However, my family was poor, and I had a younger brother to think about. So, my parents had planned to send me to work in a factory to pay for my brother’s education.
When I found out, I ran to Theodore, sobbing uncontrollably. I told him to live the life I could not—to study hard and explore the vast world.
Theodore did not say much. He simply gently patted my back. Before we parted, he held my face and made me promise to trust him. I was too distraught to understand his meaning, but after that day, he disappeared.
No matter how hard I searched, I could not find any information about him. Then, on the day before classes started, he appeared at my doorstep with an envelope.
A year’s tuition was 3,000 dollars, and hauling bricks at the construction site only paid 50 dollars per load. The envelope did not contain cash but proof of 60 loads of bricks he had hauled. His hands were covered in cuts and blisters, with thick calluses forming on his palms.
I hit his chest with all my strength, crying, “Theodore, are you crazy? How could you do construction work for me? What if you ruined your hands? You have a better future ahead of you!”
My voice broke as I sobbed out the last words. “I’m not worth all this…”
He smiled and wiped away my tears, saying, “Charlotte, you are worth it. I’d give everything for you.”
Theodore’s gaze was passionate and bright, like a beacon illuminating my entire life. That day was Theodore’s birthday, and I had clumsily made him a deformed birthday cake with the flour we had at home.
It was also the day we made that promise to each other. Lost in my dream, I did not want to wake up. I mumbled incoherently.
“Theo…”
“I’m here,” a voice answered.
I smiled contentedly, sinking deeper into the dream. “Happy birthday. Let’s blow out the candles together.”
