“I admire Vicky for having a huge heart. And, I am happy to hear that you are continuing her legacy,” Angie sipping her chocolate drink, looking at the boxes in the living room. “Wherever she is now, I know she is happy with what you are doing.”

Vince blinked back his tears, replied: “I hope so.”

“Rather than donating her current set of clothes, why not sell them, and the proceeds can go to your favorite charity. I think you mentioned once that she likes kids,” she added.

“Did I mention that? Uhm… but sure, that would be a great idea as well. The kids need it more, especially since Christmas is fast approaching,” he nodded and grateful to find someone who is on the same page.

“I can help you in selling the items. First, we need to ship them out to Lindsey’s house. I will make a brief phone call to arrange everything. Then we will get in touch with you later how we can work on it,” Angie beamed, pleased at herself. She stood up made a quick call en route to Paris where Lindsey was. Her dizziness and lack of energy earlier that day swiftly changed with a new goal in mind.

The new tandem finished packing all in the containers leaving the appliances, and large furniture will be sold with the house. Angie slept in through the night after a hard day’s work despite her initial illness.

Vince, on the other hand, tumbled in his sleep even if it was his own house. He got up, heat some water for an evening tea. His fiancee always has a stash of chamomile and lavender tea for his sleeplessness. He stood up at the porch, looking at the moon and the lake longingly. He sighed, allowing tears to fall down for that was the last time he will set foot on their house. The house that they could have called home.

“Vicky, I am sorry,” mumbling between his breath groping for the rocking chair for support. He sat down, his knees weak, shoulder slumped, and body trembling as he broke down in tears.

The following day, Vince met his real estate agent, finished all the paperwork, shipped the boxes back to Quebec, all finished at 12 noon. As the nearest airport was at McCarran International Airport, they have to drive an hour to make it in time for their flight. They were scheduled to leave for Quebec at 3 pm Nevada time. With the timezone difference, Angie mentally calculated that they will arrive Monday, 1 am Eastern Canadian Time in Quebec. When she got home, her body was exhausted, but her spirit was at an all-time high.

Angie woke up at 11 am, showered, grabbed the first clothes she saw, ate a quick lunch, and drove to her workplace. It’s the 16th of December, and they only have a couple of days left for the significant charity event she was planning with Vince. She mentally created a proposal of the event to further introduce their children’s clothing line to the public. And tying it up with a bigger purpose could make a difference in their fashion line. Her parents, who were philanthropists, would likely support her cause.

When Angie arrived, everyone was on their toes, the phones are off the hook and their clothes flying off the hanger. Ever since their Winter Collection was launched, their clothing line has been selling like pancakes. Lindsey was planning a huge year-end party for everyone and to officially welcome Angie and newcomers in their company. It had been a successful year for their business. With her chin held up and shoulders straight, she burst into Lindsey’s office.

“Good afternoon, Lindsey,” she blurted out, and eyes widened when she noticed that Jamie and Christine were also in the room. They suddenly stopped talking after she barged in. “Hi, everyone,” she added.

The two girls rolled their eyes, nudging each other by the side. Christine crossed her arms with her brows arched while Jamie slurped her coffee, peering at Angie between her glasses.

“Hey, Angie. How’s everything?” Lindsey spoke, breaking the sudden silence in the room. “We have to talk later. Well, actually, why don’t we talked now and while we are at it, Tiffany, can you call Michael too, please,” she continued. “So we were talking about our year-end/welcome party and throwing some ideas here and there.”

“Oh! That’s great,” she sat across Christine, who was pursing her lips. “Because I also have a proposal in mind. It would be a first for the company and for myself. Although, if everyone is not aboard, I will still continue the cause.”

“Am I late? I didn’t know we have a meeting,” Michael exclaimed.

“This is an emergency meeting. I was planning to do it this afternoon, but since everyone is here, we can start now,” Lindsey replied.

Michael settled next to Angie. They transferred to the boardroom. She asked Tiffany to order them lunch to discuss the upcoming party. Angie discussed her proposal about a garage sale with the proceeds going to an orphanage. Michael, Lindsey, and herself were on board while Christine and Jamie stated that it was supposed to be an event to honor the employees. They settled in with Hotel de Glace as the venue and Angie to send a formal proposal with all the details for everyone to review.

Despite not getting a unanimous approval, it didn’t dampen Angie’s mood. She texted her mother earlier that day to ask her for any old clothes they might have that they can donate to charity. Like her, Mrs. Hernandez was ecstatic that her daughter was finally joining her cause. She replied they will have to go through the attic checking their old stuff.

Angie got home, dumped her bag and portfolio on her bed, and went to the attic. She has not been there even once. Her mom would store all the things they had collected through the years, back from when they were living in Mexico.