"Why the hell is this so hard?" I mutter to myself.589Please respect copyright.PENANAg6iGdeNxKE
589Please respect copyright.PENANAwn7y2BbXHk
589Please respect copyright.PENANAgRDNKrMv9T
Remember how I missed two of Evetta's birthdays? Well, I've decided to buy her two presents — one for each birthday that I missed.589Please respect copyright.PENANAfaRERsGi4E
589Please respect copyright.PENANA9UVUC2Iz88
589Please respect copyright.PENANAYYd8DxeZxU
I already got a violin bow for her. It isn't some grand, expensive, £2000 bow from 1752, but it's from me; I'm pretty sure that she's the sentimental type.589Please respect copyright.PENANA9d7os4XFMu
589Please respect copyright.PENANAb7uDWpRFCS
589Please respect copyright.PENANA5X4yfOFpYF
Now, I'm looking for a black doll, and none of them seem perfect. Every single one that I've seen — which is actually only a total of two dolls — have processed hair. For some reason, I feel like she would want a doll with natural hair.589Please respect copyright.PENANAikRZNZdbrX
589Please respect copyright.PENANABa03BDhEB3
589Please respect copyright.PENANAjpkp3kMgFu
I'm about to give up and just get her a bracelet or something, when I see it through the window of a store. It's called "little Jamaica", and a black rag doll with what looks like twists on her head is smiling through the window.589Please respect copyright.PENANAcygftD6Tb6
589Please respect copyright.PENANAhfachrC7eT
589Please respect copyright.PENANAJoABZPwHq6
I walk into the store, which smells like lavender, and am immediately greeting by a middle aged woman with locks. Her face looks halfway between black and Chinese; full lips, dark skin, sharp cheekbones, tiny nose and slanted eyes.589Please respect copyright.PENANA0pP4XYFVVQ
589Please respect copyright.PENANA35c6hvoqZM
589Please respect copyright.PENANAdAS0gxbkpE
"Good afternoon sir," she says in a warm voice, but with an accent that sounds identical to Evetta's.589Please respect copyright.PENANAR32uLxPufk
589Please respect copyright.PENANApVcNwpucY4
589Please respect copyright.PENANAdLK9erHLDO
"How may I help you today?"589Please respect copyright.PENANAEPZhXlK2IE
589Please respect copyright.PENANAgGwe1ndCrj
589Please respect copyright.PENANAAJRwBg1IKB
I look at the window, and see the doll.589Please respect copyright.PENANA7jGnK2k5tJ
589Please respect copyright.PENANAfj4o8l04Yu
589Please respect copyright.PENANAta2mMiEoVj
"I want that doll; the one by the window. Upon inspection, I realise that it has "Jamaica" written across the front. She looks like she's crying, and she's facing me. 589Please respect copyright.PENANAzhhisLokB0
589Please respect copyright.PENANAAN2FToRRhi
589Please respect copyright.PENANAPS8WAMODGC
I think I might be losing my mind. Maybe it's more than just amnesia. What if there's temporary brain damage? What if I'm going to completely lose my mind, and have to live the rest of my life in an asylum?589Please respect copyright.PENANAhxYh1FX3bJ
589Please respect copyright.PENANAYfP4pleRq9
589Please respect copyright.PENANAhiavfg1AKX
Before I have a full blown panic attack, the woman speaks again.589Please respect copyright.PENANARGlgUkyzdw
589Please respect copyright.PENANAEEJdah1mL9
589Please respect copyright.PENANAxiNJv7UCvT
"The doll has too faces; one side is smiling, and the other is crying," she says, seeing my confused expression, and following my gaze to the doll.589Please respect copyright.PENANAmDD1tfksyU
589Please respect copyright.PENANAaAdwLPXs68
589Please respect copyright.PENANAFZQbvw1wja
I walk over to it, pick it up, and flip it. Sure enough, it has a face stitched on the other side — the smiling face that I originally saw.589Please respect copyright.PENANAN0cB5aQlDm
589Please respect copyright.PENANAyX1ry9eVH6
589Please respect copyright.PENANAgfKuHcH7fK
Thank god. I'm not mad. Yet.589Please respect copyright.PENANA58pvxkrEnF
589Please respect copyright.PENANAQUvBY1VquM
589Please respect copyright.PENANAAQGZZy7tC9
This is so... special. I love it, and I know that Evetta will love it, too. 589Please respect copyright.PENANA8w3n1WcJgo
589Please respect copyright.PENANA4t4Vsq9yHE
589Please respect copyright.PENANAGwBFhNWILS
I pay for it and walk out, feeling rather proud of myself.589Please respect copyright.PENANA0c24qVDCSv
589Please respect copyright.PENANAP0pIVKCcvh
589Please respect copyright.PENANAx85yvveos7
Yes, she's gonna be so pleased.589Please respect copyright.PENANA65t2SUvbmz
589Please respect copyright.PENANAHl70xW3Z0b
589Please respect copyright.PENANALFcL38IAPw
Of course, my day can't possibly be that easy.589Please respect copyright.PENANAvrEmDXnBKb
589Please respect copyright.PENANAge4HSkYfdT
589Please respect copyright.PENANAszBk1criOR
As I'm walking on the sidewalk, one of the pink ear rings from the doll fall off and break on the pavement.589Please respect copyright.PENANA69j4YBVYDp
589Please respect copyright.PENANA52KilRpqmz
589Please respect copyright.PENANAKETMBM8jtM
"Fuck," I mutter under my breath.589Please respect copyright.PENANAxKVFa0GA2S
589Please respect copyright.PENANAK6Atjzz1DJ
589Please respect copyright.PENANALXR9UcEc5c
What the hell am I going to do now? I can't give it to her like this.589Please respect copyright.PENANAFnCpkYZgUw
589Please respect copyright.PENANAjUTAm7EFHT
589Please respect copyright.PENANAmEyVNQuwRg
Think Caleb. What else can be used as ear rings?589Please respect copyright.PENANAHLZiBzwp3O
589Please respect copyright.PENANAZmsc5b8l1w
589Please respect copyright.PENANAx1vvDQZGsv
Paper clips?589Please respect copyright.PENANAMtTIoGZbWf
589Please respect copyright.PENANA7ooEsPUwsB
589Please respect copyright.PENANAVB1XIIhksq
No.589Please respect copyright.PENANAUi3dDDIfmm
589Please respect copyright.PENANACyTGOdAFSt
589Please respect copyright.PENANAS9MZ1f90mn
Hairpins?589Please respect copyright.PENANATm8sHQFX3u
589Please respect copyright.PENANAthyfPOVJkI
589Please respect copyright.PENANA7OMXY0e5IT
Am I stupid?589Please respect copyright.PENANAfgCqf5qpin
589Please respect copyright.PENANAiEMBMxdjdX
589Please respect copyright.PENANAKxmKePndyP
Nose rings?589Please respect copyright.PENANAdFExJ8bE9x
589Please respect copyright.PENANAwWE3XV1mkb
589Please respect copyright.PENANAiWpakiwQGe
Wait. That's not a bad idea.589Please respect copyright.PENANAxGPHKCom4C
589Please respect copyright.PENANACQK7f14nwF
589Please respect copyright.PENANAmVQmmhteA5
At least this isn't that hard to find. 589Please respect copyright.PENANAdwd8yHnUcj
589Please respect copyright.PENANAgxt4dClw5M
589Please respect copyright.PENANATBGjIkhh2u
After a few minutes of walking, I find myself in a shop that is stocked full with all kinds of body jewellery, and I pick up a pack of nose rings. Now that I see them, they look far thinner and flimsier than I'd imagined.589Please respect copyright.PENANARLqFDMCLlc
589Please respect copyright.PENANAbXu1CoMx59
589Please respect copyright.PENANAhGvLPUH73B
God, I really hope this works, I think to myself looking skeptically at the tiny golden hoops.589Please respect copyright.PENANArw1KE1Vi1e
589Please respect copyright.PENANA2IOP4OgdZ1
589Please respect copyright.PENANADWsX3cSJuw
589Please respect copyright.PENANAP2h909LTse
589Please respect copyright.PENANA4zfr7lZrD1
***589Please respect copyright.PENANAEvVv01abnG
589Please respect copyright.PENANANDyGTLzfKa
589Please respect copyright.PENANAA8GxYIcnAh
589Please respect copyright.PENANAg9RHPp8F1w
589Please respect copyright.PENANADLp9XG5FTv
The nose rings actually worked, much to my surprise. You'd never be able to tell that anything ever went wrong with the doll on the first place.589Please respect copyright.PENANA6oql0DRWP3
589Please respect copyright.PENANAlOQoyEQ7mo
589Please respect copyright.PENANANjj650pWVF
I'm finished walking the streets for today, so I've decided to take the tube back to the area in which I live. Throughout the entire train ride, I can't keep still. My knee is bouncing like a tennis ball, and I realise that it's more than me wanting to give her a doll and a violin bow; I want to see her again; hearing her voice through a phone isn't enough. Still, I call her as soon as I get out of the station.589Please respect copyright.PENANAfqyJzy9DvE
589Please respect copyright.PENANANkPVGiLwGc
589Please respect copyright.PENANAI6nIEBtInh
"Hello?"589Please respect copyright.PENANA0uCbm3ROfJ
589Please respect copyright.PENANAoCInUG0N0p
589Please respect copyright.PENANA11UUgBGQwE
God, her voice is beautiful. It makes me feel warm, from the inside out, even though it's freezing outside — snow has just begun to fall, and now I deeply regret not bringing a winter coat — and the cold air biting against my skin seems inconsequential.589Please respect copyright.PENANA1YsjC0Saus
589Please respect copyright.PENANAmmqEsYRlq2
589Please respect copyright.PENANA1T3pDi6gCB
"Can you come over?" I ask. 589Please respect copyright.PENANAz4VHIMiuNx
589Please respect copyright.PENANA8f6029hSqC
589Please respect copyright.PENANAjUGqBf2TRf
But a better idea comes to me.589Please respect copyright.PENANAKXhgt6e2mp
589Please respect copyright.PENANAwZ9rtpk5bt
589Please respect copyright.PENANAFS16Ui1SaP
"Are you at home?"589Please respect copyright.PENANAOsfwyxyfSL
589Please respect copyright.PENANAOITl8ur6Lr
589Please respect copyright.PENANAZceLqYzRkK
"Yeah."589Please respect copyright.PENANABHcFritHLp
589Please respect copyright.PENANASynE8jmozF
589Please respect copyright.PENANAi7HpIITh7a
"Um, can I come over? I mean, you'd have to give me your address, and I'd try—"589Please respect copyright.PENANAJz3RjXyrwM
589Please respect copyright.PENANAm7f3SxbZo7
589Please respect copyright.PENANARlvDIxTEg2
"Caleb, it's very cold — you sound cold, as if you've forgotten you coat — and I don't want you to get lost, and die of hypothermia. I'll come over. I'll bring you over to my house one day — show you the path."589Please respect copyright.PENANAn7cooOgzit
589Please respect copyright.PENANALkhvE0mNIl
589Please respect copyright.PENANAFxwkcUDNcR
"Fine. But please stay."589Please respect copyright.PENANAm0LPO0R6c7
589Please respect copyright.PENANAcf7QaLU3uq
589Please respect copyright.PENANA5AUex8zN5R
"Okay, but I have to leave early tomorrow. I have work."589Please respect copyright.PENANAorOi91ioT6
589Please respect copyright.PENANAJKfXxJ57aK
589Please respect copyright.PENANAXnVxEVoevM
"That's fine," I say as I walk through the front door of my house. 589Please respect copyright.PENANA1180JV7hKc
589Please respect copyright.PENANAV2LqBqCAuT
589Please respect copyright.PENANAXGPyJMxicv
The call ends and I make it to my room, suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion. 589Please respect copyright.PENANAo577CzhKqM
589Please respect copyright.PENANAHX1cLhGdUf
589Please respect copyright.PENANAxAvqj9VDC5
However, I fix an image of her face in my head. I tell myself to stay awake for her. And I do.589Please respect copyright.PENANAC26wGovC8d
589Please respect copyright.PENANAViIqwiUGTS
589Please respect copyright.PENANAjcKqggwUNq
"Caleb," I hear from the bedroom door, and instantly perk up, exhaustion forgotten. She's shrugging off her winter coat by the threshold of the door.589Please respect copyright.PENANAGrtjuB2g7w
589Please respect copyright.PENANAUccds0d2EN
589Please respect copyright.PENANAte4Mnyr3yL
"Evetta. Thanks for coming."589Please respect copyright.PENANAuJK9XuJCF4
589Please respect copyright.PENANAqawVpjDW1G
589Please respect copyright.PENANAUxZu8hmQ47
"Of course, baby," she says, and when I hear the word "baby", I get that warm feeling all over again.589Please respect copyright.PENANA8HzxQNNp6O
589Please respect copyright.PENANAiJcvT1MgQG
589Please respect copyright.PENANAgCoLXKmSua
"Um, I got you some stuff."589Please respect copyright.PENANAfVfCu02bc8
589Please respect copyright.PENANAXNmqhXqhuD
589Please respect copyright.PENANA8vZ9TLtPF0
"Yeah?" she inquires as she walks over to the bed and sits beside me.589Please respect copyright.PENANAXDPV9ddv7k
589Please respect copyright.PENANASBpVhmIsWV
589Please respect copyright.PENANAhBVy5A5m7q
"I realised that while I was out, I missed two of your birthdays."589Please respect copyright.PENANAg2oNGWJU4B
589Please respect copyright.PENANAPn6XcONntn
589Please respect copyright.PENANAbWH8mofllz
"Oh, god, Caleb," she says to me, catching on, and her voice sounds so... touched.589Please respect copyright.PENANA1GZKblTH9D
589Please respect copyright.PENANAn7qdAwb8wI
589Please respect copyright.PENANAf6YAw2sH3T
"So I got you some stuff."589Please respect copyright.PENANA8gUXBGWmEZ
589Please respect copyright.PENANATT3fQAsJfY
589Please respect copyright.PENANA4xhHEjibax
Her eyes actually have tears in them. Good god, I never expected her to actually cry.589Please respect copyright.PENANAKyWDtMz670
589Please respect copyright.PENANAAoPCf17FMe
589Please respect copyright.PENANAY7gmWTFR77
Before I can even decide which one I want to show her first — the bow or the doll — she throws her self on me and gives me a bear hug.589Please respect copyright.PENANAxuYiIwEA3t
589Please respect copyright.PENANA4amhxmLUWs
589Please respect copyright.PENANAWm22Nb0r6t
"I love you. Thank you so much. You're the best."589Please respect copyright.PENANAlM7CTeT6ex
589Please respect copyright.PENANAaokqoYjRRs
589Please respect copyright.PENANASuv1roEZpW
"I love you too."589Please respect copyright.PENANA5n5vqavY2T
589Please respect copyright.PENANAhBFx3b5Dxt
589Please respect copyright.PENANAMimse8NYG0
We stay like that for a while, just holding each other, and when we finally untangle ourselves from each other, her eyes are red.589Please respect copyright.PENANAYQOayyI0YE
589Please respect copyright.PENANAZKu5vMpGta
589Please respect copyright.PENANAHCHxsHtrBF
"I got you a violin bow," I say as I present it to her.589Please respect copyright.PENANA3puye2Ha8H
589Please respect copyright.PENANAZ1PN7kRuQq
589Please respect copyright.PENANAKPbu7tcyd7
Her eyes widen and fill with tears again as she removes it from its casing and inspects it.589Please respect copyright.PENANAZbQYdwqbYu
589Please respect copyright.PENANABaDo00pgOb
589Please respect copyright.PENANARqm4bLNv0v
"I mean, it's not great, but it works—"589Please respect copyright.PENANAL0u3O7j08f
589Please respect copyright.PENANAWBeNzn4Tcv
589Please respect copyright.PENANANtlAbCvW7p
"And it's from you," she says. "That means so much to me."589Please respect copyright.PENANAucKJUpzZ7Q
589Please respect copyright.PENANAOnpRqeTjwv
589Please respect copyright.PENANATjJibWKci1
I was right. She's sentimental.589Please respect copyright.PENANAszcSvJN3wL
589Please respect copyright.PENANAwZRu5FoPTM
589Please respect copyright.PENANAivIFLjuQqq
"I also got you a doll. A black rag doll."589Please respect copyright.PENANATGzdzlN3Ve
589Please respect copyright.PENANA7cl53rODKL
589Please respect copyright.PENANAHfmTay4T7J
As soon as those words leave my mouth, her eyes become filled with what can only be described as utter vulnerability.589Please respect copyright.PENANAiZWdIx1M3W
589Please respect copyright.PENANABc7ryfZhUv
589Please respect copyright.PENANA2CPBVOadnl
"Really?" she asks, her voice getting high pitched.589Please respect copyright.PENANAhuYB3eR0P9
589Please respect copyright.PENANA7G4lFdIya5
589Please respect copyright.PENANA4kjLUvNSt1
Damn. I really didn't foresee her being this emotional.589Please respect copyright.PENANAh9YaO8Puxn
589Please respect copyright.PENANAAhhJNVQBal
589Please respect copyright.PENANAcGEDVMbSIE
"Yes. I found it in a Jamaican store," I say as I pick it up and hand it to her.589Please respect copyright.PENANA3YpPeFHbSE
589Please respect copyright.PENANAf1M2JnNPXO
589Please respect copyright.PENANAgw42xEDeCu
"Oh, fuck. This is... Caleb, I don't even know what to say," she whispers, turning the doll over, her eyes widening in surprise as she sees the other face.589Please respect copyright.PENANAX3HQFibCYZ
589Please respect copyright.PENANAzUfImTsPLo
589Please respect copyright.PENANAP4LQm8Y95V
She hugs me, and kisses my cheek, before retracting and rubbing her eyes, smiling at me.589Please respect copyright.PENANAtYeH3AwJFe
589Please respect copyright.PENANAmJ26WCPBx1
589Please respect copyright.PENANA5xktLNUTC7
"Incidentally, I brought something over here for you, too."589Please respect copyright.PENANAYrfqomwlya
589Please respect copyright.PENANA9n5oQhD5Mg
589Please respect copyright.PENANAil2Msv0e0Q
I raise my eyebrows in surprise.589Please respect copyright.PENANA4Dgg9pK2ed
589Please respect copyright.PENANAa18DdpnWG4
589Please respect copyright.PENANAItmtUzi8Ba
She takes out a tiny black doll which is attached to a card that says "Watchover Voodoo" at the top, and has some writing on the bottom.589Please respect copyright.PENANAkUDjHs3yiU
589Please respect copyright.PENANAYjgewY4YTI
589Please respect copyright.PENANAROEwiVVh8r
It's supposed to guide you," she says. "Now, I don't believe that some tiny doll on a piece of cardboard has magical powers, but I do believe that if you read an inspirational quote every day, you'll probably try to follow it."589Please respect copyright.PENANAqy0DNwQGpV
589Please respect copyright.PENANAU3cOofpQ4V
589Please respect copyright.PENANA9WOv87SmOv
I read the bottom, and it says:589Please respect copyright.PENANAjJdMQ3C6vS
589Please respect copyright.PENANAhbRHvrzvYN
589Please respect copyright.PENANAg0ytuKH49z
Reggae Kid589Please respect copyright.PENANASisxwxgAWn
Keeps you in rhythm with nature and at peace with those around you.589Please respect copyright.PENANASGz4BMPUOH
589Please respect copyright.PENANAOEbMoHeGWL
589Please respect copyright.PENANAw6MMdk7qwd
"You lost your rhythm and piece of mind with that accident, and by extension, the piece that you had with those around you. I can feel the unease within you every time I hear your voice, every time I see you, every time I'm near you."589Please respect copyright.PENANAJfAWeVX7qj
589Please respect copyright.PENANA3uJstjYwGH
589Please respect copyright.PENANAL0SVVC2dE7
I think about it; I never realised that she knew just how much all of this is affecting me.589Please respect copyright.PENANAMpV57cjHlH
589Please respect copyright.PENANAqAbAIifn7G
589Please respect copyright.PENANAjCpBTv8u3E
"You need to find your peace and rhythm again."589Please respect copyright.PENANAchX5fjePKM
589Please respect copyright.PENANAB1LHEXGMEE
589Please respect copyright.PENANAWOUxfo4gO7
"Thank you, Evetta," I say, taking the doll from her.589Please respect copyright.PENANAVOATTW55Sr
589Please respect copyright.PENANACT7Mzkt7Rs
589Please respect copyright.PENANAzgbyfT5mUe
Thank you for noticing.589Please respect copyright.PENANAdgKvBUIu8S
589Please respect copyright.PENANABaYyVcwUfp
589Please respect copyright.PENANAGnBdXaT7zg
Thank you for caring.589Please respect copyright.PENANA6eM50C2I3n
589Please respect copyright.PENANAHqd8w1s603
589Please respect copyright.PENANAeQwCaduZQ4
Thank you for loving me.589Please respect copyright.PENANAzXDgNNLoXX
589Please respect copyright.PENANAwKNk9n34rL
589Please respect copyright.PENANARYIrL9oWke
And I do something that neither of us saw coming.589Please respect copyright.PENANAOnMx8XqcSX
589Please respect copyright.PENANAxpd6XVSazC
589Please respect copyright.PENANAVODMfANBqo
I kiss her.
ns216.73.216.210da2