Lie if you have to (Prologue)
Prologue
There aren’t many interesting facts that can be said about Brittany S. Puckerman’s life. She’s the kind of woman who attracts people’s looks who cross the same path as her, despite her simple and calmed grace: with her noble and gentle sight, distilled from those beautiful blue eyes, one can imagine life with this woman being an ideal paradise.
The young woman starts her day just like any other: it is a Saturday and her free day, and she decides to take care of her housework as soon as possible, in order to enjoy her Sunday without worries. Anyone would think this is a boring way to spend a weekend, however, Brittany loves this kind of occupation: there are so simple that even her is capable of doing it with perfection.
You must not misunderstand, of course, Brittany’s intelligence. It’s not that she’s an idiot or retarded, she’s just a… different woman, with different thoughts and a problem to comprehend the conventionalism of other people’s way of thinking. It is not unusual on her, to say spontaneous incoherent phrases that steal laughter from everyone around her, a funny thing except to her, who cannot understand how anyone can take her statements as a joke, being something so serious for the girl.
Besides her beautiful cat-like eyes, the woman possesses other attributes: long and toned limbs, a slim figure and a natural grace even for the simplest tasks such as the one she’s doing right now. Seeing her walk, run, dance, jump and fool around like a brat is a real fest to the eyes, no matter their sex or age. Her face is beautiful: factions that seem to be from a talented painter’s work, inspired by the most beautiful of the muses. Her hair is golden and it makes you think of the sun immediately, due the golden sparks it emits.
She’s got, also, a sweet voice with a soft sound that is like a lullaby, which is a well-received thing by her little students, being a kinder garden teacher, where she enjoys popularity amongst the other teachers and the parents, who are convinced that someday, the lovely woman will be an excellent mother.
Motherhood is a thought assaulting her mind every once in a while. The perspective of having a little boy or girl illuminating her days thrills her. However, she keeps this thoughts for herself, because she doesn’t want to rush anything; she wants to wait until her husband is just as willing as her.
Her husband.
Noah Puckerman.
How to describe this man? He is like any other one, but he is also highlighted amongst the other people, more because of his good looks rather than his personal or professional achievements. Tall, well-built and tanned. His face betrays the fact that he had excessive malice somewhere back in his life, but now It shows a man with defects, but that has settled down and now is willing to do his obligations.
Noah, or Puck, as everyone calls him, has a car workshop. It wasn’t easy to start his own business, he had an excellent teacher, but starting from the bottom was a constant struggle.
Puck wasn’t always like that, and to tell the truth, the people who knew him would call crazy whoever is telling this, because when the man was still a kid, he was a low-life vandal whose goal in life was to complicate other’s life. Back in those days, he kept his hair with a Mohawk style, which made him intimidating to the other kids in town.
Oh, his town. Lima, Ohio.
The ones around him nowadays, wouldn’t believe that in any moment of his life he was such a rascal… they knew he was kind of mischievous, but nothing important.
The ones around him back in those days wouldn’t believe that he turned into a “good man”, because he was even in a reformatory, which probably was what made him to turn his life into a different direction.
Puck lived almost his entire life in Ohio, until a company offered him to start a new workshop in another state in order to be their services provider, which would bring big amounts of money to his account.
He didn’t even think about it twice and accepted. After all, he was the man of the house and he had choices to make.
Brittany wasn’t thrilled when she heard the news. Yes, they would economically stable but, what about her? Didn’t she have the right to decide as well? She had to leave behind her family and friends, not to mention her job, where not a few children began to cry when they heard Miss Brittany would move away.
But there wasn’t a way back, after all Puck made a commitment and he was the man of the house. And of course Brittany wasn’t mad at him so long, because she knew her husband acted with the best of the intentions, but not even knowing this could stop sadness to take over her, knowing she didn’t have anyone to talk to or hang out with. And this would stay like that during a while.
Luckily for her, her attractive personality and her natural charm helped greatly in the task of making new friends. Brittany heard all kind of stories about how cold and indifferent could be the people in the city, but this didn’t terrify her and she was content with that, because now she had achieve great friendships during her few years in the new home.
Maybe, after all, she wasn’t a redneck chick, which was the way all cosmopolitans saw people from small cities… or that’s what the elderly ones from Lima told her. The truth is that, with her lively behavior, she adapted very well. During the holidays, such as Christmas, New year’s eve and thanksgiving she went to Lima in order to spend those days with her family.
Therefore she had living 2 years with a new life she had embraced. She was happy, with dream job and her wonderful husband. She married him at the young age of 22. Now they had 3 years married but many years they had spent together, thus they had been childhood friends and they became a couple when the years passed.
As I already mentioned in the first paragraph: an ideal life.
But sometimes the dream of someone isn’t such for some others.
Brittany was busy doing her task. When she heard the door opening she turned around to see Puck rushing inside the house. She was about to say something when she noticed the rapid motions. Curiosity invaded her.
“Will you go out again?” She asked.
“Hmm, yeah there’s a lotta work, you know?” He says taking off his shirt. He took off his jeans as well.
“Give it to me.” Brittany said reaching with her hand. She inspected it quickly and she added with a scolding note in her voice.
“Since when are you using this shirt?”
It was a shirt Puck usually wore when he got out the job and went for drinks with his friends. He used to wear an overall or a plaid shirt with his name on it and kept the shirt hanging on a stand just in case he got out in the last minute and needed to be presentable.
The young man scratched his head, a little ashamed.
“I wore it for a while, in Monday. But just a while. That’s what I wore today again.”
“You had to get out?”
“Yeah, a company inspector came to see how everything was goin’ and then I had to go with him to deliver the report… you know.”
Puck checked his watch.
“Seems that I still have some time remaining, I asked Finn to take care of the workshop for a while… I’ll take a shower.”
Puck went upstairs jumping from two on two. Few minutes later, the sound of water stream could be heard.
It was unusual for Puck to step by the house in working hours; he preferred to eat his lunch in his job even with the house so close.
Brittany wondered why he appeared, but gave it no further importance. She just started washing the clothes and threw the shirt in the basket to keep going.
Puck came down a while later, wearing his uniform. He still had a few working hours left.
“I’m going again.” He said.
“Okay.”
“Hmm, Brittany, I think I’ll be late again.” Puck lowered his gaze for a second, but raising it again to keep visual contact with his wife.
Brittany lowered her gaze too. She wasn’t surprised by this, but she couldn’t help but feeling a little down to hear that.
Puck, despite not being a brilliant mind, wasn’t a fool wither and noticed her wife’s mood clouded with sadness.
“Hey,” he said, approaching her and holding her chin to encounter her glance.
“You know I’m sorry, right?"
She nodded.
“I’ll make it up to you”. He added and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
The blonde smiled.
“I must go. Maybe I’ll be home after midnight.”
He kissed her on the cheek and went out.
At the sound of the door closing, Brittany released a sigh she didn’t know she was holding.
Since a few moments ago, Puck had been staying late in job. It started casually, nothing important, but it became more and more frequent. Afterwards, he began to go out very often with his friends. Sometimes he met them in a bar (according to what he said); other times Finn, his best friend and second in charge in workshop, went to pick him up.
The young woman didn’t say anything at all, thus her marriage with Puck was stable and part of that stability was granted because there weren’t suspicions for any of them. She never questioned whatever Puck told her: if he assured he was watching a game, so be it. If he told her that he was a little drunk and that’s why he came back at late hours, so be it. It wasn’t indifference, more like plenty confidence on him. After all, she was always convinced that marriage was a sacred thing and surprisingly Puck seemed to know that too, therefore they were with many people before marrying and now was all different, because they vowed to be together to death.
But in the last weeks Brittany couldn’t help but feeling a little replaced. Noah didn’t pay her attention the way he used to and didn’t spend so much time, he didn’t make love to her like he used to. All the young woman could wonder was the reason to make him angry and treat her like that.
Because no one starts treating his wife nonchalantly all suddenly and no reason at all, right?
Brittany starts focusing in her task again. Because it’s a beautiful day and there are few things that she enjoys more than the smell of sun dried clothes. She’s got a washing machine, of course, but there’s no such a thing as washing the clothes the old fashioned way. Whatever it means.
It doesn’t make any sense for her to keep squeezing her brain, thinking of something that might not be anything but a product of her rambunctious imagination.
Anyway, if there was something she should know, eventually she would be informed.
Maybe Noah was really tired, stressed or something like that. Somewhere she read that stress was 21th century’s disease. One of the kids in her class, commented that his father suffered “work stress” and he took a breath and now was all better. Then, the boy asked Brittany.
“There’s a guy and above his head is written the word ‘stress’ lots of times… what’s he saying?”
Brittany suspected a joke coming from that question. Kyle was a very clever boy, slightly smarter than his classmates. She loved that kind of jokes and she expected it to be a great one so she shrugged and with an anticipated smile said.
“I don’t know, Kyle, what’s he saying?”
“I’m under a lot of stress”
To Brittany, it was hilarious and she laughed for a while until her stomach hurt and tears were casting down her face.
“That’s a good one.” The blonde said, wiping a tear off her face.
“To tell the truth, I don’t even know what does stress mean.” The little boy confessed with a shrug.
It provoked a new laugh attack in Brittany, which turned contagious for the other children. It was a reason for her to love her job: she had things in common with the children, the excessive joy and energy.
She spent a while lost in her thoughts and barely noticed the clothes was almost entirely clean. The only thing left in the basket was the shirt her husband handed her a while ago. She was about to take the shirt underwater but when unfolded it she noticed a strange spot down the neck. She brought it close to her face, scrunching slightly the nose like she was concentrated in something (a rather unusual thing, due her easy-going nature) and observed closely. It was not-so-big stain, light colored. The blonde woman stared it for a while and snapped her eyes wide open in realization.
It was make up. Maybe moisturizing, maybe blush, maybe lipstick… why not? She couldn’t figure out the color with a full clearness, but she was sure about she was seeing.
If there was something she should know, eventually she would be informed…
And it seemed she was about to be informed.
There aren’t many interesting facts that can be said about Brittany S. Puckerman’s life. She’s the kind of woman who attracts people’s looks who cross the same path as her, despite her simple and calmed grace: with her noble and gentle sight, distilled from those beautiful blue eyes, one can imagine life with this woman being an ideal paradise.
The young woman starts her day just like any other: it is a Saturday and her free day, and she decides to take care of her housework as soon as possible, in order to enjoy her Sunday without worries. Anyone would think this is a boring way to spend a weekend, however, Brittany loves this kind of occupation: there are so simple that even her is capable of doing it with perfection.
You must not misunderstand, of course, Brittany’s intelligence. It’s not that she’s an idiot or retarded, she’s just a… different woman, with different thoughts and a problem to comprehend the conventionalism of other people’s way of thinking. It is not unusual on her, to say spontaneous incoherent phrases that steal laughter from everyone around her, a funny thing except to her, who cannot understand how anyone can take her statements as a joke, being something so serious for the girl.
Besides her beautiful cat-like eyes, the woman possesses other attributes: long and toned limbs, a slim figure and a natural grace even for the simplest tasks such as the one she’s doing right now. Seeing her walk, run, dance, jump and fool around like a brat is a real fest to the eyes, no matter their sex or age. Her face is beautiful: factions that seem to be from a talented painter’s work, inspired by the most beautiful of the muses. Her hair is golden and it makes you think of the sun immediately, due the golden sparks it emits.
She’s got, also, a sweet voice with a soft sound that is like a lullaby, which is a well-received thing by her little students, being a kinder garden teacher, where she enjoys popularity amongst the other teachers and the parents, who are convinced that someday, the lovely woman will be an excellent mother.
Motherhood is a thought assaulting her mind every once in a while. The perspective of having a little boy or girl illuminating her days thrills her. However, she keeps this thoughts for herself, because she doesn’t want to rush anything; she wants to wait until her husband is just as willing as her.
Her husband.
Noah Puckerman.
How to describe this man? He is like any other one, but he is also highlighted amongst the other people, more because of his good looks rather than his personal or professional achievements. Tall, well-built and tanned. His face betrays the fact that he had excessive malice somewhere back in his life, but now It shows a man with defects, but that has settled down and now is willing to do his obligations.
Noah, or Puck, as everyone calls him, has a car workshop. It wasn’t easy to start his own business, he had an excellent teacher, but starting from the bottom was a constant struggle.
Puck wasn’t always like that, and to tell the truth, the people who knew him would call crazy whoever is telling this, because when the man was still a kid, he was a low-life vandal whose goal in life was to complicate other’s life. Back in those days, he kept his hair with a Mohawk style, which made him intimidating to the other kids in town.
Oh, his town. Lima, Ohio.
The ones around him nowadays, wouldn’t believe that in any moment of his life he was such a rascal… they knew he was kind of mischievous, but nothing important.
The ones around him back in those days wouldn’t believe that he turned into a “good man”, because he was even in a reformatory, which probably was what made him to turn his life into a different direction.
Puck lived almost his entire life in Ohio, until a company offered him to start a new workshop in another state in order to be their services provider, which would bring big amounts of money to his account.
He didn’t even think about it twice and accepted. After all, he was the man of the house and he had choices to make.
Brittany wasn’t thrilled when she heard the news. Yes, they would economically stable but, what about her? Didn’t she have the right to decide as well? She had to leave behind her family and friends, not to mention her job, where not a few children began to cry when they heard Miss Brittany would move away.
But there wasn’t a way back, after all Puck made a commitment and he was the man of the house. And of course Brittany wasn’t mad at him so long, because she knew her husband acted with the best of the intentions, but not even knowing this could stop sadness to take over her, knowing she didn’t have anyone to talk to or hang out with. And this would stay like that during a while.
Luckily for her, her attractive personality and her natural charm helped greatly in the task of making new friends. Brittany heard all kind of stories about how cold and indifferent could be the people in the city, but this didn’t terrify her and she was content with that, because now she had achieve great friendships during her few years in the new home.
Maybe, after all, she wasn’t a redneck chick, which was the way all cosmopolitans saw people from small cities… or that’s what the elderly ones from Lima told her. The truth is that, with her lively behavior, she adapted very well. During the holidays, such as Christmas, New year’s eve and thanksgiving she went to Lima in order to spend those days with her family.
Therefore she had living 2 years with a new life she had embraced. She was happy, with dream job and her wonderful husband. She married him at the young age of 22. Now they had 3 years married but many years they had spent together, thus they had been childhood friends and they became a couple when the years passed.
As I already mentioned in the first paragraph: an ideal life.
But sometimes the dream of someone isn’t such for some others.
Brittany was busy doing her task. When she heard the door opening she turned around to see Puck rushing inside the house. She was about to say something when she noticed the rapid motions. Curiosity invaded her.
“Will you go out again?” She asked.
“Hmm, yeah there’s a lotta work, you know?” He says taking off his shirt. He took off his jeans as well.
“Give it to me.” Brittany said reaching with her hand. She inspected it quickly and she added with a scolding note in her voice.
“Since when are you using this shirt?”
It was a shirt Puck usually wore when he got out the job and went for drinks with his friends. He used to wear an overall or a plaid shirt with his name on it and kept the shirt hanging on a stand just in case he got out in the last minute and needed to be presentable.
The young man scratched his head, a little ashamed.
“I wore it for a while, in Monday. But just a while. That’s what I wore today again.”
“You had to get out?”
“Yeah, a company inspector came to see how everything was goin’ and then I had to go with him to deliver the report… you know.”
Puck checked his watch.
“Seems that I still have some time remaining, I asked Finn to take care of the workshop for a while… I’ll take a shower.”
Puck went upstairs jumping from two on two. Few minutes later, the sound of water stream could be heard.
It was unusual for Puck to step by the house in working hours; he preferred to eat his lunch in his job even with the house so close.
Brittany wondered why he appeared, but gave it no further importance. She just started washing the clothes and threw the shirt in the basket to keep going.
Puck came down a while later, wearing his uniform. He still had a few working hours left.
“I’m going again.” He said.
“Okay.”
“Hmm, Brittany, I think I’ll be late again.” Puck lowered his gaze for a second, but raising it again to keep visual contact with his wife.
Brittany lowered her gaze too. She wasn’t surprised by this, but she couldn’t help but feeling a little down to hear that.
Puck, despite not being a brilliant mind, wasn’t a fool wither and noticed her wife’s mood clouded with sadness.
“Hey,” he said, approaching her and holding her chin to encounter her glance.
“You know I’m sorry, right?"
She nodded.
“I’ll make it up to you”. He added and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
The blonde smiled.
“I must go. Maybe I’ll be home after midnight.”
He kissed her on the cheek and went out.
At the sound of the door closing, Brittany released a sigh she didn’t know she was holding.
Since a few moments ago, Puck had been staying late in job. It started casually, nothing important, but it became more and more frequent. Afterwards, he began to go out very often with his friends. Sometimes he met them in a bar (according to what he said); other times Finn, his best friend and second in charge in workshop, went to pick him up.
The young woman didn’t say anything at all, thus her marriage with Puck was stable and part of that stability was granted because there weren’t suspicions for any of them. She never questioned whatever Puck told her: if he assured he was watching a game, so be it. If he told her that he was a little drunk and that’s why he came back at late hours, so be it. It wasn’t indifference, more like plenty confidence on him. After all, she was always convinced that marriage was a sacred thing and surprisingly Puck seemed to know that too, therefore they were with many people before marrying and now was all different, because they vowed to be together to death.
But in the last weeks Brittany couldn’t help but feeling a little replaced. Noah didn’t pay her attention the way he used to and didn’t spend so much time, he didn’t make love to her like he used to. All the young woman could wonder was the reason to make him angry and treat her like that.
Because no one starts treating his wife nonchalantly all suddenly and no reason at all, right?
Brittany starts focusing in her task again. Because it’s a beautiful day and there are few things that she enjoys more than the smell of sun dried clothes. She’s got a washing machine, of course, but there’s no such a thing as washing the clothes the old fashioned way. Whatever it means.
It doesn’t make any sense for her to keep squeezing her brain, thinking of something that might not be anything but a product of her rambunctious imagination.
Anyway, if there was something she should know, eventually she would be informed.
Maybe Noah was really tired, stressed or something like that. Somewhere she read that stress was 21th century’s disease. One of the kids in her class, commented that his father suffered “work stress” and he took a breath and now was all better. Then, the boy asked Brittany.
“There’s a guy and above his head is written the word ‘stress’ lots of times… what’s he saying?”
Brittany suspected a joke coming from that question. Kyle was a very clever boy, slightly smarter than his classmates. She loved that kind of jokes and she expected it to be a great one so she shrugged and with an anticipated smile said.
“I don’t know, Kyle, what’s he saying?”
“I’m under a lot of stress”
To Brittany, it was hilarious and she laughed for a while until her stomach hurt and tears were casting down her face.
“That’s a good one.” The blonde said, wiping a tear off her face.
“To tell the truth, I don’t even know what does stress mean.” The little boy confessed with a shrug.
It provoked a new laugh attack in Brittany, which turned contagious for the other children. It was a reason for her to love her job: she had things in common with the children, the excessive joy and energy.
She spent a while lost in her thoughts and barely noticed the clothes was almost entirely clean. The only thing left in the basket was the shirt her husband handed her a while ago. She was about to take the shirt underwater but when unfolded it she noticed a strange spot down the neck. She brought it close to her face, scrunching slightly the nose like she was concentrated in something (a rather unusual thing, due her easy-going nature) and observed closely. It was not-so-big stain, light colored. The blonde woman stared it for a while and snapped her eyes wide open in realization.
It was make up. Maybe moisturizing, maybe blush, maybe lipstick… why not? She couldn’t figure out the color with a full clearness, but she was sure about she was seeing.
If there was something she should know, eventually she would be informed…
And it seemed she was about to be informed.