‘I’ve decided it’s better if we’re just friends – at least for now.’
Aoife was eyeing her with concern, but said nothing, clearly sensing that Sive didn’t want to discuss it. ‘Right. Well, I suppose we should get on with tackling the attic,’ she said, standing.
Upstairs, Mimi pulled down the attic ladder and climbed up first, switching on the light. Aoife and Sive followed, and they all crept to the highest point at the centre where they could stand up straight. The air was musty and stale, filled with the scent of dust and decay.
Mimi looked around, hands on her hips and heaved a sigh. ‘I didn’t expect there to be so much stuff!’
‘Me either.’ Sive said, her heart sinking as she took in the piles of boxes and the jumble of ancient tools, battered suitcases and forgotten toys that crammed the space. ‘I haven’t been up here in years.’
The attic was a good size, but it felt cramped and stifling, with barely any room to navigate through the clutter. It was overwhelming, an Aladdin’s cave of detritus covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. Old board games were piled up on a shelf, thecorners of their boxes torn and faded. A set of rusty golf clubs stood against one wall and Sive’s heart squeezed as she imagined her father handling them. He’d loved golf.
‘Neither have I,’ Aoife said. ‘The only thing I used to come up for was the Christmas tree before we started storing it in the shed. And then I just grabbed it and ran. I pretended I didn’t see all the rest so I wouldn’t have to deal with it.’
‘Where do we even start?’ Sive’s voice was hollow as she spoke.
‘Well, we don’t have to do it all today,’ Aoife said. ‘Why don’t we concentrate on finding granny’s wedding dress, and then we can leave the rest for another day if we don’t feel like it.’
‘Any idea where it might be?’ Mimi asked, turning around in the packed space. Everywhere you looked there were teetering piles of dilapidated cardboard boxes.
‘None. But we have to start somewhere. Why don’t we spread out and take a corner each?’
‘Good idea. I’ll start over there.’ Mimi bent over and crouch-walked to one side of the attic. Aoife and Sive followed suit, dispersing to opposite corners, and they all began opening bags and boxes.
‘Remember this?’ Mimi gasped, pulling a green cocktail dress of their mother’s from a bag. It had been a favourite for playing dress-up when they were children.
‘Yes,’ Aoife breathed. ‘How did that get up here?’ Detta had helped them sort through their parents’ wardrobes after they died, donating to charity what they didn’t want to keep.
‘Maybe Mum wasn’t as happy about us playing in it as we thought,’ Mimi said, holding the dress up against her. ‘Anyway, I’m glad she preserved it, for whatever reason. I’m totally keeping it.’
‘The colour is great for you,’ Sive said.
‘I’ve found the wedding dress,’ Aoife called triumphantly, placing a big square box on the floor and throwing aside layers of tissue paper. She lifted the dress out and Sive and Mimi crawled over to inspect it.
‘It’s in good condition,’ Sive said, casting an experienced eye over it. ‘And the material is gorgeous.’ She reached out to touch the smooth oyster-coloured satin of the bodice and the filmy layers of tulle in the full, floaty skirt.
‘It’ll definitely need some altering to fit me,’ Mimi said.
‘That should be easy enough,’ Sive said.
‘Well, that’s something old taken care of. Let’s see what else we can find.’ Mimi carefully folded the dress back into the box and they all retreated to their separate corners of the attic. ‘Why didn’t we come up here sooner? This place is a treasure trove!’
Sive found a large box with ‘clothes’ marked on the lid in sharpie and picked it up. She sat down on an old camping stool to open it.
‘I found granny’s veil!’ Mimi called, pulling a length of lace out of a box.
Sive glanced up as she tore duct tape off the box in her lap. ‘That’s lovely.’ She returned her attention to the box, pulling the flaps apart. ‘Oh!’ She felt her face fall as she looked down at the contents in dismay.
‘What have you got there?’ Mimi asked as she wrapped the veil carefully back into its layers of tissue paper.
‘Baby clothes,’ Sive said, her voice thin as she pulled out a tiny yellow onesie. ‘Lots of them.’
Mimi and Aoife dropped what they were doing and came to investigate. They began excitedly pulling items from the box.
‘Look, how adorable!’ Mimi held up a little flower-patterned dress.
‘I recognise that from photos of you, Sive,’ Aoife said.
‘I think I’ve seen pictures of me in it too,’ Mimi said.
