If Love Is Blind

four

CLARET KNEW I HAD mere suspicions when she asked to work at the library by herself. I reiterate, she is a terrible liar. She had always been interested in reading, yes, but working at the library by herself meant she could not read. In other words, she had never liked it. So my questions arose; why did she now?

I followed her through the back door to find out what she was doing. With her back towards me, she stood on her tippy-toes on a stack of hardcover encyclopedias, attempting to reach out for Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet with all her mighty efforts. A small laugh escaped my lips. I walked towards her and grabbed it from the tall shelf. She was startled, clearly caught with a lie weaved up her sleeves.

I eyed the book. "What'd you need that for?"

She gulped and fiddled with her small fingers, looking everywhere but my eyes. "I - I was going to read it to Kaden, you know, since he can't read and all that."

Once again, my heart warmed with happiness and collapsed against her sorry eyes. Without much thought to it, I handed her the book. She looked as though I had given her the biggest treasure ever, nothing but a wide smile signifying a reaction. I didn't need anymore than that; seeing her happy was my biggest treasure.

"You bring it back well, alright?"

She stormed off the store in two quick seconds and I kneeled down to pick up the mess she had made. Soon after, the bell to the shop rang again, and she rushed in at me to plant a kiss on my cheek.

"Thanks, Grandpa," and she was out of the door in the blink of an eye.

I swear she was growing, but deep inside, she was still a little girl.

CLARET READ THE FIRST act of Shakespeare's classic to Kaden before realizing that something was just not right.

She stopped reading very abruptly, and Kaden waited for a while before he asked, "Why did you stop?"

Claret looked out through the window, wondering how long it had been since he sat down with nature. Judging by the color of his skin, not anytime soon.

"Let's go outside," she said. Kaden's smile was quickly thrown out by a frown, which he later fixed with a nervous laugh.

"I don't know, Claret."

She insisted. "Come on! It will be fun!"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think my mother would allow that."

Claret smiled even wider, a small, evil plan popping into her mind. "She doesn't need to find out."

In a few quick steps she was up on her feet and had her shoes on. She grabbed the blanket that layed under the pillow under her arm and reached out for Kaden soon after, who was panicking fervently. She put a hat over his head to ensure he didn't get sunburnt, and she soon brought him to his feet and attempted to hurry him out the door. She failed, of course, but nothing she ever did was half done.

When she opened the door, many people were passing through the hallway. She sighed, knowing they were going to get caught in no time.

"There's too many people," she said, "Is there another way out?"

Kaden sighed. "There's a bathroom door."

Claret hurried to the door, but found no way to escape. Her fool's paradise seemed to be more unreachable by the second. But I knew, from the moment she told me this story, what she was going to do in the end, for I know my Claret like the back of my hand.

"The window!" She exclaimed.

And upon hearing this, of course, Kaden continued his well-established panic attack. "No, no, no. A thousand times no. Never. Leave it, forget it, never."