“Jonathan was one of our friends back in the day,” Linda admitted to her sons not meeting their eyes. “Can one still be called a friend when he doesn’t talk to you over ten years after people that connected you together died?”

“I am so sorry,” she said after thirty seconds, more down than before. “I shouldn’t be telling you guys this... You needn’t worry. I am okay, really. Jonathan has his business here, not with us, but with your sister.”

“What does Callie has to do with him though? And who is that woman?” asked David bothered, by looks like, everything that has been said and happened.

“Jonathan was a good friend of Charlotte and Neil, Callie’s parents. Turns out, he paid Charlotte a visit couple of times when she was in the hospital before the schedule. Her condition didn’t look good and she was worried something may happen to her– to Callie. Jonathan managed to persuasive her into singing some papers... I don’t know how foolish she was to do that, but by the law, Callie is now under his custody.”

“What?” asked both Daniel and David at the same time.

“That girl, she is sent by the Vacael’s citizen administration team. They are talking to Callie about it all now,” Linda continued. “When Callie was born, Charlotte only managed to see her face once. Neil and Jonathan were driving to the hospital to see her, but they ended up in a car accident. Jonathan managed to pull trough, while my brother–” she stopped herself. David held her hand tightly.

“Twenty–eight hours later, after she heard the news from the doctors, she passed away,” said Linda retraining herself from the sorrow. “She wanted to name her child Calea after she and Neil agreed for that name if it’s a girl. We were discussing the baby’s name when they stayed at our place. But I guess she never trusted us as much as she trusted him.”

Linda was at verge of tears now. Her sons were very small back then to remember the difficult times.

“Mom, please don’t cry,” David gave her a hug; Daniel just stood still.

“I don’t get it,” he said sounding a bit upset. Putting blame on someone was Daniel’s common response when his mom is not herself. Except that this time, it’s wasn’t his fault, so he didn’t know who to blame. He was clueless and that’s what made him feel like he was having a stomach ache. “How did she end up with us then anyway?”

“Don’t sound like you’re complaining Dan,” said Linda. “I know you love your sister very much. Jonathan couldn’t take Callie away from us, because he didn’t have the proof. Calea was handed to us because we were there when Charlotte died. Not him. He was still wounded... I hoped he doesn’t make it... how stupid of me...”

As much as Linda hated speaking so darkly of everything in the past and that to her two young sons, she could help it since their curiosity overpasses the fact that both Linda and Edgar don’t have actual best friends to tell this too. Neighbors’ mouth most certainly cannot get involved.

“You said he had the papers though,” stated David. “Isn’t that the proof?”

“Those papers were destroyed in the car accident. Somehow, Jonathan managed to get them restored after all these years,” she said sounding angry and disappointed in herself. She knew that hate was created by anger that was piling up since she started blaming Jonathan for the car accident – for her brother’s death. She knew she had no right to, because Neil trusted him just as much as Charlotte did. She turned out to jealousy of why her brother would not tell her anything. She trusted him but she never knew why and how many things he had hidden from her. In a way, to Linda, all the lies were more than expected in their family. But Neil was still the only family member she cared for. Until now.

“But they can’t just take Callie away!” said David.

“They can. He has the right to. But if Callie doesn’t want to, then that’s a different story.”

“Then why are you so worried?” asked Daniel assured in himself. “She will never agree to go with some strangers like that.”

“The thing is,” Linda began, “they are not really strangers. Well, Jonathan at least was very much appreciated by her parents. They introduced us to him and even through all the seriousness, he was not a threatening person.”

Boys didn’t know what to ask anymore out of blurring thoughts in their heads.

“I fear his loyalty toward Charlotte and Neil. I just know he won’t give up on this. He won’t leave without her.”

“But Callie is given a choice, right? She is smart enough to know what is a good one, no?” asked David.

“Callie is way too smart and that’s what worries me... We took her in, because we thought we were given a choice.”