A Harmless Little Lie
It was just another run of the mill Monday at rehab. Like always, the first item on our housekeeping list was the New Beginnings House. Run by the county, New Beginnings facilitated supervised meetings between parents and children when the children have been removed from the parents’ care.
Victoria and I volunteered to clean the nurse’s station, the small trailer about fifty yards away where they did physical check-ups on the children in foster care. The nurse’s station was an easy task, as it was infrequently used. A light dusting, bathroom wipe down and vacuuming took care of the little space. Lugging the vacuum down the slope was probably the most taxing part of the job.
“I have something to tell you,” Victoria said, as I unplugged the vacuum and wrapped the cord around the handle.
“What?” I asked, my curiosity slightly piqued. Day after day of the same people, the same stories, and anything new was as precious as a bartered can of soda.
“Well, you’ve got to promise not to be mad at me,” she said, looking down but keeping her wide brown eyes on me.
I honestly couldn’t think of anything she could do to me that would make me angry, except maybe swipe my laundry money. It’s not like she could spread a rumor about me that I would even care about. My entire life was somewhere else, my reputation already destroyed by this disease…affliction…defect of character…whatever you want to call it.
“Okay, as long as you didn’t steal anything from me,” I said.
She shook her head. “Oh no, it’s nothing like that. I would never steal from you.”
She paused.
“Well, what is it?”
“I lied to you.” She had a strange smile on her face. I’d seen it there before, but I’d never been able to read it.
“About what?”
“Remember when I told you I was twenty-six, same age as you and Jennifer?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m not twenty-six. I’m twenty-eight.”
I startled slightly. “Oh?”
“Yes. Only I’m not twenty-eight. I’m thirty.”
I stared at her.
“One. Thirty-one.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not messing with me?”
“It’s true.”
“Why…why would you lie about something like that?”
She still had that strange smile on her face. “I don’t know. Sometimes things like that just come out. You know?”
No. I didn’t know. “Why do you think I would care how old you are?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want you to think I was old. Like, you know, being twenty-six and in rehab isn’t bad. Thirty-one, though? That’s just messed up.”
I thought of the women here who were in their forties, fifties, sixties, hell, even seventies.
“Listen, I don’t care how old you are,” I said. “We’ve all got our reasons for being here. And I know we lie sometimes. That’s just what addicts do. That’s why we’re here, to get better. But I’m glad you told me the truth.”
“Really?” she asked. “So, we’re cool?”
“Yeah. I’m not mad.” I grabbed some wet wipes for the bathroom sink.
I really wasn’t mad. But when she got kicked out for her lies two months later, I thought about that strange smile, and felt relieved.
32 Comments
Calamity Rae
yeah, lies – never really harmless. Liars have a way of really getting to me, like no other bad trait. Thanks for the read, Natalie.
Calamity Rae recently posted…Awesome Blogs I’ve Found Since Starting NaBloPoMO – Shout Out!
Natalie DeYoung
They aren’t when they build up upon each other, until you don’t know what’s truth anymore…
Karen
“Day after day of the same people, the same stories, and anything new was as precious as a bartered can of soda.” Such a great sentence. It tells a story within this story.
Karen recently posted…Jenny’s Poem
Natalie DeYoung
Thank you Karen! I could write a whole other post just based on that line… 🙂
Lance
First time I ever sat down in front of my therapist I told her every lie I’d ever told. Then I realized that 99 percent of them were done drunk/hungover or in between. Now, sober, I can’t lie, even little ones or hold stuff back, I just blurt everything out. My wife doesn’t even tell me what the kids are getting for Christmas, sometimes.
Maybe that woman turned out that way. we can only hope.
BTW, I’m 39…okay fine, 43…jerk
Lance recently posted…100 Word Song – Opportunities
Natalie DeYoung
I have a hard time keeping in the truth, also. It drives my husband crazy, that sometimes I’m a little too honest…
I sincerely hoping she turned out okay, that she was able to be honest with herself…that is the only way to get clean. Being honest with yourself.
chamanasgar
It certainly was a harmless lie.I didn’t understand why she should be kicked out,when there were people much older were allowed to stay.O look I almost thought it’s true.You are good.Thanks for the story.
Natalie DeYoung
She wasn’t kicked out for THAT lie…however, she was a pathological liar and sometimes about things that put others in danger.
Michelle Longo
I do not have an insightful comment, but I wanted to tell you that I read this and I will be giving it significant thought today.
Michelle Longo recently posted…Unlucky Number 13.
Natalie DeYoung
I’m just amazed you got to read, Michelle, with all that NaBloPoMoing… 🙂
Michelle Longo
You’re in my inbox, so even if it takes me a while, I read all your stuff!
Michelle Longo recently posted…Quick Spaghetti.
Samantha Brinn Merel
What a weird thing to lie about…And the way she explained it, kind of like rehab at 26 is “ok” and not heartbreakingly difficult. All of those women, at any age, are incredible for the strength it takes to be there and to fight through it.
Samantha Brinn Merel recently posted…Loving The Colder Half of the Year
Natalie DeYoung
I know. It was just the tip of the iceberg, it turned out. In the end, I never knew what to believe – and it always unsettled me.
Ice Scream Mama
honestly, some people just lie.
Ice Scream Mama recently posted…Sometimes, you just got to take a shot
Natalie DeYoung
Don’t I know it…
Considerer
There are undertones of creepy with that strange smile…
I’m glad you weren’t mad.
Considerer recently posted…Dear Grandma and Grandpa…not.
Natalie DeYoung
Yes, the whole thing was very creepy. And it’s hard to be mad at someone you know is going through the same hell you are.
A Pleasant House
So she turned out to be pathological? Is that it? Did my Dad pick her up at the gate?
A Pleasant House recently posted…Otis Reading ME Amanda Shaw
Natalie DeYoung
Hahaha. Yep. Pathological in my book, anyway.
Angela Ryan
This was really well-told. You have an incredible story-telling voice, and those last lines definitely left me wanting to know more about this woman and what kind of really bad lies were eventually told.
Angela Ryan recently posted…It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Natalie DeYoung
Gosh, thank you! Yes, there were many, many more, and the depth of the fabrication scared me.
From Novels to Board Books
Pathological liars are scary people. I’m sorry that she wasn’t able to receive the help she needed, but I’m glad that you didn’t spend too much time around her.
This is beautifully written.
Natalie DeYoung
Thank you. It was kind of scary. I’m hoping she eventually got help somewhere else…
Pam
This was awesome. I loved how you turned that little conversation into an awesome essay. I would submit that or some version of it to “Lives,” you know the back page of the NYT Sunday mag if I were you. They are typically about 800 words.
Pam recently posted…Announcing Listen To Your Mother 2014
Natalie DeYoung
Thank you! What a fantastic compliment. 🙂
Kylie
Pathological liars lie about everything…. from the smallest to the biggest. They can’t see the distinction. It makes it impossible to trust them, then it makes it hard to trust yourself. The post I wrote about for this challenge was *also* a pathological liar. They’re mind-boggling.
Kylie recently posted…Tweets from Dorothy Parker, Food Critic
Natalie DeYoung
I know. That was the first one I had ever met (that I knew of). Something about her was always kind of creepy…
Ilene
I’ve met people like that – who lied about random things for reasons I didn’t quite understand. But no lie is harmless, right?
Ilene recently posted…Upside Down
Natalie DeYoung
No, especially if you’re in recovery.
Chris Plumb
Fantastic, as always. I had a pathological liar roommate with so many stories. It’s in my book, so I’m not sharing it on my blog, but lets just say one time he lied about being gone for three days with, “I had to have a testicle removed.”
Chris Plumb recently posted…Don’t Forget to Bring the Laughs
Natalie DeYoung
I CAN’T WAIT TO READ IT!!!!!!
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