Nearly three weeks of planning bore fruit today, and I am very happy to say that the results are positive. Now at last there may be secure happiness for all of my charges.
Charlotte today was woken from a deep sleep—she worked the night shift at the hotel last night—by a knock at her door. She rose, grumbling, and went to answer it, finding Don there. His presence, and the large bouquet of flowers he was holding, only lifted her spirits a little.
“Nice,” she said, taking them. “But unless you’re coming over to join me in a nap, you should go now.”
“No dice,” Don said, grinning. “You need to come with me—we have a lot to do.”
Charlotte’s protests had no effect, as Don nudged his way into her apartment, encouraging her to get dressed. He then drove her to the grocery store, where they bought the necessary ingredients for a lavish supper[1] he wanted to fix for his children that afternoon. This woke Charlotte up entirely—she loves the children and was eager to help with a surprise for them. Little did she know that the surprise was for her.
When they arrived at Don’s house, Priscilla and Jayden were already there, having been drawn into their father’s plans and both excited to be there. They greeted Charlotte exuberantly, with hugs and much babble, and she, no fool, began to suspect something was up.
“What are you up to?” she demanded of Don between Jayden asking for help with his homework and Priscilla offering to play her latest piece for her.
“Me?” he asked, with such a false display of innocence that even I would not have been fooled. But there was such joy under his pretense that Charlotte could not be anxious.
Nor did the children give her any time. Priscilla pulled her right into the sitting room, where she performed an impromptu recital for Charlotte, and then she and her father began working on supper while Charlotte sat at the table with Jayden, solving math problems and talking about the accounts and business documents in which she uses the skills he is currently learning.
It was a sweet, homey afternoon, and Charlotte enjoyed it all, but underneath she was wondering what it all meant. While the children were setting the table for dinner, she pulled Don aside and demanded an explanation.
He smiled and drew her into his bedroom, pulling open the drawers on his dresser. Three of them on one side were empty.
“Move in with me,” he asked, holding out his hand to her.
She stared at him. “What?”
“Look, Char, I know you’ve been feeling like you’re just borrowing my family,” he said. “But it’s not true. You’re part of my family now, a part that I can’t give up. The life you’ve built has made you into the woman I love, and I’m proud and happy to supply any lack that you might feel from now on.”
His words hit home with Charlotte, naming exactly her own feelings more clearly than even I have been capable of doing. She blinked away tears and heard a burst of squabbling from the other room. “And the kids?” she asked.
“I’ve already talked to them about it.” Don laughed softly. “This was their idea. They want to show you that we all want you here.”
For an instant, Charlotte struggled with fear and pride, afraid to admit that this was precisely what she had wanted all along. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say we can go pack you a bag so you can stay for the weekend, anyway,” Don said, taking her hand. “And then we can decide what to do on Monday. I’m betting that you won’t want to leave by then, though.”
Charlotte thought so, too. Still she hesitated.
“You have worked so hard and so long,” I said to her. “Accepting this does not make you weak—the precise opposite. If this man were not able to make you stronger than ever, I would not be here.”
Finally, Charlotte smiled, her grip tightening on Don’s hand. “All right,” she said. “I’ll stay.”
He beamed and kissed her enthusiastically. Then he paused and stepped back. “You’ll stay the weekend, or you’ll stay forever?”
“I suppose you’ll find out, won’t you?” Charlotte teased him.
They both laughed, and then Priscilla and Jayden were calling. Supper was ready, and they went hand-in-hand to the table to join their family.
I am so glad that it is done, for it means I have reached a turning point. Charlotte is happy, and Morgan is happy, and Pamela looks forward to being happy. Tammy and Lamarr are exquisitely happy, and Myrtle and Jaquinn are happy, and though there is some tension between Jesse and Ramona, it is a happy tension, a surprise that he has prepared for her that will bring them both great joy. All is well with my charges.
My work is not done, of course; there will always be work for me in the stolen earth. But I can finally look forward to some quiet days, which will truly be a blessing.
[1] I assure my readers I paid close attention to this process; like many of our kind, I am fascinated by the making of good food. The whole process of finding ingredients, combining them in different ways, and preparing them into an intricate meal, is one that I would love to learn more about if I ever get the chance.