Page 57 of Claiming Charlotte

If you fell to Richard, I know how strong you are and you will make it through the pain and hurt sweetheart. Fight against whoever you need to, forget the family name, survive. You are a survivor, sweetheart. Do you know how I know? Because you have someone willing to go through it with you. I knew as soon as I laid eyes on Rowan that he would be your forever. A father just knows, so please don’t push him away in the hard times. You both have a lot of hurt, and I have no doubt you will overcome and heal together.

And for Christ’s sake, stop giving the man a hard time. Once I walked in on him separating the marshmallows from the cereal you like, and when I asked him why he said, “because it will make her happy.”

It must have been his day off. He was wearing a baseball cap that day, and it reminded me of someone dear to me. Some I wish I could have done more for, and I regret it every day of my life.

So let him be there for you and stop pushing everyone away.

You got this, I raised you well. Research, plan, execute, and take them down for good.

I love you sweetheart,

Dad.

Tears cascaded down my face in a waterfall, and I quickly wiped at them with my sleeve when my phone buzzed on the corner of the desk. I opened the notifications and saw it was a voicemail from Rowan. My finger hovered over the play icon, unsure if I wanted to jump right into it again or if I needed a breather.

I shook my head, clearing the notification, and opted to send him a text message instead.

25

ROWAN

Itook my helmet off and stood stiffly at the end of the driveway, staring blankly at the space where my childhood home used to stand. All that remained was a pile of burned rubble and thick ash coated everything. I’m not sure what I expected to gain from going there, but all that came to me was deep sadness. My whole childhood, buried.

A sad-looking singed tree stood stoically in the front yard. It would never grow again, but memories of my mother laughing as I swung in the tire swing bombarded me. I clenched my jaw, trying to keep the tears at bay.

In the span of a few months, I’d lost my home and all of the memories that came with it, I lost the only good friendship I’d ever had, and I’d lost the love of my life. I didn’t have much to live for anymore, and I seriously began contemplating taking off and starting over somewhere new and strange, somewhere where nobody knew who I was.

“Hey!” a voice shouted from somewhere nearby, ripping me out of my reverie.

I turned toward the sound and spotted one of my neighbors approaching. I smiled, glad to see a friendly face.

“Hey. How’s it going?” I asked.

“It’s alright. I’m glad to see you’re alright after what happened here. I’m sad to know I’ll never see that lovely home again,” the old woman gazed at the wreckage with raw emotion on her face.

“Me, too,” I said, glancing back at the ruins.

“This is for you,” she responded, holding out a box. I took it. “The fire department was able to save some stuff and I’ve been waiting to hear from you to return it.”

“Thank you,” I said, honing in on the box. I sat on the curb and prepared to open it.

The woman joined me, lowering herself stiffly to the cold ground. “How did your marriage last so long?” I asked, using her presence as an excuse to delay opening the box.

“That’s a deep question,” she said, but she answered further. “The reason why generations before me don’t work is because they tend to run away when things get tough. They fail to realize that if they just extend a little understanding, most issues can be resolved. And forgiveness, well, to an extent, but we are all human. It's ok to make a mistake from time to time. Give the space that’s needed but once that time is up, lock each other in a room together, and don’t leave until it's resolved. Compromise and understanding each other’s needs are huge when it comes to a successful relationship, and that rings true for any kind of relationship, whether it be friends, parent to child, or marriage.”

I listened to her, soaking in all the information she gave me. I always just thought she was the nosey next-door neighbor, but she had solid advice. All signs pointed toward me facing my issues with Charlotte, head on. I felt like I needed to go back and give it another chance. How could I just leave her like that?

“Thank you,” I said, climbing to my feet.

Shit where am I going to put this? I held the box looking around and settled placing it in front of me. The hotel was only a few blocks away.

“That was very helpful,” I said. “I’ll see you later.”

The engine roared to life and I sped down the block.

When I got back to the hotel I’d been staying at, I placed the box on the television stand and sat on the edge of the bed. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, and yet I yearned to open it. I had no idea what memories the firefighters had been able to recover, but I could feel the anxiety coursing through my body.

I didn’t know how long it took me to build up the courage to open the box. The clock ticked away, taunting me. But finally, I rose to my feet and peeled the flaps back gently. There were a few small things; things that didn’t matter all that much. A couple of lighters, a book of sudoku, and a glass cup. I moved those items aside so I could keep digging.

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