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CHAPTER 5: Life, the Truth and Being Free
As Charlie went to leave the treehouse, Riley put a hand on her shoulders. She turned around and
saw him holding Kami.
“This is yours, Charlie.”
Riley pressed the koala into her hands, like a key fitting into a lock. A bit like a promise.
A bit like home.
Charlie looked at him and felt a sense of understanding.
“Thank you, Riley.”
He smiled and she turned away from him, disappointed that this adventure was over. But she
knew it wouldn’t be the last. She would see Riley again.
The steps of the house were still damp from the rain, and she pushed the door open the same way
she came. With the koala dangling from her left hand, she picked up the letter and walked into
the kitchen, where her mother was.
“Mum.” Her mother stood at the window, and did not turn at her voice.
Charlie sighed. “Mum, I know you’re mad, and I’m sorry I ran out. I know you only want what’s
best for me, that you only want me to live with the best chance for a future; but I can’t live like
that. I can’t live for somebody else – I can only live for myself. Being a marathon runner is what
I want, Mum. I hope you can understand.”
Charlie watched her mother take in her words with a deep breath. Her mother turned away from
the window, with her back against the world, and came to face her daughter.
She touched her face. “Wǒ de nǚ'ér.”
My daughter.
Charlie felt her shoulders fall, her heart slow, her breath rush. This was it. She had wanted to be
accepted, but none of that meant anything if she was not accepted by her own mother. This was
it.
She watched her mother’s face, her feline-tipped eyes, her olive skin, her inky hair. She saw
herself reflected in her face, in her eyes.
“My daughter,” she said again, her accent rounding the vowels. “I am so proud of you. I am
sorry for pushing you. I shouldn’t have done it. I was scared that you would not be accepted and
your dream crushed, scared that your future would be a dead end. A mother should support her
children, regardless of what they want to do. The most important thing is that you live life to the
fullest; that you are happy with yourself, and that you have accepted yourself.”