Page 3 of The Widower
I stood to leave her tiny office, but Helena’s voice stopped me.
“Just so you know… he’s the famous Colin Adams.”
I spun around, surprised. He was the most renowned architect in the city, and I’d admired his work for years. From what I’d found online, he kept his life extremely private, and the tragedy had been quietly buried by the press at the time.
“All right.”
“I hope that doesn’t influence how you do your job,” she said. “My secretary will be waiting outside to handle the remaining details.”
“It won’t. Thank you for the opportunity,” I replied, resolute.
After leaving the room, I tried to dredge up everything I knew about Colin Adams…
When I got home, I found Hanna, my daughter, sitting in the living room, drawing, while my mom was cooking lunch. Iknelt down beside her, looked into her bright blue eyes full of hope, and shared the good news.
“I’ve got something to tell you, sunshine.”
“What is it, Mommy?”
“I got a job.”
“Yay!”
I pulled her into a tight hug. She knew how much the word job meant to me—we talked about it all the time. Even though she’d just turned five last month, Hanna was smart about certain things. She understood more than most kids her age.
“I’m gonna talk to Grandma for a bit, okay? I’ll be right back so we can color together.”
“Mm-hm.”
I walked over to my mom and hugged her tight. Her name’s Elisa, and she’s fifty-five. She’s been working since she was fifteen and genuinely loves what she does. I owe her everything. She’s been there for me for as long as I can remember—holding it all together when I couldn’t see any way forward.
“Looks like someone’s happy,” she said with a warm smile as she tidied up the kitchen.
“I am. I went to check out that job offer, and it’s all legit. The salary is exactly what they said, and I got the position.”
“Congratulations, sweetheart.” Her face instantly lit up.
“We both know things have been tough lately, and…”
I couldn’t finish the sentence. The memory hit me hard—those days when we’d skip meals so Hanna could eat. My eyes filled with tears, and I shook my head, trying to push the thought away.
“Sweetheart…”
“I never want to see Hanna ask for food again and have nothing to give her. That’s unacceptable to me as a mother. I feel like I failed her.”
My mom works part-time as a house cleaner. We live together and share expenses. I can’t even describe how much her help means to me—without her, I’d be lost.
After the Rogers family moved away a few months ago, I’d been unemployed. I started helping my mom with cleaning jobs whenever I could bring Hanna along, though that didn’t happen often.
“Don’t blame yourself, sweetheart.” She rested a hand on my shoulder. “You couldn’t have known Rudolph would leave before the wedding.”
“But he did leave.”
“Your life will get better.You just have to have faith, my angel.”
Deep down, I wanted to believe her. And maybe I did—just a little. But I was still scared of where my life was headed.
CHAPTER 2
