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"Here they come!"
A spirited young woman, Haley, was just thinking about how to comfort her mother, who became emotional whenever she talked about her stepson, Chuck. She spotted an approaching taxi and her eyes lit up as she called out.
The middle-aged woman couldn't help but stop crying for a moment, clutching her husband tightly with her left hand, staring eagerly in that direction.
The taxi stopped, and out stepped Chuck, who had flown in from Chicago.
"My dear big brother!"
Upon seeing him, Haley happily ran over, arms wide open for a warm hug.
The bald police chief opened his mouth, wanting to offer some warning, but ultimately shook his head, letting his clever and mischievous daughter interact with her stepbrother. "Do as you please."
But then a scene unfolded that made him both laugh and shake his head.
Facing his stepsister's incoming embrace, Chuck reached out and placed a hand on the top of her head. His tall frame and long arms made it impossible for Haley to get close.
"Hey!"
Haley knew Chuck disliked hugs and other intimate gestures, and her enthusiasm was just to make him uncomfortable. Who knew Chuck would have that move ready? She immediately started protesting and reaching, trying to get closer but being held at arm's length. The scene was both hilarious and endearing.
The middle-aged woman, watching her children interact like this, burst into laughter.
How wonderful.
"Dad, don't you have anything to say about this?"
Haley rested against Chuck's palm, turning her head to glare at the silent bald police chief.
"Okay, Haley, stop roughhousing with your brother," the bald chief said helplessly, realizing his daughter was teasing him about something he had mentioned earlier.
"That's not what I meant," Haley said with a mischievous look, pointing at her own height and then at Chuck. "You really don't want to comment on this?"
"..."
The bald chief felt exhausted.
Now she was teasing him about not being as tall as his wife. By extension, Haley was being held back by Chuck, arms flailing, unable to reach him, because he, her father, was the reason she was... well, it was actually true.
His daughter and Chuck had different mothers, and Chuck's mother was exceptionally tall. The reason his daughter was so much shorter than Chuck was entirely due to her father's genetics.
"You're only thirteen, you can still grow."
Chuck released his sister.
"Please!"
Haley ruffled her hair, smoothed her bangs, and rolled her eyes. "I should have had my growth spurt by now, and even if I could grow more, how much taller do you think I could get?"
"About two inches," Chuck said matter-of-factly, sizing up his sister.
"Wow," Haley exclaimed sarcastically, "Is two inches really that much? How tall am I now?"
"Four foot eleven," Chuck gave the exact measurement.
"So there's hope of growing from four-eleven to five-one," Haley quipped. "What a huge difference! I might be able to punch you in the chest without jumping."
"Chuck,"
Bran, the middle-aged woman, said in a trembling voice as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.
Chuck looked at the mother who had left him when he was a child because she couldn't handle his severe autism and had fought bitterly with his father over how he should be raised. After a moment's silence, Chuck said, "Mom."
"Oh,"
Bran responded with excitement when Chuck was willing to call her that.
"Alright, don't just stand here, let's go inside," the bald chief said with a smile.
"Chief McGrath."
Chuck nodded to him.
The bald chief helped his emotional wife go in first. Chuck hung back a little and followed behind. Haley was bouncing between running ahead and coming back to Chuck, clearly delighted.
"Your mother knew you were coming and has prepared a room for you. Take a look and let me know if you need anything."
After entering the house, the bald chief smiled and said, "Haley, show your brother to his room."
"Sure thing."
Haley agreed cheerfully, then gestured for Chuck to follow her upstairs.
Chuck followed his host and went upstairs with his suitcase.
Downstairs.
"Don't cry, everything's fine."
The bald chief comforted his still emotional wife.
"It's because it's so good," Bran cried. "It's so good it doesn't seem real. Chuck doesn't blame me at all and even calls me mom. He's such a good boy, and I wasn't a good mother, I..."
"You are a good mother."
The bald chief, feeling a headache coming on, couldn't help but point out, "Why else would Haley always tease me and not you? Don't tell me you can't see that she was doing all that for your benefit."
"I know."
A mother knows her daughter best. Bran understood that Haley's antics were all about making Chuck feel comfortable, for her sake as his mother.
"But I'd rather she tease me the way she teases you..."
"..."
The bald chief wanted to run his hand through his hair, but considering his limited follicles, he forced himself to resist. He also realized that his wife's words made sense. Thinking back on his interactions with his daughter, while sometimes frustrating and exhausting, they were truly heartwarming and loving. It was also clear that his daughter was closer to him than to her mother. A small smile appeared on his face.
Upstairs.
"This is your room."
Haley led Chuck upstairs to a bedroom and showed it off proudly. "How is it? Do you like it?"
The room was minimalist, free of unnecessary or potentially irritating items. Chuck glanced at his sister and nodded. "Not bad. Where's the bathroom?"
"Right there!"
Haley pointed to a corner of the bedroom and said, "Mom is so good to you. She saved this bedroom with a private bathroom just for you. I don't even have one!"
Chuck ignored her commentary and went straight into the bathroom. He closed the door and looked around carefully. It was clean and organized, with no safety hazards. Satisfied, he glanced at his watch and waited a moment. Then he reached out and pressed the flush button on the toilet. He walked to the sink, retrieved hand soap from his suitcase, and began washing his hands methodically.
After washing his hands, he looked in the mirror, and a hint of tenderness flashed in his usually stoic eyes.
Chuck knew it was a lingering emotional connection to his mother from his past.
Although Bran had left him at a young age, causing him to struggle with control for a while, his feelings for his mother remained strong throughout.
This was why Chuck had come here now.
This kind of deep-seated emotion could only be released, not suppressed.
Haley watched Chuck come out of the bathroom, glanced at his hands, and a mischievous look flashed in her eyes. She reached out to grab Chuck's hand with a smile: "Come on! I'll show you my room!"
"..."
Chuck glanced at Haley and immediately realized that she knew he had deliberately gone to the bathroom just to wash his hands privately, and he knew that she knew he knew she knew, and she was still doing this...
How naughty.
(End of this chapter)
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