Dear Aaron Read online

  -Ruby

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 21, 2008 12:41 p.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: RE: I’m sorry

  Living on your own is different than living with your family, Ruby. If you’re not happy… you should look into getting your own place, maybe with a friend. It’s your life.

  -A

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 22, 2008 2:08 a.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: RE: RE: I’m sorry

  It isn’t that I’m unhappy, I’m not. I am happy, but… sometimes it’d be nice to leave the house and not have my mom still treat me like I’m 16 when I’m not home by midnight (I’m exaggerating. She only calls if I’m not home by 2). I know she means well, but every once in a while it gets to me. They’re all overprotective. I’m grateful. I shouldn’t make it seem like it’s a burden.

  Anyway, can we start over?

  -Ruby

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 23, 2008 11:41 a.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: RE: RE: RE: I’m sorry

  I’ll let it go, but all I’m saying is, it’s your life. Do what you want with it. If that’s living at home or not. My dad didn’t want me joining the army, but I did it anyway because I wanted to.

  We can start over.

  -A

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 23, 2008 11:51 a.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: Hi

  Ruby,

  I didn’t know the soldier who died, still sucks… leaves a knot in my chest because it could happen to anyone at any time.

  The tent situation here isn’t too bad. There are twenty men in each. The best part is we have AC. It gets hot here… about 130 degrees during the summer. We’re in the desert, but in the winter it’s still warm during the day and gets cool at night. I’ve done deployments early on in the war without AC… it’s a blessing.

  The mosquitoes are the worst. They’re smarter than the ones back home. We’ve had hours-long conversations about them here. We have mosquito nets, but they crawl under them to get inside. They know how to do it. The mice can get bad, but a lot of us try to be careful. Where there are mice, there are snakes, and I don’t care what anybody says, you don’t want a snake hanging around. I check my bed every night.

  You are a dork, but it’s cute you notice things like costumes and get excited about them. I get what you mean, but for me it’s the other way around. I can’t enjoy war movies anymore. I criticize everything in them.

  Scout’s honor, no matter how good-looking your mom is, I won’t try and steal her away from #4.

  All three of us are friends. Max, the one I’ve known since high school, works at a refinery. Des, the one I’ve been friends with since middle school, is a firefighter.

  I’ve seen The Fifth Element. Give me some credit. What costumes did you do? I had this thing for Mila in that orange outfit for the longest. What belt did you have in aikido?

  Festivals in Germany are insane. I don’t have any pictures with me, but imagine a ton of people and then multiply it by three.

  We were “together” two years, but we probably only spent maybe two months of that face to face… saying two months is a stretch too, I bet. I had a tour in Italy for a year, and before that she didn’t live anywhere near where I was. We met through a friend of a friend when she visited base. It wasn’t anything that serious, but….

  I’m not going to say you’re right about me choosing to date them. :] I’ve only had my car keyed once when I was twenty and had a couple of exes who were borderline stalkers. I feel his pain.

  …what did you mean by you’ve “never had a boyfriend”?

  Hope you’re okay too.

  -Aaron

  P.S. Does this count as starting over? :] We can pretend I’ve always known the truth.

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 24, 2008 1:11 a.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: RE: Hi

  Aaron,

  Mosquitoes that know how to get under nets? Mice and snakes? How can I say this? No thank you? You would think, because of Sylvester, I’d be okay with mice, but that is a negative. Snakes? No way, Jose. I feel stupid, but I didn’t put two and two together and figure that it would get cold in the winter on that side of the world. You think “desert” and think “hot” and “dehydration,” not jacket weather.

  I’m attaching a picture of my mom and #4 from our trip to Orlando a few months ago when I sent you the Disney postcard. Don’t make me regret it. ;)

  Do your friends still live in Louisiana?

  You’ll be happy to hear I did a Leeloo costume—that’s Mila’s character. I still have the wig and everything. I’ve also done Diva Plavalaguna, the opera singer. The makeup took a stupid amount of time to do, but it came out well. I only got my yellow belt in aikido.

  Excuse me for saying it, but your ex seems dumb. She was fine with you being stationed in Italy but wasn’t okay with you being on deployment now? Sounds fishy. I’m really sorry that happened to you.

  I’ll tell you some stories about my brother’s exes if you’re ever down and need a laugh. :)

  “I’ve never had a boyfriend” means exactly that. I’ve never had a boyfriend.

  Hope the mosquitoes aren’t getting you too bad.

  -Ruby

  P.S. I forgot you’d asked if I ever owned a Bedazzler, the answer is no. We were broke back then. She bought me glue and gems from the dollar store. Same thing. :)

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 25, 2008 3:17 p.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: RE: RE: Hi

  Ruby,

  I have one soldier who gets heat exhaustion really easily. I have to keep an eye on him and ask almost constantly if he’s drank enough water, otherwise he gets sick. It’s so hot it’s suffocating. When you’re sitting in an HMMWV, it’s almost like you’re sitting in a sauna all day. The mice can get into everything. About a month ago, one got into my bin and ate my ramen.

  There’s no way that’s your mom you sent a picture of.

  Both my friends still live in Shreveport. When I get leave, that’s who I go stay with. They come and visit as often as they can wherever I’m stationed, but usually I go visit them, and then we go somewhere.

  How did you pull off the opera singer look? Was your entire body blue? You got any pictures of the Leeloo costume?

  I never thought about how there wasn’t a big difference between being in Italy and here… that bothers me a lot more than I figured it would. She never really lied before, but I guess if she had, how would I know, huh? I’ll have to think about it. I was pissed off for so long after… I made myself stop. I’ve been pissed enough. I’m done with it.

  You’ve never… ever… had a boyfriend?

  The bugs aren’t the worst they’ve ever been, but they’re still bad enough.

  What kind of dresses are you working on now? Wedding or ice-skating?

  -Aaron

  P.S. That’s not your mom.

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 26, 2008 12:38 a.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: Gross, Yes and Yessss

  Aaron,

  Do you have to stay on top of a lot of your soldiers? You’re a noncommissioned officer, aren’t you? If a mouse got into my bin, I would throw everything away. :) Can you set up traps to catch them?

  That’s 100 percent my mom. She’s 51. I’m sending a picture of her and my dad when I was a kid. She hasn’t aged, has she?

  That’s nice of your friends to go visit. Do you think you’ll ever end up back in Shreveport? I hope I’m not being rude asking, but why don’t you stay with your dad when you go?

  A LOT of body paint was what it took
to pull off the Diva costume, and a bodysuit that I had to special order and almost ruined twice. That was the most stressful design of my life. The material was a nightmare. I would rather make my sister a dozen one-hundred-hour dresses than ever make that costume again. I’ll attach a picture of the opera suit. It’s hanging in my closet. My best friend was really into makeup effects and helped me do it.

  I feel like a jerk for bursting your bubble with your ex. I shouldn’t have said anything, but who knows what she might have lied to you over. People say “everything happens for a reason.” I’m not sure if that’s true, but it was probably for the best. Maybe. If a little distance is all that it takes to tear a relationship apart, that should tell you something. Anybody would be mad. There’s nothing wrong with that.

  If you want to get technical, I’ve had one boyfriend… in elementary school. Damon White. We were together for all of a week.

  I’m working on two dresses right now. One is a wedding dress for my aunt’s shop that she was having a lot of problems with, and she asked me to take over. The other thing I’m working on is for an eight-year-old who might win a gold medal in the future. I’ll attach pictures of them after the one of my parents. The ice-skating one is my favorite. I like doing those more than wedding dresses, but don’t tell anyone I said that. What do you think?

  My dad is coming to visit tomorrow for a few days. I’m excited.

  -Ruby

  P.P.S. Promise that’s my mom.

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 28, 2008 12:15 p.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: More Lies

  Ruby,

  I am an NCO. Most of the men under me have their “stuff” together, but I still check on them all the time. If I failed to remind them about something, even if it’s something I would assume they wouldn’t forget, I’d never forgive myself. If I tried to throw anything else away other than the ramen packets they got into, the other soldiers would dig through the trash for it. I used some of the baby wipes you sent to clean everything up. It’s all good… least until I get sick.

  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.

  Hope you’re okay.

  -Ruby

  P.S. Yes it is my mom. Deal with it.

  From: [email protected]

  Date: November 30, 2008 1:22 p.m.

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: Not Dealing With It

  Ruby,

  I would never want to be an officer. I already deal with enough political BS. Being commissioned increases the BS to levels I’m not willing to handle. Plus, half the officers I’ve met have been entitled pricks. Not all of them, but enough.

  Your “mom” and your “sister” look like twins. What does your grandma look like? Do you look like them? I don’t mean that in a sketchy way. I won’t be sending you any “tick lick” pictures all of a sudden. Don’t worry.

  Heh. Yeah, we did get into all kinds of… t
hings when we were younger. The problem was not getting caught. We used to make napalm, mess with electrical stuff… Good times. Don’t know how I didn’t lose a finger at least thinking back on it now.

  Your costumes are amazing. I don’t understand how you think you aren’t creative enough. I don’t know anyone that could do what you’ve made. Do you go all out with your makeup when you cosplay? My favorite was your Ghost Rider outfit.

  You’re really talented. I’m not just saying it. Remember that.

  I’m not the jealous type. I don’t know… maybe I didn’t pay enough attention to her. It wouldn’t be the first time an ex has told me that. I wouldn’t sit somewhere and expect her to go behind my back while we were together, but now? I wouldn’t be surprised. I should’ve expected it. She broke up with me out of the blue. I e-mailed her to ask if there was someone else right after… I was angry. She said that wasn’t it, that there wasn’t anybody else. I can’t talk myself into asking any of our mutual friends what she’s up to and if she’s with someone else. Should I?