It was a little over six when Charlotte was done with her daily prayers and went outside to fetch the dried clothes.
That's where she found Vanessa sitting on a log not so far from the house.
"Hey, girl." Vanessa gave her a curt nod, and Charlotte replied in kind.
Charlotte wasn't new to people dreading going inside their houses. It just hurt her that she might have added to Vanessa's list of worries.
But she didn't question her, nor did she walk toward her. She just took the clothes off the line and returned inside.
And by some miracle, Vanessa followed her in. Did Charlotte make her come inside? She hoped not.
"You look hurt, Charlotte," Vanessa observed. "Why's that? Anything the matter? Did Ethan say something stupid?"
Charlotte shook her head. "I'm just ready to go back to school."
Which was sudden making,Vanessa pause, her breathing hard.
She narrowed her eyes at Charlotte's inability to look her in the face.
"Why?" Vanessa asked quietly.
Charlotte shrugged. "Well, because my mom thinks so… you think so… Ethan thinks so, and I'm not good for anything else," she explained with a small shrug.
Vanessa tensed.
Charlotte saw it, and just like back at her home, she felt the urge to cover Vanessa with her own body so her dad wouldn't do his worst to her.
"Do I scare you?" Charlotte asked silently, eyeing Vanessa.
Charlotte was horrified.
"No!" Vanessa said vehemently, but Charlotte couldn't believe her. Her heart was beating in her ears.
Truly an apple didn't fall far from the tree. She was becoming scary just like her Dad.
Vanessa saw all this happening and she didn't know how to stop it, beside calling, "Hey... Hey..." and hugging her loosely.
"You flinched," Charlotte pointed out as she pushed away from Vanessa's hold.
"I told you about my plans, and you just… flinched."
Vanessa didn't know what to do with her body so, she waited until Charlotte took a seat on the bed and moved to sit on the bed beside her, near the pile of clean clothes.
"Charlotte…" she began. Unsure. Why did she flinch?
Charlotte just stared at her, unfocused. She was still in her head.
"I'm just going through a shitty phase right now, which, by default, brings out the worst in me." Vanessa debated whether or not she should tell her, her worst fear.
"Insecurity." Vanessa said at last.
Charlotte frowned slightly. Confused at how that is related to her decision, "Insecurity?"
Vanessa let out a heavy breath. "Where I'm from, they never thought I'd be good for anything… So whenever I hit a rough patch, I can't help but feel like they are right. And that I'm a failure"
"Were," Charlotte corrected, confusing Vanessa. "I take it that you didn't talk to them recently… the people who told you that?"
Vanessa nodded with a small smile. "It's been over two decades since I tried to mend that burned bridge… and they still affect my life in some weird ways."
She looked at Charlotte. "I don't want to be them for you. I want to be your support system, not the limit to your potential."
Charlotte smiled at her. "You all are. And unlike your story, I'm not going back to spite any of you. I'm going back because there's nothing I can do here, to help, instead."
Vanessa sniffed back her own unshed tears. It had been too long since she'd gotten this emotional.
And she definitely hated the feeling.
Charlotte continued, "Ethan has his music, you have your work… and I want to have my education."
Vanessa dared to ask, "What about your dream?"
Charlotte smiled sadly. "I'll just have to better myself until then."
Vanessa smiled and squeezed her hands gently, a quiet show of solidarity.
Then she realized something. Quiet. The house was too quiet.
"Where's Ethan?"
"He has a gig at some bar downtown," Charlotte replied.
She didn't know if she should be the one to tell her about the possibility of Ethan meeting his mother that day.
She pointed toward the small kitchen instead, "There's dinner for you."
Vanessa blinked at her. Surprised. "You already ate?"
Charlotte let out a dry laugh. "I'm used to eating at ten p.m., when Dad returns from work. It was a rule of some kind."
"Oh," Vanessa murmured. "Then I'll just take a bite before I leave for my next job."
Charlotte nodded. Glad that she did good with the money, Vanessa left for them that morning.
Vanessa was in the bathroom when she remembered Rebecca.
"So, Rebbs called me earlier." She announced before she went on, "I take it that you don't have your own phone?"
Charlotte shrugged, "Dad thinks that it's bad for children's mental growth"
Vanessa didn't know how to react to that so she just stayed silent. Awkwardly.
Charlotte was obviously curious so, she pushed for more. "And? Is she okay? She doesn't hate me, right?"
"She sent you some money," Vanessa replied, thinking carefully about what was safe to share. "And she says she and the twins miss you."
Charlotte teared up quickly. "Can I talk to her? Do you think she won't hate me for leaving them alone?"
Vanessa frowned. "If I remember correctly, you leaving was her idea, right?"
"But I had a choice to make, and I chose to run," Charlotte insisted.
Vanessa shrugged. "Well, I'm glad you did. Because I got to talk to my best friend after ten years apart."
"Oh…"
Vanessa continued, "I'll be leaving my phone here, so feel free to call her and tell her your decision. She somehow thinks that you're a royalty of some kind"
Charlotte smiled at that.
Maybe it wasn't so bad back at home, if Rebecca found the chance to call Vanessa.
Maybe the worst was in her head.
Maybe, with her gone, Edna and Egbert would get to see the old Mr. Goodman again.
"I'm going to do just that," she called out. "Thank you."