Chapter 192

Brooks’ arm, which had been raised in a moment of concern, suddenly paused mid-air. Reality settled back in. He quietly withdrew his hand. Evelyn was lost in her thoughts while gazing out the window and didn’t notice a thing.
She turned away from the window, reached into her bag for her phone, and hesitated for a moment when she saw the caller ID. After taking a deep breath to steady herself, she answered, “Hello, ma’am.”
The call was from the pottery studio. The ceramic mug that Charlie had crafted before she passed was ready, and they were wondering when she might come to pick it up. “I’ll head over now,” Evelyn replied before ending the call.
Before she could say anything else, Brooks chimed in, “Where to? I’ll drive you.” Evelyn accepted his offer without a second thought and gave him the studio’s address. Brooks relayed the information to the driver, who promptly turned at the next corner, steering towards the pottery studio.
…
Upon arriving at the studio, Brooks walked in with Evelyn by his side. The owner warmly greeted Evelyn, “Ms. Evelyn, so good to see you!” She glanced behind Evelyn, searching for the charming little girl who usually tagged along, but saw no sign of her. “Isn’t Charlie with you today?”
Plenty of people, both adults and children, came to her studio to make pottery. Among the kids, Charlie stood out the most and was her favorite. wasn’t just because Charlie was adorable and polite but because she was the only child who never complained about being tired or was afraid of failing. Most kids treated pottery like playing with clay. They found it fun at first but soon lost interest. Not Charlie. The owner couldn’t even recall how many times Charlie had tried and failed. But after every setback, Charlie bounced back with determination. If she couldn’t do it one day, she’d be back the next. And the day after that… and the day after that…
Charlie wasn’t in the best health, so
her visits were short. But giving up was never on her agenda. She had said the coffee mug was a birthday gift for her dad. It took her over two months, but she finally managed to shape it just right. The owner could still picture the radiant smile on Charlie’s face when she succeeded.
“Charlie, she…” As her name was mentioned, Evelyn’s heart clenched, and tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lip, trying to swallow the lump in her throat, lowered her gaze to mask the pain, and forced a smile. “I was nearby, so I didn’t pick her up.”
Adults have their unspoken
boundaries. Evelyn didn’t mention to the shop owner that Charlie had passed away. The shop owner was fond of Charlie, but their brief encounter was not deep enough to share such heartbreak. Evelyn saw no need to burden her with her grief.
“Well, once you take the mug home, Charlie will be over the moon,” the owner said, blissfully unaware of the truth. Charlie had been so excited about seeing the final product, and it was odd that she hadn’t come back as promised.
The owner handed the carefully wrapped mug to Evelyn. She accepted it, and through the clear wrapping, she saw the family portrait Charlie had painted on the mug. And the heartfelt note: IDDAD!
Evelyn’s heart ached almost to the
point of breaking. Her precious little girl had given her whole heart to
Charles, that irresponsible father et
But how could Charles ever deserve it? The more Evelyn dwelled on it, the deeper her heartache grew. Her emotions were teetering on the brink.