Kate's Choice
She looked incredibly beautiful and Kate couldn't stop staring as Caroline stood at the head table speaking so eloquently about her mother. It was a speech filled with so much love and homage to the love her mum and her new step dad shared, Kate couldn't stop the feeling of pride that swelled within her. Later the wave of sadness that washed over her when she recalled the break that still existed between them was just as prominent. If the bluntness of Caroline's reply to her Christmas well wishes wasn't telling enough, the almost mechanical return of the sentiment told all there was to say. It was done and she had to go.
The ride back home was quiet and Kate ignored the tears that rolled down her cheeks to whole way. This is what she'd wanted, right? To protect herself from someone who wasn't ready for her, ready for them. As if her growing daughter knew her thoughts, a sudden stirring in her womb caused her to pause and stroke her belly just after pulling into her front garden and shutting off the engine to her car. With a heavy sigh, she opened the door and made her way to her house, content with the idea of having her tea and heading promptly to bed. Maybe sleep would put her mind and thoughts of Caroline to rest.
Stepping into her front room and switching on the light, her eyes immediately landed on the now wilted bouquet of flowers Caroline had brought her weeks ago. The day she admitted to her faults and said she'd still try harder for her, for them. It broke Kate's heart to see the pain in her eyes that day and she knew her own eyes mirrored the same. Kate thought she was doing what was best. Caroline proved again and again she couldn't take that final step, despite what she said that day. Approaching the vase and lifting it from its perch, she headed toward her kitchen, determined to rid herself of the drooping representation of her former relationship. Just as she'd sat them by the sink and pulled the stems out she saw them. Two intertwined flowers determined to hold on to a bit of bloom.
She left them there as she briskly turned and headed back out the door. Kate didn't have the heart to throw them out and now she knew why.