Chapter 11
Karen returned home, her mind filled with relief.
Although she knew it was for Avery's sake he agreed to help; she now had an ally by her side. A morsel of bread was better than none, right?
Avery began to unfurl like a flower blooming in the desert, slowly opening to the warmth of freedom as she got engrossed in her lessons at Mrs Emma's house.
She discovered that she would rather prefer to learn at Mrs Emma's than at her own house.
The gloom surrounding her house would surely have destroyed any desire to study and learn and for this, she was grateful to Karen for once.
Mrs Emma's house in contrast to her own house had a warm and welcoming atmosphere. She was a widow living alone.
She had transformed her cozy, well lit living room into a learning space.
In a corner was a floor to ceiling bookcase filled with all kinds of books, textbooks, educational resources as well as fiction books.
She prepared for Avery her own working space with a desk and chair.
She really proved to be a dedicated and supportive teacher, providing Avery guidance and encouragement. She was a real angel indeed.
She used visual aids and real life examples to explain different concepts to Avery.
She made Avery to participate in experiments both at class and at home. She always reviewed Avery's work and offered constructive feedback.
All this made Avery wish that Mrs Emma could extend the lesson hours as she was enjoying herself so much.
At home, Karen was waiting for Avery to arrive from Mrs Emma's.
"Mom, I'm home" Avery called out on opening the front door.
"Avery, how did it go today at your class?" Karen asked.
"It was okay, mom. I really love the way Mrs Emma teaches" Ava replied.
"That's good. Have a seat. There's something I need to tell you" Karen said.
Avery sat down wondering what could be wrong.
Karen began "Avery, do you remember your daddy's brother, uncle Kenny?
Avery shook her head.
"I don't think you'll remember him because you were a toddler, the last time you saw him. Anyway, he reached out to me and he would very much like to meet you"
"But dad has been dead for some time now, why is he just reaching out, mom?"
"Uncle Kenny travelled overseas for some years now and he just got back. We'll be going to see him by weekend, okay?"
"Okay mom" Avery shrugged indifferently.
Later at night, Avery saw herself pondering.
She had heard so much about uncle Kenny.
What sort of person was he?
She hoped he wouldn't be as bad as Fred.
Would she be able to confide in him?
With all these thoughts running around in her head, she barely knew when she fell asleep.
Kenny hadn't seen his niece in years and he didn't know what to expect. He kept pacing nervously on his front porch.
Just as the security guard announced their arrival, Kenny startled and gazed in the direction of the gate.
As the gate opened, Avery's mother smiled and stepped aside revealing a shy curious girl with big brown eyes.
Avery looked up curiously at her uncle whom she hardly knew and saw a close resemblance to her father.
Kenny's eyes welled up as he gazed at Avery.
He had missed so much of her life and the thought of reconnecting with her was almost too much to bear.
"Avery" Kenny said, his voice trembling "It's me, your uncle Kenny"
Avery's expression remained unchanged and Kenny's heart sank; she didn't remember him. But then something shifted, Avery's eyes sparkled and she took a step closer to him.
"Hello uncle Kenny" Avery said, her voice soft.
Kenny's face crumpled as he stretched out his hands towards her. Avery hesitated a moment before stepping into his embrace.
As they hugged, tears streamed down Kenny's face as he held Avery close feeling a deep sense of connection and love as he remembered his brother, Samson.
Avery sensing Kenny's emotions, looked up at him with concern and she smiled, a small tentative smile and Kenny's heart soared.
In that moment, it didn't matter that she couldn't remember him.
What mattered was that they were reunited and they had the chance to create new memories afresh.
Kenny pulled away from the hug "Welcome, Avery , this is your home and you too, Karen, welcome"
Karen smiled in response and Avery replied "Thank you, uncle"
"Please come in" Kenny said.
On entering the spacious living room with exquisite decor, Kenny called out to his wife "Marjorie, honey, guess who we have here!"
Marjorie was a beautiful blonde in her mid 40s. She replied from within "Honey, just a sec, I will be right with you"
When Marjorie stepped out, she saw Karen whom she knew and a young girl who looked exactly like Samson, Kenny's late brother.
Kenny sounded excited "Honey, can you guess who we have here?"
"I'm guessing this is Avery, your brother's daughter. How time flies! She has grown so big!"
"You guessed correctly and I believe you also recall her mother?"
"Yes I do.. Welcome Karen and you too Avery" Marjorie said.
"Thank you for having us" Karen replied.
"Hey, honey would you mind keeping Karen some company . I want to catch up with Avery, just the two of us. Hope you don't mind Karen?" Kenny asked Karen.
"No, not at all " Karen said, her expression turned understanding and she nodded "Avery, I'm close by if you need me and Marjorie, thank you for your time"
"The pleasure is mine, this way, please" And Marjorie led Karen elsewhere to enable Kenny bond with Avery.
Kenny turned his attention back to Avery. He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Hey kiddo" Kenny said, his voice low and gentle.
"I'm really glad we have some time alone. There are some things I would like to talk to you about"
Avery's eyes sparkled with interest and she leaned in slightly like she didn't want to miss a word he said.
"I've missed you so much Avery" Kenny said, his voice filled with emotion "I'm sorry I haven't been around as much as I should have been"
Ava's expression softened and she looked at him with compassion..
"It's okay, uncle Kenny" She said "I have missed you too"