The Handkerchief

Elizabeth was about to finish her embroidery when her son arrived from school. Her husband had picked him up and dropped him home that afternoon. But the little boy was with tears in his eyes.

Afraid he had been hurt, she ran and hugged him.

"Kurt, sweetie, what happend? Are the kids at school still picking on you?" She asked while looking for bruses on his tiny body; the last time, a boy pushed him down the stairs, and he almost broke his arm.

"No..." He answered while trying to control his tears "But I did something... And you're going to be angry..."

"No, I won't" Elizabeth smiled gently at her five year-old son, it was just such a relief that he was okay. Besides she could never get angry at him, not really, he was such a good boy "Come here, let's sit, alright? Then you tell me why you're crying.

Kurt followed his mom to the swing chair and, after putting his school bag on the other chair, he sat by his mother side.

He sniffled, and started talking:

"Today at school, we had the Show & Tell and everyone always takes something nice to show... I just wanted to show something nice to my friends too..." He paused to look at his mother, to check he's mother's expression; she seemed calm "So today I took the handkerchief that granny used as her wedding invitation... And while I was in the car, I thought I could just check up on it, but..."

Kurt started crying again, and even that Elizabeth wasn't happy about it, see her son crying was too heart-breaking.

"You didn't find it?" Kurt cried even louder threwing himself at his mother's lap" Kurt. Kurt, listen to mommy, alright? When you saw it for the last time?"

"At the class, before dad picked me up. I was showing to some girls."

"And are you sure is not on your bag, honey?" She asked, drying his tears with her sleeve

Kurt ran to the other chair in the balcony and turned his bag up side down all his school material fell on the ground; pencils rolling around, and crayons breaking, some papers kneading, but no signal of the handkerchief.

Kurt looked helplessly to his mother, with tears starting to fall again. He was waiting for her to fix everything, like she did with the vase he broke dancing in the living room; it looks like it never was broken.

"Okay, I'm gonna call your dad and ask him to check if it's not in the car, okay? Pick up your stuff from the ground, then come inside I baked you cookies" She stroked his hair and give him a kiss in the forehead.

Kurt picked up his stuff crying and blaming himself for losing the one thing he had from his grandmother. His mother used to say she was a real lady; polite, inteligent, with a graceful smile and a wonderful heart. He always wanted to met her.

He put his bag in his back and walked into the kitchen, where his mother was on the phone. Putting his bag on the floor, close to the hat holder, he heard his mother calling him.

"You father found it" She said with a wide smile "You dropped it in the car"

"REALLY?" The boy screamed and ran to hug his mother.

'Yeah, yeah..." She said hugging him back "Now you stop laughing and go wash your hands. Let's eat some cookies!"

Kurt ran to the restroom to wash his hands. The house smelled like cookies in that afternoon, and things seemed sweetest as ever.