There was something odd going on in the place where Max and Matty slept at night. Strange mutterings and the occasional thump, underpinned with near constant fabric rustlings, seemed to indicate that the theater lady was going through the entire contents of her wardrobe, and had been for quite some time.
Juno looked up from where she was lying beside the large windows onto the balcony, ignoring the collage of bright feathers and hopeful glitter that was part of her Buy Me A Bird campaign in favor of finding out what was going on behind the screen.
Rising to her feet, the little girl padded over to peer around said screen, only to find Max's lady friend sat in the middle of a sea of clothing in her underwear, looking as though she might start to cry pretty soon. "Matty?"
Mataya looked up in surprise, a faint smile wiping away the frustration in her eyes as she looked at the little girl watching her so solemnly from the safety of the rug. She had almost forgotten Juno was there; a heinous crime that Max would no doubt punish her for if he ever found out about it. "Yes, sweetheart?" she asked. "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
Juno's serious gaze swept over the bed and floor, over which were scattered various dresses and gowns in varying states of crumple. As her eyes turned back to 'Taya, her head tilted curiously. "What are you doing?"
On cue, 'Taya's own gaze travelled over the mess she had made around herself, grateful that she had not started on shoes yet. If accessories had already been thrown into the mix, there was a very good chance that Juno wouldn't even be able to see her. "Uh ..." She laughed softly, biting her lip. "I'm trying to find a couple of dresses for LeeLee and Jon's big night on Saturday," she told Juno with a slightly guilty shrug. "I could use some help, if you want?"
No doubt Mataya was startled to see Juno's face light up with a wide grin at the invitation extended to her, moreso when the little girl launched herself from where she stood, over the crumpled dresses, and right into 'Taya's lap. "I like pretty things," Juno nodded confidently. "And you're very pretty, and you have lots of pretty things, and Mr Max doesn't understand about dresses."
'Taya snorted with laughter, wrapping her arms around Juno a little hesitantly as the two girls got comfortable in a sea of taffeta, satin, silk, and lace."No, you're right," she agreed. "Max is good at taking dresses off, but he couldn't pick one to suit an occasion even if Alexander McQueen held his hand."
"Who?"
Faced with Juno's wide, unblinking gaze, 'Taya didn't even try to go into detail with her explanation. "A designer, sweetie," was all she said, before swiftly changing the subject. "You remember me telling you and Max about the film LeeLee and Jon were making?"
There was a pause as Juno filtered through her memories of conversations with Matty, comparing them with the buzz of what the woman was thinking at that moment. "The one I'm too little to see?" she asked curiously, crawling out of reach to peer into the severely depleted wardrobe at what was left.
'Taya's smile was caught between pride that Juno even remember these details and guilt that the little girl wasn't going to be able to share the experience with them. "Yes, that one," she nodded, watching as Juno sorted through the various gowns and after-party dresses she had collected over the years she'd been an active part of the business. "Max and I have been invited to see it when it's shown for the very first time, and to the party afterward. But I can't find anything that's suitable to wear."
"You have a lot of dresses," was Juno's calm reply, though her attention had fallen from the clothes to the boxes that sat at the bottom of the wardrobe itself. Lifting one out, she opened it up, pulling out a scrapbook that was older than she was. Inside the book, the little girl found cuttings from papers and magazines, each charting Mataya's career through the eyes of the media. The early ones made no sense to Juno, but the moment Max appeared in the pictures, she was hooked. "What's this, Matty?"
"Hmm?" 'Taya looked over from where she had been pulling a loose sweater on over her head. "Oh, wow, I haven't looked at that in years ..." She settled next to Juno, turning the pages with the little girl as they both looked at old photographs of Max and Mataya doing what they used to do so well. "This is what me and Max used to do," she explained quietly. "We did what Jon does, all the time. And the people who took these pictures, they used to follow us around wherever we went, just so they could get a good picture of us."
As Juno turned the pages of the scrapbook, her eyes fell on a barely faded photograph cut from a glossy magazine, a tiny smile touching her face. It was not so very different from any of the other pictures, except that in this one, Max and Mataya were looking directly at one another, their smiles open and unforced. "Is this like the thingy with LeeLee and Jon on the weekend?" she asked, tilting her head back to look at Matty thoughtfully.
Mataya's smile had softened as she looked at that picture, remembering everything that had happened around the day it was taken. Juno's question made her blink, drawing her out of thoughts of the past to chuckle quietly. "The first part of it, yes," she agreed, nodding to the little girl nestled against her side. "We're going to be walking down a red carpet and answering questions. And there'll be pictures to put in this book afterwards."
"I think you should wear that dress," the little girl said suddenly, tapping her fingers on the photograph with stern determination. "The one in the back of the closet, right back there ....see?" She lifted her hand to point imperiously toward the shadows of the wardrobe.
"Why that one, Juno?" 'Taya asked curiously, tipping her gaze down to look into the child's eyes.
"Because it makes you feel happy when you look at it," the small girl said solemnly. "And when you feel happy, everyone's happy, and happy is what I want. So you should wear something that gives you a happy."
'Taya couldn't help chuckling softly at this impeccable logic, wrapping her arms around Juno to squeeze the little girl fondly to her. And to her surprise, Juno nestled in close, wrapping her own arms around Mataya's waist in a warm hug. "You know what, sweetheart?" the theater-owner murmured against her foster-daughter's fine mane of hair. "I think you're absolutely right."
Juno looked up from where she was lying beside the large windows onto the balcony, ignoring the collage of bright feathers and hopeful glitter that was part of her Buy Me A Bird campaign in favor of finding out what was going on behind the screen.
Rising to her feet, the little girl padded over to peer around said screen, only to find Max's lady friend sat in the middle of a sea of clothing in her underwear, looking as though she might start to cry pretty soon. "Matty?"
Mataya looked up in surprise, a faint smile wiping away the frustration in her eyes as she looked at the little girl watching her so solemnly from the safety of the rug. She had almost forgotten Juno was there; a heinous crime that Max would no doubt punish her for if he ever found out about it. "Yes, sweetheart?" she asked. "I didn't disturb you, did I?"
Juno's serious gaze swept over the bed and floor, over which were scattered various dresses and gowns in varying states of crumple. As her eyes turned back to 'Taya, her head tilted curiously. "What are you doing?"
On cue, 'Taya's own gaze travelled over the mess she had made around herself, grateful that she had not started on shoes yet. If accessories had already been thrown into the mix, there was a very good chance that Juno wouldn't even be able to see her. "Uh ..." She laughed softly, biting her lip. "I'm trying to find a couple of dresses for LeeLee and Jon's big night on Saturday," she told Juno with a slightly guilty shrug. "I could use some help, if you want?"
No doubt Mataya was startled to see Juno's face light up with a wide grin at the invitation extended to her, moreso when the little girl launched herself from where she stood, over the crumpled dresses, and right into 'Taya's lap. "I like pretty things," Juno nodded confidently. "And you're very pretty, and you have lots of pretty things, and Mr Max doesn't understand about dresses."
'Taya snorted with laughter, wrapping her arms around Juno a little hesitantly as the two girls got comfortable in a sea of taffeta, satin, silk, and lace."No, you're right," she agreed. "Max is good at taking dresses off, but he couldn't pick one to suit an occasion even if Alexander McQueen held his hand."
"Who?"
Faced with Juno's wide, unblinking gaze, 'Taya didn't even try to go into detail with her explanation. "A designer, sweetie," was all she said, before swiftly changing the subject. "You remember me telling you and Max about the film LeeLee and Jon were making?"
There was a pause as Juno filtered through her memories of conversations with Matty, comparing them with the buzz of what the woman was thinking at that moment. "The one I'm too little to see?" she asked curiously, crawling out of reach to peer into the severely depleted wardrobe at what was left.
'Taya's smile was caught between pride that Juno even remember these details and guilt that the little girl wasn't going to be able to share the experience with them. "Yes, that one," she nodded, watching as Juno sorted through the various gowns and after-party dresses she had collected over the years she'd been an active part of the business. "Max and I have been invited to see it when it's shown for the very first time, and to the party afterward. But I can't find anything that's suitable to wear."
"You have a lot of dresses," was Juno's calm reply, though her attention had fallen from the clothes to the boxes that sat at the bottom of the wardrobe itself. Lifting one out, she opened it up, pulling out a scrapbook that was older than she was. Inside the book, the little girl found cuttings from papers and magazines, each charting Mataya's career through the eyes of the media. The early ones made no sense to Juno, but the moment Max appeared in the pictures, she was hooked. "What's this, Matty?"
"Hmm?" 'Taya looked over from where she had been pulling a loose sweater on over her head. "Oh, wow, I haven't looked at that in years ..." She settled next to Juno, turning the pages with the little girl as they both looked at old photographs of Max and Mataya doing what they used to do so well. "This is what me and Max used to do," she explained quietly. "We did what Jon does, all the time. And the people who took these pictures, they used to follow us around wherever we went, just so they could get a good picture of us."
As Juno turned the pages of the scrapbook, her eyes fell on a barely faded photograph cut from a glossy magazine, a tiny smile touching her face. It was not so very different from any of the other pictures, except that in this one, Max and Mataya were looking directly at one another, their smiles open and unforced. "Is this like the thingy with LeeLee and Jon on the weekend?" she asked, tilting her head back to look at Matty thoughtfully.
Mataya's smile had softened as she looked at that picture, remembering everything that had happened around the day it was taken. Juno's question made her blink, drawing her out of thoughts of the past to chuckle quietly. "The first part of it, yes," she agreed, nodding to the little girl nestled against her side. "We're going to be walking down a red carpet and answering questions. And there'll be pictures to put in this book afterwards."
"I think you should wear that dress," the little girl said suddenly, tapping her fingers on the photograph with stern determination. "The one in the back of the closet, right back there ....see?" She lifted her hand to point imperiously toward the shadows of the wardrobe.
"Why that one, Juno?" 'Taya asked curiously, tipping her gaze down to look into the child's eyes.
"Because it makes you feel happy when you look at it," the small girl said solemnly. "And when you feel happy, everyone's happy, and happy is what I want. So you should wear something that gives you a happy."
'Taya couldn't help chuckling softly at this impeccable logic, wrapping her arms around Juno to squeeze the little girl fondly to her. And to her surprise, Juno nestled in close, wrapping her own arms around Mataya's waist in a warm hug. "You know what, sweetheart?" the theater-owner murmured against her foster-daughter's fine mane of hair. "I think you're absolutely right."