Willfully Blind

CHAPTER 27 Halloween

Lisa and Daryn pulled up to Tangie's house at nearly the same time. Trying to make a genuine effort to connect, Lisa lingered outside her truck, waiting for Daryn.

"Hey, Lisa." Daryn approached, arms extended. "How are you?"

"I'm well. How about you?" Lisa asked, surprised to find her reaching out for a hug.

"I'm good. Just looking forward to hanging out with the girls." Both noticed the herd of children headed in their direction. Picking up their pace, they reached the door, and Lisa rang the doorbell. Tangie opened the door and her eyes widened when she saw the group of children approaching her walkway.

"Whoa! We went from having three kids all night to thirty at one time. Come on in. Lisa, can you hold Cydni for me?"

"Of course. Oh, my goodness, she looks so adorable, Tangie! I don't know if I've ever seen a ladybug costume before."

Lisa took Cydni into her arms and planted a few kisses on her cheek. Easing back, Cydni stared at Lisa for a moment and then attempted to jab her entire hand into her own mouth.

Once things got started, it felt like the continual stream of children would never end. Dana arrived with her sons, Andrew and Joshua not long after Lisa and Daryn got there. Tangie and Dana left to take the kids out, leaving Lisa and Daryn behind to pass out goodies. Tangie had situated two stools in the foyer for them to sit between trick-or-treaters. After close to twenty minutes, the length of time between kids became longer and longer, allowing for more time to sit and chat.

Lisa was pleased to have been wrong about Daryn. She found her possessing a pleasant make-up and easy to engage with. There she was seeing her all along as some spoil hifalutin diva. And although she was sure Daryn was overindulged, it was only a part of who she was and not the total package as Lisa initially believed.

While Lisa rambled on about the various dance styles she studied in college and now used in choreography, Daryn listened, meandering from side to side on her swiveling barstool. Her probing inquiries only fed into Lisa's place of passion, resulting in a ten-minute-long monolog. When she realized how long she'd been talking, Lisa stopped abruptly, offering an apology.

"No, no, Lisa, really it's fine. I can tell it's something you're passionate about. I've enjoyed learning about it. Unfortunately, these days, shopping seems to be my only passion."

They both chuckled as Lisa took note of how well Daryn was put together. It was a simple look. A soft pink sweater, beige stirrups tucked into a pair of riding boots. She especially liked her boots. At first glance, she hadn't noticed anything special about them other than them being super cute. But then she noticed the subtle pattern around the rim of the boot. Burberry.

Lisa recalled the time she and Dirk ventured into the Burberry store on the Magnificent Mile. He was appalled to see the price of just the scarves. She knew not to expect any Burberry presents from him anytime soon. And he had stayed true to that. She couldn't begin to imagine how much a pair of boots would cost. When the next child approached, Lisa took a closer look at Daryn's simple pink sweater and was pretty sure it was cashmere. Perhaps it too was Burberry. Wouldn't have surprised her. Disposable income rules.

"Cute boots, Daryn." After the last group of kids, she decided she would stop gawking and pay her a compliment. No need of standing there coveting her ensemble.

"Oh, thank you." Daryn looked down at her boots smiling. She lifted one foot off the floor and glanced down at it.

"Let me tell you, my mother picked them up for me for my birthday, right? Between the boots and this sweater, Courtney just about had a fit. I mean, I think he seriously considered calling my mom to confirm she'd purchased them." She shook her head.