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It’s been a week since Ginger and I clashed over something so senseless as a toy. But I know in my heart I did the right thing. Christopher’s going to love the musical-themed building block set. He loves working with his hands and creating things. It’s one of the reasons we bonded so quickly.
When Christopher and I started spending time together, he was pretty quiet. He never went anywhere without his special notebook. When I asked him about it, he was tight-lipped but said it's where he kept his imagination.
We’ve been to matinee movies, dropped in on afternoon basketball games, and picked apples at the local orchard for Thanksgiving pies. But his eyes never lit up so much as the day I took him with me to a job site.
I made a quick stop to check on the construction crew working on the new housing development on the outskirts of town. Finn, the crew foreman, took to Christopher immediately, cracking jokes and treating him like one of the Home Wreckers Construction crew. Christopher hiked around on the mounds of dirt with a hard hat and orange vest, beaming like he'd won the lottery. When it was time to leave, he was covered in dust and dirt and jabbering my ear off.
“I’m gonna build my mom a house one day, so we’ll never have to move again.” He opened his notebook and began sketching. “We’ll have a maid and a cook, so she’s not so tired at night. She always has to wait to read the books she wants, so I’ll build her a library so she can read anytime.”
My heart felt both heavy and light at that moment. Christopher carries burdens children shouldn't have to think about. It's the same helplessness I felt as a child, unable to ease the worry my parents felt. But now that I'm older and earning an income, I have the opportunity to make a positive difference in people's lives. Christopher's life.
“Does reading make your mom happy?”
“Yeah, I suppose.” He slumped back into the leather seat, fiddling with a wood chunk from the construction site. “She says reading takes people places, lets them do things they can’t in real life.”
“If you could do anything for yourself, what would make you happy, Christopher?
“I’d build stuff like Finn.” He turned toward me with his knee crooked on the seat. “I found some empty boxes in the alley by the trash dumpster one time and built a fort with them. I used all the silver tape and dried out all the markers coloring it. Mom said it was the best fort she’d ever seen. It wasn’t, but I’ll get better at it.”
A building block set is such a small thing, but the second I saw it, I knew it’d be perfect for Christopher. It’ll foster a dream that someday may become reality. I only wish it hadn’t cost me the chance to get to know Ginger better. Her voice wavered when she stood up to the bossy woman’s demand. It took guts to do that in front of everyone. I should have been more attuned to her anxiety. There was no mistaking the disappointment in her eyes when I stole the present. But I couldn’t back down. Not with knowing how much it would mean to Christopher.
Doing the right thing shouldn’t be so difficult.
"Hey, Connor. Got a minute?" The boss taps on my office door, putting the kibosh on my ruminating thoughts. "I have a last-minute project I need your help with."
“Sure, what’s up, Killian?”
LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF
CHAPTER 6
***
Ginger
“Tell Parker I’m sorry. I’m short on time, and the play is coming up in a couple of weeks.” I rub my temple, soothing the ache hammering at my skull. “The stage sets aren’t even finished yet.”
