"Mr. Frederick is coming to visit us tomorrow. It is said that this summer he wants to take you and your mother somewhere on a vacation." Garrick went to the kitchen and prepared some delicious food.
"Really?" I scrolled through my phone. "Is it possible?"
"Four years have passed. Don't worry. Maybe he's got a new life and forgot about us."
I nodded, then sat up, grabbing my coat and bag.
"I'll have dinner later, now I need to stop by the tailor for a while."
"Is there a new order?" Garrick called out from the kitchen.
"Yeah, the application is from overseas, they want me to deliver it to them before the summer vacation starts."
A few years back, I got a job. I have a lot of free time at home, so I learn to knit. On one occasion, the tailor in town discovered that my knitwear was pretty and feminine, so it offered me a job.
I will only knit limited orders, and usually customers will have to order a few months in advance. I can knit scarves, beanies, and even wool skirts in many different styles. After all, I was once the lady of a rich and aristocratic family, so I know a lot of different and varied fashion styles.
I receive very few orders, because I don't want my product to be too popular, that will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.
This time, the order came from Russia. One of my clients ordered a knit dress because it was winter where she was. Originally, I was going to say no because summer vacation was coming up and I wanted to spend more time with my son. But she texted me and said she had come to Goderich and had to order a dress that I knitted myself.
Her determination made me unable to refuse. So I rushed to the tailor shop.
When I stopped by the tailor shop, people were gathered around talking to a young girl.
"Ah, our knitter is here. Esther hurry up."
I quickly approached. My first impression of this girl is that she is as beautiful as the morning dew, a fragile and gentle beauty that makes anyone feel like they want to be protected and protected. She was like a Russian doll made of porcelain, which, though enchantingly beautiful, was easily broken.
"Hello, are you Esther Ambar?" She raised her voice, her chirping sound was very pleasant to hear.
"Yes, it's me. And you're...?"
"Vivian Odette. Nice to meet you."
"Oh, what a beautiful name. Are you the one who texted me yesterday to order the wool dress?"
"That's right."
"It will take about a week for me to finish it, but I'll try to finish it sooner."
"I know it's annoying for you since summer break is coming up, but I appreciate your approval." Vivian bowed politely and thanked me.
"Just the thing to do."
Everyone dispersed and continued their work. As for me, I went to the factory to get some wool. Working at this tailor is really lucky because I can choose any kind of wool that I want. The wool at the tailor is very good quality, the yarn is not ruffled and if it is soaked in water, it will not shrink or burst.
Vivian wanted to visit the tailor so I brought her along. I noticed that when she stood up, Vivian's legs seemed to hurt a bit, she had to ask the bodyguard who was with her to help her stand. Her every step staggered as if she was about to fall, but she excitedly followed closely behind me.
"I'm curious about this, but I'm worried if I ask, will it be rude to you?" I was choosing wool while chatting with Vivian.
"You mean about my leg? It's not a big deal. I had an accident and now I have a disability in my leg so it's a bit difficult to move. It must be funny to see me limping like that, isn't it?"
Vivian smiled as if she didn't notice this flaw at all, but her eyes were still filled with sadness when she mentioned it.
"You're very pretty. I know a few podiatrists, if you need them I'll give you their contact numbers."
"Have you ever hurt your leg?" Vivian asked me.
"Many times. Because I used to be a ballerina. I had a few accidents and gave up on that passion."
"It's a pity. I'm sure you used to be a talented ballerina." Vivian sighed.
I took some wool and led her to the gallery of vintage dresses.
"It's all in the past, I don't think about it much anymore." I showed her some dress samples and continued. "My sister had a leg injury like yours, and she's using a prosthetic. Her doctor is very good, but it would cost a lot of money to get him treated."
"Oh, that proves your family is very rich."
"I used to. Now I don't contact them anymore."
Vivian seemed very curious and wanted to ask me questions, but I changed the conversation and showed her some new dresses. It's been a while since I talked about the past, so I've revealed a bit too much to a stranger. But maybe it's no big deal, I consoled myself like that.
After a while, we came to an agreement on the right dress and wool for Vivian. Before Vivian and her bodyguard left, she lingered for a while to chat with me.
"It's nice to meet you today. I was a bit worried at first because she talked quite coldly and that led me to assume that she would refuse my order. But after talking, I'm really happy, you are so gentle and lovely, please smile a lot."
Vivian put her hand on the corner of her mouth and pulled up a big smile. Her naughty act finally made me laugh lightly.
After returning home, I told the whole story to Garrick.
"A Russian girl? Is she young?" Garrick brought me a plate of hot curry.
"Um hmm. I guess she's younger than me, she's as beautiful as a Russian doll, big eyes and white skin. Too bad her legs are disabled."
"She must be such a fan of your wool designs that she comes all the way to this little town of Goderich for a wool dress." Garrick sat across from me, sipping his coffee and chatting with me.
"I don't know. But for some reason I have the feeling that she is like a flower in a greenhouse. Bodyguards are always around her as if at all times afraid she will be in danger." I said while eating curry.
"Could it be because of the old accident that her parents were worried?" Garrick made a conjecture.
The short conversation also stopped there because we were not too concerned with that beautiful Russian girl anyway. After dinner, I went up to Kenelm's room. He still locked the door and the curry dish Garrick brought him was still outside the door.
"Kenelm, can I come in?" I knocked on the door and called him softly.
There was a soft noise inside the room that indicated my son was still awake, but he didn't respond to me.
"Kenelm, do you want me to wait for you out here all night?"
A few seconds later, there was a creaking sound. Finally, Kenelm accepted me into the room.
He got into bed and covered himself with a blanket, still looking very angry. I sat down on my son's bed and touched his thin blanket.
"You skipped dinner. It's not healthy. Do you remember the fairy tale about children who waste food being kidnapped by witches?"
Kenelm didn't answer me, he wriggled in the blankets and huffed in his throat.
"All right. If you're not hungry, you can skip a meal." I pretended not to care about him anymore. "But keep an eye on the window tonight. Be careful someone knocks on the door."
When Kenelm heard that, he couldn't seem to keep his composure anymore. It flung the blanket in and out of my lap, its small body trembling. No matter how unruly Kenelm is, he is still a child, when he hears about ghosts or witches or monsters, he will be afraid and crawl into my lap.
"Okay, if you'll talk to me, I'll sleep here with you now. No witch will come and get you, because I'll drive them all out."
At this point, Kenelm looked up at me, although his face was still puffy but he was a little more obedient.
"First, let's talk about how you hit your friends. I want to listen to you."
"They say mom and dad don't love each other." He mumbled, tears coming out of his eyes being wiped away for a moment.
I was dumbfounded when I heard this. Kenelm sobbed and told me everything, how resentful and angry he had been. The kids in the kindergarten never saw Kenelm's father appear, even their own parents assumed that I was a single mother and that Kenelm's father was fake.
"I told them that I had a father. My father was Frederick Vincent. My father was busy at work, so he didn't visit me. But they kept saying I was a fatherless child, your father left because he didn't love you, so I beat them."
I took a deep breath and then exhaled.
"There's something I need to tell you." I knew that sooner or later I had to tell my son what was about his father. "Frederick Vincent is not your father, although legally he is. He is a friend of my mother's and can be considered your godfather."
The boy was dumbfounded for a moment, but he wasn't too surprised. He's not stupid, he can see that his mother doesn't love Frederick Vincent, and she doesn't love Garrick Harvey, his bodyguard.
"So... is your father dead?" His voice trembled.
I originally intended to make up a lie, but I understand that a lie can be deeply hurt if it is discovered in the future. I went through it myself, and I didn't want my son to suffer the same, so I told him the truth.
"He's not dead yet. But he has a different life, different from ours. Mom and dad don't love each other anymore."
"..."
Kenelm was silent for a moment, then he crawled under the blanket and hugged the teddy bear, turning back into the corner. The fact that I have just revealed to him proves that his friend is not wrong.
"I'm sorry Kenelm, I shouldn't have kept it from you for so long."
Kenelm continued to be quiet. He seemed to be falling into contemplation and thinking of his own.
"Kenelm, if you want a father, you can consider Frederick as your father."
"But I don't love him, and he's not my husband." Kenelm said softly. "If my father doesn't need me...that's okay. I just need you."
When I heard Kenelm say that, I couldn't believe the boy was only three years old. It speaks like an adult with a mature mind. It ignores its own hurt to think about my feelings, yet I am too indifferent to its feelings. Although Kenelm rarely shows affection and is quite quiet, he is a understanding and compassionate child.
"Tomorrow I will go to the kindergarten and apologize to my friends."
After saying that, he covered himself with the blanket and closed his eyes, indicating that he did not want to continue this conversation. My heart was heavy and melancholy, I just sighed and turned off the light, lay down beside my son and stroked his hair.
If possible, I would also like to give him a father. But I do know that its arrogant and unruly nature is born, like it is inherited from Dominic. So I couldn't force him to admit a strange man was his father, that was bad for him.
It would be better to let Kenelm know the truth, even though he will be sad for a while, but he will get used to it as he grows up.