Chapter Twenty-One
Mildred was supposed to be meeting Constance after school hours but she didn't turn up. Constance was worried to say the least because Mildred always meets her when she says she will even if she is late because she didn't realise the time. It is for this reason she found herself outside her daughters room knocking.
"Millie are you in there?" she asked quietly
"Yes come in" the girl said in her cheery voice. Constance walked in and saw her daughter sat at her desk lost to the world with the piece of paper she was writing on.
"I came to make sure you were alright, you didn't meet me" she said
Mildred looked up at he mother her brown eyes going wide.
"Oh ..sorry I didn't do it on purpose I got really distracted I didn't realise so much time had passed" she said.
That is when Constance realised she hadn't being writing she had being drawing. Mildred loved to draw and it was something she was actually very good at. Constance looked at the latest drawing of her cat Tabby and smiled.
"You are so good at drawing, you did not get that from me I can't draw anything, art was always my worse subject" Constance admitted.
Mildred who had picked up her pencil and was scribbling again smiled slightly at her mothers compliment. Mildred was not the best at many things so it meant a lot to her to know she liked her drawings.
"I must have got it from my dad's side then" she laughed as she scribbled on the paper.
Constance really had no memory of Mildred's father, she couldn't remember his name or what he looked like only that he had being at her college but in that moment she remembered something.
"Yes that's right, I had forgotten until you mentioned that, he was studying art in the college" she replied.
"Well I guess I had to inherit one thing" she replied with a smile as she held up the piece of paper. "It is done what do you think?" she asked.
"Beautiful, it looks just like her" she replied as Constance noticed that there was paper's all over her bed. She walked towards the pile curiously.
"What is all this stuff?" she asked
"My drawings, I am making an portfolio do you want to see them?" she asked her as she left the desk and went to join her mother.
"I would love to" she said as her daughter sat next to her and started looking at her drawings.
"This one is of you" she said with a smile. Constance looked at the drawing of the woman who was clearly her and smiled.
"I like to draw things that are important to me or people who are important to me, here look at these ones" she said as she handed the drawings to her.
The first set was off people. Constance and Mildred together that looked to be the same photo Constance had in her album, a few more of Constance by herself, some with hair down, some with hair up. Then there was pictures of Mildred with her group of friends and then Maud, Enid, Jadu and Ruby alone. She had then drawn her third year friends Fenella and Griselda together and alone. She had one of Morgana her mother's cat and two of Tabby her own cat. She had drawn Charlie Blossom who was an non wizard and he was the grandson of the school caretaker Frank Blossom who Mildred was good friends with and Merlin Langstaff who is another good friend of Mildred's who is an wizard and Algernon Rowan -Webb's apprentice. The young boy used to attend Camelot College which is similar to Cackle's but for wizards but he left when he was offered the chance to train with Algernon as he had being bullied at the boy's school. She also had some drawings of the school logo, the castle and the view from her window.
"You have being busy" Constance said as she looked at the drawings.
"What did you think I was doing the six weeks we were apart? Drawing helped me distract myself from the fact you weren't there" she replied.
"I just didn't realise there was this many" she replied.
"Well it is something I am actually good at" she replied.
"You are good at a lot of things Millie" she replied.
"Well I still can't fly a broom without almost crashing it so I don't know about that" she sighed.
"It takes practice that's all, you were afraid of heights it can take a long time to get over your fears" Constance said.
"I suppose you are right" she replied. Mother and daughter sat there for a few minutes in silence as Constance looked at the drawings sadly.
"I am sorry Mildred" her mother replied with a sigh
"What for?" she asked
"You not having an father, you could have shared your talent together I mean I know next to nothing about art" she replied.
Mildred had never really thought about her father. She hugged her mother with a smile as she could tell she was feeling guilty.
"I don't want an father, I have you plus he left me too not just you so I don't like him, I like art like he did that is about it, I am you in every other way" she replied truthfully.
"I don't want you to miss out" she replied
"I haven't, there is a difference you know, he might be my father but he isn't my dad" she replied
"What do you mean"? Constance asked confused.
"Just because he is my father it doesn't mean he is my dad he has to earn that right, he has to love me he has to know me and care about me and he has to of thought of me everyday which he didn't do, I am sure if he wanted to he could find me but he chose not to" she said not feeling at all upset about her absent father.
"When did you become so smart?" she asked her. Her daughter's maturity amazed her sometimes.
"I don't know" she laughed cuddling her mother more "But seriously I haven't missed out you are the only family I need" she replied
Constance smiled and kisses her head gently grateful she had found her. But unbeknown to them an plan was being formed that can force them apart...forever.