Dearest - truly flung out of space

41 - Birds of a feather stick together

It's Saturday. On Saturday we sleep in. Well, Carol and Rindy sleep in while I wake up early. My two girls usually sleep until 10am while I get up at around 8am. I will never understand how they can sleep for so long. Sometimes Carol notices that I'm awake already and then she pulls me closer to her so I can't get out of bed. We cuddle and kiss for a while until she lets go of me because I complain of needing the bathroom. At some point, Rindy waddles into the bedroom and cuddles with her mother. The sight is always adorable and I love to see when they wake up and make their way to the kitchen because they are hungry. I always chuckle when they shove the pancakes and sandwiches into their mouths.

The morning is spent with movies and cuddles until Carol has to leave for work. She kisses Rindy goodbye and I take her to the door.
"Bye, my favorite fashion seller," I chuckle as I shower her in kisses before she leaves. I wave after her while she rolls her eyes

The rest of the day is spent with even more movies, making cookies, and discussions about what to have for dinner. While Rindy is in her room, drawing some pictures, I answer some E-Mails. After around 50 minutes, there's a knock on the door. I look up, my eyebrows furrowed. It's weird to get a visitor today, especially since we didn't expect anyone. I set my laptop aside and head to the door.

My heart stops when I see the person on the other side: Harge.
I cling to the handle a little tighter.
"Harge," I whisper and swallow. Something about him is different now. He seems softer. I can't help but stare at him. My eyes wander up and down his body, taking in almost every small detail I can find.
"H-Hi... I wanted to speak to Carol," he replies and clears his throat.
"She's at work. She won't return until 4pm," I say and shuffle my feet.
Somehow I can see that he has something on his chest.
"Would you like a coffee?" I ask and open the door a little bit wider.

It's weird having Harge in the apartment after everything that has happened. But somehow, he is different now.
"So... Carol found a job?" he asks after a while. His voice is full of uncertainty and I can sense that this situation is making him uncomfortable.
"Yes. She works at a fashion store," I reply plainly.'
He nods and the room falls silent again. I pray that something will happen soon. My eyes glance at the clock on the wall. Carol would come home in 1 hour.

"So, what brings you here, actually?" I finally ask. I need to know. There is no way that he shows up unannounced without a clear aim in mind.
"I need to talk to Carol, Rindy and you," he finally admits.
"What about?" I ask again, my voice raised a little.

In that exact moment, my favorite blonde walks in. She slides through the door with a big smile on her face. When her eyes land on Harge, she freezes immediately.
"Where is Rindy?" she asks. It's no surprise that this is her first question.
"She's in her room drawing," I reply and get up from the sofa to hug her. Once I wrap my arms around her, I can feel her relax. She sits down next to me and takes my hand.

"Carol... Y/N, I... I need to talk to you. I heard that you got a letter from Therese. The truth is, I got one too. She texted me to ask for your address and phone number. She wrote that she was desperate to see you again. I brought the letter in case you want to see it," he explains and pulls out an envelope. I can feel Carol's heart stop. The only words she can hear are "asked for your address and phone number".

"When... When is she coming?" Carol whispers with a shaking voice. She knows that Harge would do anything to hurt her now.
"She won't. I didn't give her your information," Harge suddenly admits.
"What?" Carol and I say in unison.
"I didn't give her any information. I.. I know I was a terrible husband and my skills as a responsible father were limited but... I want to make it better. That's why I came here today. Carol, I wanted to talk about the custody of Rindy. I would like to give it to you so you have full custody of her. The only thing I want is to see her when she wants. I have been a terrible father to her, leaving her alone and treating her the way I did, and trust me, I am deeply ashamed. But she is my little girl and I don't think I can do this without her. So that's my condition. I want to see her," he continues and I almost choke on the lack of air.