𝐀𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 ᵍⁱˡᵇᵉʳᵗ ᵇˡʸᵗʰᵉ

𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄ᶠⁱⁿᵈ ʸᵒᵘʳˢᵉˡᶠ

Anne and Jerry discussed the need for the boy, though Callie was not listening assiduously. The girl fumbled with her hand in her pocket, feeling for a metal object. 

The girl had taken the first coat that came her way and thus discovered that in the pocket was her mother's old watch. The instrument wasn't often used, as her father found it a distraction from work. 

Callie grabbed it and pulled it out, handing it to the redhead. The two looked at each other without saying a word until Anne hugged her. 

The gesture Callie had made was really important to Anne. Marilla left the house, making sure one last time that Anne had heeded the warnings she had given her. 

The three of them climbed into the carriage and left the home. 

As Anne and Jerry argued, the boy began to sing in French, annoying Anne and making Callie laugh. 

The journey continued without interruption until they arrived at the store. 

Anne went into the store to return a dress while Callie and Jerry waited for her outside, staying close to the carriage. 

Silence fell between the two until Callie spoke, leading Jerry to turn his gaze to her. "You don't go to school, right? I've never seen you before" She said, causing the boy to nod.

Both were aware that they weren't going to carry on the conversation, but Callie just wanted to let the boy know that she wasn't ignoring him. 

The three of them arrived in front of the right store as Jerry prepared to walk away. He and the girls would meet up again later, so they would have time to take their time making the exchanges. 

Callie would follow Anne, making sure the redhead couldn't get into any trouble. They took the items to the store, to see if they could make some money with a few items. 

Callie had to listen to Anne's lies to the owner to make more money.

Callie knew they were all made-up stories, but she also knew she couldn't stop Anne anyway. 

The brunette couldn't tell if the shopkeeper believed Anne's stories or if he had pity for the two girls. After a long time, they received their money and left the store. 

An unexpected thing happened, surprising Calliope. Gilbert Blythe stood at the door of the store and meanwhile looked at them. 

Neither of them could contain a smile and they approached the boy. "Gilbert!" Callie exclaimed, taking more steps forward towards him. 

"Callie, Anne. Hello", He said, happy to see the girls.

"Would you like to sit somewhere?" Callie proposed, being immediately interrupted by Anne. 

"I think I'll go find Jerry. But you go ahead, we'll wait for you here".

The brunette nodded and so Anne walked away, greeting Gilbert warmly one last time. The two walked into an eatery and sat down.

Callie was grateful that she could see the boy once again. She was still not aware of how she felt, but at the moment she didn't care. 

She felt that there was something unspoken between the two of them and until recently it was killing her. "You like working on the dooks?". 

Gilbert laughed at her question but answered it "It's means to an end. I hope to get hired on a streamer soon". Callie took a breath and congratulated him. 

"I'm happy for you Gilbert. I hope it happens sooner or later." 

He smiled, continuing the conversation. "You seem happy to see me go." 

The smile Callie had on her lips disappeared and she tried to explain, 

"Of course, I'm not happy. We have already talked about it.  Isn't it better to see you smiling somewhere far away than to see you miserable in a farm?". 

He lowered his head but nodded. The girl spoke wanting to get the burden off her chest that she had been carrying for days. 

"I have to apologize to you. Ever since I've known you I've done nothing but get in your way. Even though it hurts to see you go, I hope you can find the real you and take care of yourself, please." 

Callie's eyes became glossy with tears, but she didn't allow a single drop to fall on her cheeks. He continued to nod, having understood perfectly what she wanted to say. 

The two of them got up, as Gilbert had to get back to work. They found themselves outside the door of the building for a final goodbye. 

"I'll miss you", He said, hesitating for a moment before hugging the girl. She reciprocated, holding him even tighter. Neither of them was aware of their feelings, but they both knew that if it was meant to be they would find out. 

When she rejoined her friends, she found Jerry full of blood and bruises. He explained that men had stolen the money and beat him up. 

Callie didn't know what to say or, more importantly, what to do except hope that everything would work out for the best.

✦——————————✦

After that trip, Callie returned home. Romeo was in the living room playing the piano, his father was at work, and Genevieve was in the kitchen cooking. 

 The house seemed quiet. Callie hung up her coat and melted into an armchair, as she was wont to do. 

A couple of minutes passed and the melody of the piano reigned in the room. The woman's cough interrupted Callie's thoughts and Romeo's melody. 

They both stood up abruptly, worried about their mother. She was plagued near the kitchen island as she coughed furiously. 

The coughing fits became louder and more frequent, scaring the children even more. 

Callie approached her mother, while Romeo stepped away to retrieve a piece of cloth. 

Genevieve had brought her hand in front of her mouth, as blood had begun to pour from it. 

Callie grew increasingly concerned, starting to scream and call out to her brother. Romeo ran into the kitchen with a cloth and came next door to his mother. 

He handed it to his mother, who immediately took it to her mouth. 

After a couple of minutes, the coughing subsided and the woman was able to breathe easier, despite being exhausted. 

The two of them took Genevieve into the living room and placed her in the armchair where Callie was sitting before. 

The siblings stood back a little, to keep their mother from hearing them. 

"Let's wait for Dad, he should be back soon. I'll cook tonight, you let her rest" Callie took the floor, causing her brother to nod. 

Callie walked towards the kitchen as Romeo walked back to his mom. He wondered what was going on and deep down hoped it was no big deal, even though he knew it was grave.

Normally Christmas brought many good things to the Rhodes family, but this time wouldn't be the same.