A day at the shops, Eve loved it because her mummy would always buy her a little chocolate to nibble on the way home. Eve was four and she enjoyed sitting in the trolley and being wheeled up and down the food aisle when grocery shopping with her Mummy. Often she would ask for things that jumped out at her but Mummy would usually say no which sometimes made her feel cross but she had learned that if she sat still enough Mummy would usually buy a chocolate for her as they were going through the checkout. On this particular day Eve had sat still for most of the grocery shop so Mummy had bought her a treat. They left the shop and started toward the direction of where the car was parked. All of a sudden Eves mum stopped outside the window of a shoe store. Eve noticed her Mum was looking at a pair of red shoes the same way Eve looked at the things that jumped out at her in the Grocery Shop. They entered the shop and Eve watched as her Mum tried on the pretty pair of shoes and a lady with funny frizzy hair helped her. The frizzy hair lady told Eve’s Mummy they were the latest, and so Mummy gave her lots of money so she could have them. When they got home Eve helped her Mummy as best she could unpack the groceries and then followed her Mummy into her and Dad’s bedroom. Eve loved how her Mummy smiled when sat down on the edge of the bed and once again tried on the pretty red shoes; they seemed to make her Mummy very happy. She then took them off and Eve watched as her mummy hid them under some jumpers on the top shelf of the place where mummy kept her clothes. Eve’s Mum felt Eve watching her, “Let’s keep these shoes as our little secret, so we won’t tell Daddy about them ok?” Puzzled Eve asked why can’t I. Eve’s mum replied because sometimes it’s best not to tell people things in case it makes them angry, so imagine this secret is a treasure and you are the special box that keeps it safe. It made Eve feel funny to think that something that was so pretty and made her mummy smile could make her daddy angry, but she trusted her Mummy and she didn’t like making her Daddy angry so she decided to be a very helpful treasure box and keep her Mum’s secret safe.
24 years on, and Eve hides any new shoes she buys at the back of the cupboard so her boyfriend can’t see them; she keeps a stash of lollies & chips hidden under some files in her office desk drawer so that her co-workers won’t know how much junk she eats, but mostly what Eve hides is how she feels. The treasure box of secrets that Eve agreed to be all those years ago feels more like a ball and chain around her ankles. Eve decides to discuss how she feels with her mother as she can no longer stand the burden of hiding things away. After two cups of tea and some in depth honest conversation between Eve and her mother, Eve comes to the realisation that she has hidden a large part of herself away through fear. Eve decides it is time to get honest with herself and those around here so that she is no longer a treasure box of secrets but simply just a treasure.
