PART 17 – I Had Spent Christmas Helping Strangers, but One Quiet Moment Made Me Wonder Whether My Own Family Still Remembered Me

By early afternoon, the busiest part of the day had settled down.

The volunteers were still working, but there was less rushing around.

I helped clear one of the tables.

Someone brought an empty box from the storage room.

Another volunteer asked where the remaining supplies should go.

Clare answered while checking a list.

Everything seemed to have found its place.

I stood near the doorway and looked around.

It wasn't a large building.

It wasn't fancy.

The tables were ordinary.

The chairs had been used for years.

Some of the decorations were clearly homemade.

But people had come here because they needed help.

And Walter had understood that.

I walked toward the old storage cabinet.

The paper snowflake was still hanging beside it.

I gently touched one of its folded points.

It reminded me of the decorations Walter used to help make.

He had never been particularly skilled at that kind of thing.

He was better with tools.

Give him a broken chair, a loose shelf, or a door that wouldn't close properly, and he knew what to do.

Give him a piece of colored paper and scissors, and he became very serious.

I smiled.

"Something funny?"

Clare was standing behind me.

I turned.

"Just remembering your favorite handyman."

She laughed.

"He would have corrected that description."

"He probably would."

We returned to the main room.

I helped collect a few remaining items.

Then I checked my phone.

There was no message from Adam.

I wasn't surprised.

Still, I felt something tighten in my chest.

I had hoped he might at least send a simple Christmas greeting.

I knew he was spending the day with Renee's relatives.

I wasn't asking him to leave.

I wasn't asking him to change his plans.

A message would have been enough.

Merry Christmas, Mom.

That was all.

I put the phone away.

Clare noticed my expression.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes."

She didn't believe me completely.

But she didn't press.

I appreciated that.

A little later, I helped straighten the chairs.

One of the volunteers thanked me for coming.

I told her it was no trouble.

She smiled.

"You're making this easier for us."

I looked at the room.

There was something comforting about being useful.

At home, I had been alone with my thoughts.

Here, there was always something that needed doing.

I didn't have to explain why I was there.

I didn't have to defend my choices.

I could simply help.

When I finally took another break, I sat near the window.

I thought about Lily and Noah.

I wondered whether they had opened their presents.

I wondered which one had won the yearly argument about distributing them.

The thought made me smile.

Then I remembered Walter sitting in his chair, pretending he wasn't interested in the children's excitement.

He always watched them.

He never missed a thing.

I wished he could have been there.

Not just at the center.

At home too.

But wishing didn't change anything.

I finished my coffee and returned to the others.

There was still work to do.

And I intended to finish it.

Click here to continue reading: PART 18: A Message From Someone at the Center Reminded Me That the Money Had Reached People Who Needed It