined to get into a good college so she could become a dancer and a fashion designer. 

"Just tell him the same thing you've been telling them last year. You've got a beautiful best friend who is willing to help you understand everything so you don't need their help." I flickered my hair over my shoulder, as she winked at me. 

Lizzie laughed as she pulled into the school car park. "I'll let him know." She parked her car and switched it off. I picked up my bag near the seat and stepped out of the car. The sun was shining down but the wind was blowing my hair all over. Wrong day to have my hair down.