Charis trembled when she saw them. A pair of pink boots tucked away in Laurel’s wardrobe. She was going to pick them up when the door to the cabin swung open.
Source
“Miss Charis?” Laurel had that smile on her little lips as if she was pleased with everything going on around her.
Charis took deep breaths and turned to her then fixed a smile on her face as well.
“Laurel, I didn't know you would be home soon. I was just going to borrow these beautiful pair of boots.”
She saw Laurel's eyes dart towards the wardrobe, her smile wavering for a second before she hurried over to shoo Charis out.
“You shouldn't be in here Miss Charis. The chairman wouldn't be pleased to find out you came in here.” She said trying to guide Charis out of the room.
Charis took a long look at her deep gray eyes and jet-black hair whitening with age then walked out of the room. Laurel walked out with her, constantly looking behind her as if expecting the chairman to come down to the staff quarters to look for his 26-year-old daughter.
“We can talk here” Laurel announced after they had walked away from the house and into the garden grounds. Charis turned to her and then motioned for her to sit on one of the stone chairs.
“How long have you known my father?”
Laurel ran her tongue through her teeth and then sighed.
“What do you want to know?”
Charis withdrew her hands, walking down to the water fountain that held the center of the garden.
“That day I lost my boots 15 years ago, who took them?”
Charis knew the answer, but she needed more. She spent her life hearing that her mother had been a trophy wife who died at childbirth, but that day 15 years ago when she had suffered a minor asthmatic attack, a lady had come up to brush her hair lightly, calming her and saying, “Shush baby, Mama's here.”
That lady at the hospital had taken her pair of pink boots off, the same pair she had received from an anonymous person for her 10th birthday after pleading with her father to get them for her. Things were not just adding up. She turned back to Laurel.
“That day at the hospital, you were sick. You kept saying someone told you Mama's here but aside from the chairman and your nanny, there was no other person.”
“Don't sell me a dog Laurel, don't you dare!”
Laurel was taken aback. Charis was a quiet, easygoing child who had a smile for everyone. She was the perfect daughter who sat where she was asked to and wore pretty dresses just because her father said so. This was the first time Laurel had seen her furious.
“Charis, your boots were taken….”
“By whom?”
Laurel bowed her head. When she raised them, there were tears in her eyes.
“I took them, Charis.”
“Who are you? Why did you take my boots that night? Why did you give them to me in the first place?”
Laurel looked like Charis had just slapped her across her face. “How…how did you know?”
Charis turned away from the fountain; Laurel could see there were tears in her deep gray eyes too.
“You were there when I asked my dad for those shoes that day. I saw your face at the hospital, I was just too young to put the pieces together then.”
Laurel covered her face with her palms and wept.
“I'm sorry,” was all she could say, “I'm so sorry.”
“So, you're my mom?” Laurel nodded, too overwhelmed to keep denying it. Charis lifted the corners of her lips. She knew it. “Tell me everything”. She demanded.
“I was young and your dad, he had a sugarcoated tongue back then. He still does,” she laughed lightly. “I wasn't thinking, I just knew that we were in love. When I found out I was pregnant, I ran to him in excitement. His mother was still alive then.” She paused to blow her nose; Charis went over to hold her hands.
“Your grandmother is not a bad woman, Charis, she just wanted what was best for her son. She didn't want your father to have anything to do with me, but she wanted you, so she took you after three months and sent me away with huge compensation. I wasn't even allowed to see you.”
“Oh Mom,” Charis threw her hands around Laurel's neck.
“I came back five years later when I heard she was dead and demanded my job back so I could be close to you. I didn't leave you on purpose, Charis”.
They were both locked in each other's arms, laughing now, allowing the joy of finding each other to envelop them.
