Now you’re lying. There is no way the woman in that picture is 51. She looks like she’s in her thirties. She’s your sister, isn’t she?

We’ll go with nice to describe my friends. Heh.

It’s just easier to stay with Max. My dad turned my old room into a workout room.

That costume looks like it’s straight from the movie. Have you thought about going into costume design for movies? What else have you got?

You didn’t do anything wrong. Thanks for saying something. I’m over it all now for the most part, but… goddamn, Ruby. It was rough. I was so pissed after she e-mailed me… but you made a good point. I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately… not like that but in general… and there’s a million different times I can think back on now and realize how fishy the things she’d do and say were. Who she would be hanging out with… why she wouldn’t answer the phone when I called… Maybe I’m imagining it, but I’ve got this gut feeling. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t angry about it all over again. I hate feeling like a dumbass. I’ve been in enough shit relationships, you’d figured I’d know and be used to it by now.

Don’t think I haven’t noticed you being vague about your boyfriend situation. It only makes me more curious. Why haven’t you dated anyone? By the time I was 23, I’d had… a lot of girlfriends.

The wedding dress is all right if you’re into those giant princess dresses… are you? I like the skating dress a lot more. Does work ever slow down for you or do you always have something to work on?

^^You don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.

Hope you’re having fun with your dad.

-Aaron

P.S. Tell me the truth about that picture of your “mom.” You’re pulling my leg, right?

From: [email protected]

Date: November 29, 2008 2:22 a.m.

To: [email protected]

Subject: Lies? Never (Not Anymore)

Aaron,

I’m picturing you as a momma bear with your soldiers, but if your nagging keeps them alive, they can deal with it. It’s a lot of responsibility, isn’t it? Have you thought about doing school and becoming an officer? Maybe you’ve already done school. I hate to generalize and assume.

Lol! No! I’ll attach a picture of my older sister. They’re almost identical, but you can tell my mom is the older one. I’ll give you that; they look like sisters. Cross my heart she’s in her early fifties. It’s all good genes, facial products, and she claims it’s helped that she’s never smoked anything in her life and doesn’t drink more than wine at dinner.

I might have believed you and your friends were good until you decided to use “nice.” You’re full of it, and it isn’t pizza you’re full of. You and your friends got into all kinds of mess when you were younger, didn’t you?

I’ve attached a couple more pictures of cosplay costumes I’ve done and still have. One is the female version of Ghost Rider and the other is Darth Maul. They’ve both been hanging in my closet for years. I think I might see about selling them online. I’ve done that for other costumes I’ve done and knew I’d never use again. There’s a lot more girls who like cosplaying than you would think…. There’s also a lot of parents with senses of humor who are willing to buy costumes for their kids.

I’m not creative enough to do costume design full time, plus… relying on big gigs to get paid is intimidating. What if I can’t find work consistently enough? Or what if I can’t come up with ideas? At the rate I’m going, I know that one day when I’m ready to move out, I can afford to have my own little place (with a roommate) and still eat with my jobs right now. It’s good enough for me.

No one likes to feel like a dumbass. Do you really think she cheated on you?

I should’ve known you’d keep bringing up the boyfriend thing. No, I have never ever, ever in my life been in a relationship with someone. I’ve gone on a few dates, but that’s all. I was into this guy for a long time. It wasn’t until recently that I decided I wanted to try and really date someone who wasn’t him.

How many girlfriends is a lot?

I’m always asking you questions that aren’t any of my business. But to answer your question, I do have enough work at all times to stay busy. I’m almost too busy. My aunt with the bridal shop used to make a lot of the dresses herself. Then she started getting “busier” (lazier) and would leave the more time-consuming things to me. The last year, she hasn’t been doing hardly anything and has me do the entire dress. My other aunt that manages the dry cleaning business is my main priority. It’s getting harder to balance both and do my side work.

My dad’s gone. He was only here for five days, but we had a good time. He stayed with my marine brother. We went to a few museums together, took a trip to this pier nearby, and went to the movies. I was waking up early to spend time with him since I don’t usually have things to do during the day, that’s when he was free since everyone else was at work or practice at that time. At night, he would spend time with everyone else. I promised to go to California to visit in a few months.