GoodRead"Alright, just tell him Mommy turned into a butterfly and flew away!" Karen rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna lay low for a bit then. When Kenneth gets here, you tell him I've turned into a butterfly alongside your mom and fluttered off too!" "Why can't you take me with you?" Langston clutched at the hem of Karen's sweater. "Aunt Karen, don't leave me behind!" "I've got my own storm to weather, bud." Karen lingered in the hospital room, mustering up the courage to call Kenneth.
As soon as he answered, he blurted out, "Is something up with Dorothy?" "Uh... she's fine, really... happy!" "Great, I'll freshen up and head over to the hospital to switch with you. Got any cravings? | can bring something by." Kenneth's relief was palpable, his voice noticeably lighter.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtKaren was at a loss for words. And her hesitation didn't go unnoticed.
"What's wrong?" "Bro... Dorothy, she's not at the hospital anymore.” Karen braced herself after the confession. "She's gone to find Everett." "What did you say?!" "It was Langston! He must've told her where Everett was!" Karen threw the kid under the bus without a second thought! After all, he was the one who stirred up trouble! Langston's eyes widened. "Aunt Karen! Are you seriously doing this?" "Yep, stop talking!" Kenneth had no patience for their antics. After hanging up, he rushed to the hospital.
Upon arrival, he found the two of them looking sheepishly at one another.
Taking a deep breath to avoid scaring Langston, Kenneth strode over and crouched beside him. "Langston, can you tell Uncle Kenneth where your mom headed off to?" Langston shook his head, unwilling to spill the beans.
"I'm trying to protect her, not hurt your mom. She's all alone, injured, and abroad. Are you okay with that?" Langston, still so young, hadn't really thought that far ahead, but Kenneth's words struck a chord.
"Look, tell me where she went, and | won't stop her from going. | just want to make sure she's taken care of. She can't even stand on her own. What if she's bullied abroad with no one to help?" Langston blinked and whispered, "Would you really let Mommy go?" "I willl I mean... I've never been able to keep her anyway." It wasn't the first time, after all. He was used to it.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Okay, then." Langston sent Everett's last known location from his mom's phone to Kenneth, then added cautiously, "Kenneth, | think | chucked your passport when | was swiping my mom's. You might need to get a new one..." Karen had been trying not to laugh, and finally managed to say, "Langston, you sure are your mother's son!" With Langston's help, Dorothy made a beeline for Everett's location.
Unable to stand, she traveled in a wheelchair.
She knew that even upon arriving, encountering Everett wouldn't be easy. But Dorothy was driven by a single belief— She had to go! No matter how daunting the journey, she needed to be by Everett's side.
The plane touched down as scheduled, and Dorothy sent Langston a message to let him know she was safe before exiting the airport.
She was about to hail a cab when her phone rang.
Looking down, she saw it was a call from Lane.
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
