The Man Who Was My Right Ear Chapter 09

The Man Who Was My Right Ear Chapter 09

Gavin Morgan didn’t follow me that day.

Over the next week, he texted me every day.

Sometimes just “Good morning.”

Sometimes a photo.

A new white umbrella.

A remake camellia brooch.

Even the vow sheet Maya had scribbled all over—he’d had someone restore it and sent me a picture.

“I found the original text.”

I looked at the photo.

“Gavin Morgan, thank you for being my right ear for all these years.”

That had once been true.

But that was all it was—once.

I didn’t reply.

On the weekend, I went to a hearing-loss awareness event.

Nolan Hayes had asked me to volunteer.

He said a lot of kids who just got hearing aids were scared of being laughed at at school.

I stood at the entrance of the activity room and saw a little girl crying with her hands over her ears.

Her mom crouched beside her.

I walked over, took off my own hearing aid, and showed it to her.

“Look. I have one too.”

The girl sniffled. “Do people laugh at you?”

I thought about it. “Yeah.”

Her tears fell harder.

I crouched down and wiped her face.

“But that’s not our fault.”

She looked at me, slowly lowering her hands.

When the event ended, Gavin Morgan was there.

He’d been standing in the back row. I didn’t know how long he’d been watching.

“You used to hate speaking in front of crowds.” His voice was rough.

“You did good today.”

“Thanks.”

That “thanks” was too polite. Pain flickered in Gavin’s eyes.

He pulled out a small box and opened it.

The camellia brooch.

“I had it remade from the original design.”

I glanced at it.

It looked similar. But it wasn’t the same one.

“I got the one Maya Sutton wore back and threw it out. This one’s new. No one else touched it.”

I didn’t take it. His fingers tightened.

“Vivian. Give me one more chance.”

The little girl ran over and shoved a drawing into my hand.

It was a girl with a hearing aid, holding an umbrella.

She looked happier now.

“Here, this umbrella’s for you.”

I looked down at it for a long time.

The umbrella in the picture was crooked, but bright.

Gavin Morgan looked at the drawing. His eyes slowly turned red.

His voice barely came out. “I used to say I’d be your umbrella.”

I put the drawing in my folder. “Gavin Morgan. You did that back then.”

“So I’m not saying you weren’t good to me before.”

His eyes flickered like a match.

But I finished what I had to say.

“But I can’t keep forgiving the later bad because of the earlier good.”

Gavin’s arm dropped. The brooch fell out of the box and rolled to the floor.

He bent down to pick it up.

When his fingers touched it, he stopped.

I saw his shoulders shake a little.

He didn’t lift his head. “Vivian. I think I really lost you.”

I didn’t answer.

Nolan came out from the room.

“Vivian, we’re doing a group photo.”

I said okay.

Before I turned, Gavin called out.

“Can we still see each other?”

I looked back at him. I thought for a long time.

“If there’s a reason to.”

It was a soft sentence.

But it was further than a goodbye.

Gavin Morgan stood there, holding the camellia brooch.