Reasons

The Pencil

Picking Sophia up from school she took the smaller hand in her own and guided her on the path to the park. After receiving the question looks from her daughter Carol finally shared the news of Eds departure making the young girl smile with glee. Once they arrived at the park Sophia immediately ran to the swings playing with the other children leaving Carol to sit in the the bench by herself. Occupied by her thoughts she didn't hear the dragging footsteps that approached her. "umm is anyone sitting there" a familiar voice grumbled, looking up she saw the detective that had returned her doll. "Oh, no" she muttered out moving her bag closer to herself giving him more space. "mom have you got a pen or pencil?" Sophia shouted as she ran towards her mother full of energy, looking in her bag Carol came up empty handed apologizing to the young girl bringing disappointment to her face. "I have a pencil, always carry one unless your mom says no" Daryl coughed out showing the pencil holding in front of him as proof. Smiling Sophia took the pencil and skipped off with joy, whereas Carol began to stifle her laughter as she saw that the pencil was pink. Laughing Daryl began to speak to the giggling woman "go ahead laugh but atleast i always have a pencil" when he spoke this Carols laughter doubled wiping her eyes from any tears "why does it feel like this is the first time you have laughed in a while?" he questioned smiling pleased that he had made her laugh. The laughter stopped as a sad smile graced her face as she replied "that's because i haven't".

Carol walked into school and headed straight to her locker collecting the books that she needed only to ambushed by her "friends" as they mocked the near by redneck. He was staring like he did every morning making him an easy target for their relentless bullying, glancing up she caught him staring and both looked at the floor embarrassed, blushing. As they insulted his appearance and money issues bringing in what they called stalker tendencies, she decided to head to first period early as she couldn't hear it any longer. It was the last day before they broke up for christmas and it was the first year Carol was spending without her mother so she didn't feel in the Christmas spirit but she still brought along a single present wrapped in a white bow. As he entered the classroom her eyes were on him every second until he took his place next to her, they were both early. As Carol was about to reach into her bag to retrieve his gift he awkwardly coughed and shoved a flower at her "it's a um Cherokee rose, i know you miss you mom and its the first year without her but i thought that this might cheer ya up a bit" a smile took over her face as she tried to take it only to be rejected as he placed it behind her ear. "Thank you Daryl, i'm surprised you remembered it's beautiful" the joy on her face was contagious as he started to smile too, as Carol placed his present in his open hands feeling joyous and giddy. When the gift was opened his smile went to confusion then to realization and he began to chuckle as Carol joined in. "It's a pack of a hundred pencils, pink. as you know you lost mine on the first day so i got you your own" Carol explained unable to hold her laughter watching as Daryl smiled and took one out of the pack and put the rest in his bag. Feeling in the spirit Carol embraced a shocked Daryl in a warm hug kissing him on the cheek as he blushed beneath her lips only to separate when other students began to walk in.

Looking at her watch Carol realized that she needed to get home for Ed's phone call and collected a smiling Sophia and hurriedly saying goodbye to man who had made her laugh.