I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Thanks, Cel."
She squeezed my hand and let me go.
My uncle and I walked in silence for a good fifteen minutes, following a winding path through Celeste's vast property. The land stretched endlessly before us, with patches of trees and wide-open fields. The occasional chirping of birds filled the quiet, but my mind was racing.
As we moved deeper into the woods and far from the house, I knew somewhere in the skies, Celeste’s birds were watching. I wasn’t afraid. Finally, unable to take the silence anymore. I turned to my uncle, realizing something absurd.
“Do you know I dodn’t even know your name?”
He threw his head back and laughed – a deep rich sound that surprised me. “You didn’t ask.”
“Honestly, I didn’t remember. It didn’t cross my mind that yo
