Y/n is the proud, older sister of Charlie Bucket and best friend to Bill the Candyman. At least that's how she would describe herself. However, unbeknownst to her, she's also the apple of a reclusive chocolatier's eye. When her brother wins the fift...
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Here is the necklace mentioned in this chapter.
When I came back home, everyone was just sitting down for dinner. Mom looked up at me and smiled. "Did you let Bill know that you wouldn't be able to work tomorrow," she asked softly. I smiled, "Yes, and he's fine with it. More than fine actually. It took five whole minutes to convince him to put me down. The minute I told him, he picked me up and twirled me around the shop. He knocked over the gumball machine," I chuckled.
"Well, that's great! After dinner, I have something for you," Mom said casually.
"Really?" I asked, excited. It's very rare I get any gifts. I always insist on using whatever little disposable income we had on Charlie because he deserves it more, but I am human after all. It's always exciting to receive. Not as exciting as giving, but still. Mom laughed at my expression.
After dinner, she told me to follow her to her bedroom. I sat on her bed as she pulled out her jewelry box. My eyes widened. Her jewelry box was like a treasure chest in my eyes. Charlie and I were never allowed to look in it. I've only ever seen my mom wear a few pieces, but only for special occasions which were far and few between. The only jewelry she wore every single day was her wedding band. My father has been gone for thirteen years and still, my mother still cannot move on. She firmly believes that everyone has a soulmate and dad was hers. It's so sweet and tragic at the same time.
I bit back my tears. 'Now is not the time to cry, y/n.' I scolded myself. Mom sits on the floor and opens the box. She reaches in and hesitates for a brief moment. Finally, she pulls something out, closes the box and places it back on her dresser. She smiles at the object in her palm as she sits beside me on the bed. I take this time to really study her. These past thirteen years have been rough on all of us, but more so for her. She lost the love of her life and discovered that she was pregnant weeks after we laid our father to rest. I can't imagine how she must have felt. I know I would have been scared if it had been me. "Mom?" I call to her softly.
"Hmm?" "How did you feel..." I hesitated before finding the courage to press on. "How did you feel after daddy died and you discovered you were pregnant?" Her head snapped up in shock. "I'm sorry," I apologized softly, looking down at my lap. "I shouldn't have asked..."
"No, no y/n. It's fine," she whispers. "It's just...nobody has ever asked me that before," she said in a strange voice. I looked up to find that she was fighting back tears and I began to feel guilty. Not for asking the question, but for not asking it sooner. Mom has always been such a strong presence in all of our lives. I had always regarded her as tough and unbreakable and although she is tough, no one is unbreakable. How long has it been since someone's asked her if she was okay?
I wrapped her in my arms and made her lean into me. Suddenly, mom began to shake and sniffle. I held her as she cried, occasionally whispering things like, 'It's okay. Let it all out.'and 'It's alright. I've got you, mom. I'm here for you.' When she calmed down, she stayed in my arms for a moment longer before pulling away.
"I'm sorry, y/n. I shouldn't have let you see me like that," mom said, turning away. I gently gripped her hand and she turned back to me. "Don't apologize mom. It's okay to not be okay," I whispered. "It's okay to lean on your family during your saddest moments. It's okay to cry. It's okay to miss him because...I do too," I began crying softly. This time, mom enveloped me in a hug and rocked me back and forth. I felt wet drops on the back of my neck and realized that mom had resumed crying. I held her a little more tightly. She was the only parent I had left. She was the only parent I had left, and she has been in pain for a long time.
Finally, we both stopped crying and mom gently sat us up. She gave me a watery smile before wiping away my tears. Finally, she answered my question. "I was scared, and I wasn't sure what we were going to do," she said quietly. "I would have never guessed you felt that way. You didn't seem sad," I said.
She looked down at her closed hand and closed her eyes. "Sometimes, when people try to be strong, they bottle up their emotion and hide how they truly feel from the entire world." She opened her eyes and stared at me. "After a while, you become so good at pretending that you eventually start to believe in the lie, but sooner or later, the truth always comes out. Sometimes, at the most inconvenient of times. Sometimes the truth comes out because of something that may seem so trivial to others but has a deeper meaning to you. It could be something as simple as an innocent word, or perhaps a building, or a necklace..." she trails off, lost in thought. Eventually, she turns back to me. "But, when the truth does come out, you will feel so much better. You know what they say, 'the truth will always set you free.'" She smiled at me, a real smile this time and reached over to hug me.
"Thank you for listening. Above all else, thank you for asking," she whispered into my hair.
"Always," I whispered to her. And I truly meant it. I will be her rock from here on out. Just as she has always been mine.
Mom pulled away with a laugh. "Alright, enough with the heavy stuff! We have more important things to sort out. Like, what you're going to wear tomorrow!" I laughed.
"Well, I was planning on wearing the dress I wore for my high school graduation. I really love that dress." I loved that dress. It was the nicest piece of clothing that I owned. The top is an off-white color with billowy sleeves, and it came slightly off the shoulders, but not enough to me immodest. The skirt was brown with hints of black in it, and pink and purple flowers. I also have a wide brown leather looking belt that I usually wear with it that goes around my waist. I plan to wear some black tights and my nicest pair of black shoes.
Mom nodded in approval. "Yes, you do look very lovely in it," she said. I blushed and ducked my head down.
"Oh, stop that! You are absolutely beautiful. No need to feel embarrassed about it."
"You're my mom," I informed her. "You have to say things like that."
"I absolutely do not have to say that. Besides, if you don't believe me, just go ask Mr. Turkenine," she teased. I paled before grabbing a pillow, lightly smacking her across her arm. She laughed before turning serious. "Now, I have something to complete your outfit." She unfolded her palm and I gasped. In her hand was a small, white gardenia flower necklace.
"It's beautiful," I whispered in awe. Hesitantly, I reached out to touch it carefully. Mom gently took my wrist, flipped my hand over and deposited the necklace into my hand. "I want you to wear it tomorrow...and I want you to have it."
I protested. "I couldn't-" "You can, and you will," mom said firmly. "This isn't just an ordinary necklace," she continued. "Your father gave me this necklace on our fourth wedding anniversary. He was supposed to by himself a new suit. Instead, he used the money to design this necklace especially for me. He had draped the necklace on a rose in a large bouquet of flowers," She giggled like a schoolgirl and my mouth dropped. I've never seen her like this. It was...nice. Beautiful even. "He told me 'I'll never stop loving you until every single flower in your hand has died.' I remember being quite angry with him for a moment. Flowers die and here he is basically saying that he'll stop loving me when that happens. I was about to yell at him when I saw the gardenia necklace."
"What did you do mom?"
"I kissed him." I giggled at that.
"Our fourth wedding anniversary was one of the happiest anniversaries that we had ever had together."
"Really? Why is that?"
She smiled mischievously at me. "Because exactly nine months later, you were born."
My face heated up in embarrassment. "Eww. I'm sorry I asked," making a 'yuck' face.
Mom laughed and wagged her finger at me. "You won't think it's so gross when you're with the one you love."
"Yeah, mom. I don't think we have to even worry about that. I can't ever see myself falling in love. I'm pretty sure it'll never happen," I chuckled nervously.
