Chapter 5
1 brought a bottle of whiskey and a box of smoked beef brisket to the cemetery. Dad’s happiest moments were always when he came home from working in the fields and had a drink
Back then, we could not afford fancy snacks such as brisket. So, he would only treat himself to some peanuts. I used to joke with him, saying that one day I would make enough money to buy him truckloads of briskets. Now that I finally had the money, he was no longer here with
- me.
I sat before his headstone, poured myself a drink, and downed it in one go while mumbling,” Dad, I ended up marrying Theodore anyway.”
I continued bitterly, “But he turned out to be such a bastard and a liar! He promised that he’d love me and stay by my side…”
As I spoke, I broke down in tears. “Dad, even your little dolls couldn’t bring us luck…”
At that thought, I suddenly lifted my head, hastily wiped away my tears, and ran away from the cemetery. I realized that my wooden doll was still at Theodore’s place.
Dad was a humble farmer who did not have much to give. During his breaks from fieldwork, he carved two small wooden dolls for us–one for Theodore and one for me.
He had scratched his head sheepishly and said, “These will bring you good luck. I wish you both happiness and peace.”
When I first gave Theodore his doll, he smiled and swapped it with mine. Then, he attached a silver chain to the palm–sized doll and hung it on his keyring.
He had even said, “This way, you’ll always be with me.”
But now, I wanted it back. It was the only piece of Dad I had left.
When I got to Theodore’s office, I saw him watching a replay of my interview. The footage of me coughing up blood played over and over on the giant TV screen.
I walked straight up to him and reached for the keys in his pocket. He caught the scent of alcohol on me and frowned, asking, “Have you been drinking?”
I did not answer him and continued searching. He impatiently pushed me away, causing the keys to fall.
I stared at the empty keyring and demanded, “Where’s the doll?”
Janice burst through the door just in time to hear my question. She hung her head guiltily, her eyes red as she stammered, “C–Charlotte, don’t blame Theo. I was the one who asked him for it.”
She added softly, “Theo said it wasn’t worth anything and that it was just a piece of junk. I didn’t know it was so important… I’m sorry…”
