The Call Home
The storm outside had grown heavier by the time Charlotte stepped onto the empty sidewalk, her hair damp within minutes as the city lights reflected across rain-slick pavement.
For several seconds she stood beneath the awning of the building while the emotional weight of the afternoon settled slowly over her shoulders.
Then she removed an old phone from the bottom of her handbag.
It had not been used in nearly five years.
She dialed a number she still remembered perfectly.
The call connected almost immediately.
A familiar voice answered.
“Hayes Estate,” the receptionist said politely.
Charlotte closed her eyes briefly.
“Hello,” she said softly. “Could you connect me with my grandfather?”
Moments later a deeper voice came through the line.
“Charlotte?”
The calm authority in Richard Hayes’s voice carried decades of experience and quiet power.
Charlotte inhaled slowly.
“You were right about everything,” she said.
There was a long pause.
Then she added one more sentence.
“And you’re going to be a great-grandfather.”
