Baker - G. BLYTHE

|09|

-ˋˏ *.·:·. [THREE DAYS LATER] .·:·.* ˎˊ-

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER LIFE CHARLOTTE WAS THANKFUL TO HAVE NOT BEEN INVITED OVER TO HER FRIEND'S HOUSE. Mrs Barry, Diana Barry's Mother came into the bakery still flushed in the face with anger, Anne had apparently set Diana drunk. From what Charlotte could overhear (she was baking in the kitchen when Mrs Barry came in) Diana had gone round to the Cuthbert's household for tea. Only when she came to collect Diana, she found the two drunk and playing with corsets, dresses and lace. Mrs Barry blamed Anne for everything, saying that it was her fault her daughter was currently lying in the parlour too dizzy to stand. Anne however told a very different story, one which included her not realising it wasn't the cordial Marilla had permitted her to use. One which no blame was given. Despite what had actually happened during tea and the begging and pleading of Diana Barry, Mrs Barry no longer permitted the two to speak to each other.

At school the day following the incident, Mr Phillips moved Charlotte to sit with Anne and Diana took her old seat next to Ruby. She couldn't help but feel bad for the two bosom friends, if she couldn't talk to Gilbert because of an accident Charlotte would definitely be very angry much like Anne and Diana were. Charlotte did what she could for the two of them, from delivering little notes for each of them written by the other to telling anyone who asked what happened it was none of their business, this was the day that she found a good friend in Diana Barry. 

-ˋˏ *.·:·. [TWO DAYS LATER] .·:·.* ˎˊ-

GILBERT BLYTHE DECIDED NOT TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR A THE TIME BEING. A decision that was well thought out after a single morning when his father looked to be taking a turn for the worse. He knew that John would not want Gilbert to sacrifice his education, that's why he hadn't stayed behind before now, now it seemed like the only option. He wanted to be close to his father, to be there for the time he had left, knowing his time on this earth was slowly running out. He hated that feeling, waking up every morning and not knowing if he had to plan a funeral, not knowing if he had been left alone in the world. 

Charlotte, having noticed that Gilbert didn't turn up at her house before school when he was supposed to, walked quickly to his house with her head full of concerned voices. Gilbert, luckily, was fine only staying behind from school now. She could see in his eyes that he really didn't want to be alone, it was a sight that Charlotte was very much used to in her own mother. She ignored Gilbert's attempts at protestments and quickly discarded her coat and basket, going in to visit John no matter how much pain it bought her. Gilbert felt his heart beat a little harder at the gesture, words could never explain how much he appreciated it. Charlotte kept a smile etched on her face when in the presence of a Blythe, mainly to try and make them feel somewhat better but also to cover up the pain she was feeling on the inside. She hated the idea of someone else going through what she had, knowing that his Dad dying was likely to be worse than hers since she still had her mother. 

Late in the afternoon, the two headed out back to chop wood, Gilbert needed a break from the house and Charlotte needed some fresh air. They picked up a conversation which they had begun a few days ago and Gilbert soon found small laughs escaping his lips. He was astonished that something so simple, a conversation with Charlotte Rayhill, could make him smile even when the weight of a thousand boulders sat on his chest. She started to walk along a fallen tree, sticking her arms out for balance. The concentration on her face at that moment reminded him of all those times he had looked over to her in lessons or the times that he had helped her with schoolwork, help she no longer needed. 

"Lottie," he paused in chopping the wood and looked directly at the girl as she balanced on the fallen log. "How did you cope when your Father?" he asked watching how her shoulders tensed, steps stopped and how she lost all balance completely. Thankfully she landed with her feet firmly on the ground, the tense shoulders remained and were now accompanied by a look of complete dread. Gilbert only reached out because he knew she had gone through something similar but after seeing her reaction, he quickly regretted his actions. "I'm sorry I-"