“Good job, Mano.”I guide Charlotte to the couch, where the rest of the kittens are, and watch her immerse herself in them as they clamber over each other to sniff her.“I’m glad you got out of bed,” I say, taking Charlotte’s free hand.“I wasn’t trying to worry you.” Charlotte lets one of the kittens curl up in her lap, tuckered out from all the exertion. “I just—”“You’re grieving.” I touch her face lightly, making her eyes lift toward mine. “I understand that, sweetheart. Tell me how to help. I don’t know how to fix your heart or make your pain go away.”Charlotte covers my hand with hers. “I never told you about Angie, I guess. She was wonderful to me. She’s the one who found me on the street, alone, when I was fourteen. She brought me to the women’s shelter. She let me sleep with her, comforted me. And she became a constant in my life. She wouldn’t let me take care of her, but whenever I needed someone, she was there. And now she’s gone. I have to reconcile with the fact that I w
Last Updated : 2025-07-11 Read more