In Charlotte's Eyes

An Invitation

Five days passed. Today was the day Charlotte would reverse her declaration of death. With Audrey, Parker, and Suzuki all testifying, as well as her fingerprint matching the one she gave to the police when she went to jail, the process went smoothly. She was legally alive again.

“To Charlotte’s life!” Suzuki raised his glass.

He, Charlotte, Parker, Audrey, and Rebecca were celebrating at a restaurant. “Ye-ah!” Rebecca shouted in unison, laughing, raising her glass over the middle of the table.

“Woo, I'm not dead!” Charlotte joked, smacking Rebecca’s glass with her own hard enough for some of it to spill onto her arm.

“Ah!” She recoiled her arm back, laughing.

Parker and Audrey looked at each other, both sharing a smile at the girls’ ridiculousness. Charlotte slyly chuckled. “If only Aaron was here with us.” She directed at her cotton friend.

She whined, crossing her arms over the table, closing her eyes. “I miss my hubbyyy.”

“Hnh. Tell him to quit his job.” Suzuki joked before taking a sip of his drink.

“I should.” She agreed, sitting up.

Parker turned to Audrey. “How much time do you have before Austin gets back from school?”

She looked at the watch on her wrist. “Hmmm, about two hours. We should be fine to take our time.” She grinned.

“Hm.” He smiled, turning to look at Charlotte as she talked to Rebecca in between eating. “That's good to hear.” He grabbed a utensil.

After a moment, Audrey giggles. “Isn't it relieving? Charlotte can finally get back to her normal life. All of this.. craziness behind her.”

All of it behind her. Parker’s eyelids fell. “Yeah.” He agreed quietly.

All of it behind her.

-

A week passed. Over the past week, Charlotte was busy rebuilding the pieces of her life. She got her bank accounts and money back, Suzuki hastily helped her get her job back, and got a new car to replace her sold one. It was now Christmas day. She, Audrey, and Austin hopped in her sister’s car and headed to their parents’ house.

“Do you remember the last time all of us celebrated Christmas together?” Audrey asked with a smile as Charlotte got out of the car.

“No.” She smiled back awkwardly.

“Austin was still a little baby.” She looked down at her son, beaming. “What were you, one or two?”

“How would I know?” He responded sassily.

Charlotte tailed behind the two, staring down her old home, taking in all the memories.

…

Charlotte’s family was so welcoming. It felt like there wasn't any animosity with her at all. It really opened her eyes to the experiences she was missing. In the past, she had spent Christmas by herself or with a few friends—typically Rebecca and/or Aaron. She loved spending time with them, but being with her family again had such a comforting vibe Charlotte couldn't explain.

Time passed. Morning became afternoon. Afternoon became evening. Charlotte just came home, relaxing on the couch to unwind and reflect. She took a deep breath. Her first day back at work was in four days.

Audrey finally came back in, a cluster of letters in hand. “Who are those from?” Charlotte asked, curious.

She set the letters on the dining table. “Some family, some friends.” She sifted through the letters. “A few of them are for you.”

“Oh.” She was surprised to hear that. She stood up and walked by her sister’s side. She watched as Audrey separated the few that were Charlotte’s. As it turned out, there were only two.

“Here.” She slid them to her.

Charlotte picked them both up. One was forest green—from Parker—and the other was a bright blue—from Suzuki. Seeing these, she smiled. She glanced at Audrey, who was busy opening her first letter. Charlotte walked to and sat on the couch.

She started with Suzuki’s letter. Inside the envelope was a letter with a basic Christmas design, with the words “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” plastered on the center. She opened the letter and a check slipped out. She looked at the amount on it. A thousand dollars. The large amount made her jaw drop. She read the letter.

Merry Christmas, Charlotte!
       You may be back, but there are still problems to solve. This is the least I can do to help. You have my support. Enjoy the holidays!

With sincerest regards,
                               Kenji Suzuki

Short and sweet. She looked at the thousand dollar check again. On the memo line “to help pay for mold removal” was written.

Charlotte remembered she could only see from one eye. She'd gotten so used to being unable to use it that she forgot how it was affecting her. She smiled, grateful. She didn't deserve that.

She set down his letter and picked up Parker’s. This letter’s exterior was red with big green stripes and a bow at the center, cosplaying as a present. With a cheerful grin, she opened it. Inside was another, smaller envelope. On the backside, the word “invitation” was written in cursive.

Instinctively, she raised a brow curiously. She wondered what she could possibly be invited to. She read his letter.

Charlotte,
     Merry Christmas. I tried my best to get the best present for you I could. There's a lot I could say here, but I'll save it for when we get together in person again. I hope you're having a great day. Merry Christmas.

She opened the second envelope. Inside was a small, compact piece of paper. It said: “Charlotte, you’ve impacted my life in a special way. I want to give back to you. I invite you to live with me. I hope you accept.”

The invitation left her speechless. She read the words again. Live with him? Was he really serious? She didn't know how to feel.

She turned to her sister. “Audrey?”

“Yeah?”

“Uh,” She looked at the invitation again. “Parker invited me to live with him.”

Audrey turned to look at her. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Her voice was calm, but inside her feelings were much more complex. Should she accept?

Audrey stood up and sat next to her. “This is pretty sudden. You guys aren't dating, right?”

“No. We aren't.”

“Wouldn't that be a little.. y'know. Awkward?”

Would it? It could be. Charlotte’s eyes fell. It probably would be.

It had been nine months.

Only one month since she came back.

He was still chasing after her.

But it flattered her.

“I dunno.” She muttered.

“I mean, Parker is a very good man.” Audrey affirmed. “It's up to you. I won't be upset either way.” She stood back up and went to the dining table.

That wasn't very helpful. Charlotte read the letter again. She took a heavy breath.

“...”