Chapter 306


    Chapter 306 The Warmth of Ordinary Life


    For someone stuck in a hospital room, the idea of getting out for a walk was something to really look


    forward to.


    As for taking Charlie out to eat, I could not think of anywhere special off the top of my head, so I picked


    a ce I liked to go on any given day.


    Charlie had insisted on ditching Inch and the bodyguard for the day inside the restaurant, so we


    snagged a table by the window. The view was killer–Pris River sliced right through Lake City, with


    people kayaking and the sidewalks bustling with life under the bright lights.


    As we browsed the menu, Charlie finally tore his eyes away from the scene and asked, “Do you like


    this?”


    I nodded, watching the street vendors and the chill crowd wandering by. “It’s so lively,” I said.


    He shed a quick grin and agreed, “Yeah, it’s got that special buzz.”


    Mid–conversation, Charlie’s attention drifted to a mom and her kid at the cotton candy stand below. The


    little guy, who was maybe five or six, was totally spellbound by the rainbow of sugary fluff and glued to


    the spot.


    “That stuff will glue your teeth together. We’ll have something way better at home,” the mom probably


    said, trying to pry her kid away, thinking about the impending sugar rush.


    The kid, however, was having none of it, his eyes glued to the cotton candy. He begged, “It won’t stick.


    Let’s just get one!”


    The standoff was real: the kid wanted it bad, and mom was not budging. She tried to haul him off, yet


    the kid must have tapped into some superhero strength andtched onto the vendor’s table.


    With a loud crash, the table toppled over as expected.


    The noise was a ma for onlookers. The vendor flipped out, ring at the mother–son pair who had


    been on the fence about the cotton candy. “What is the big idea?” he barked.


    Scared out of his wits, the little boy plopped down on the pavement and burst into tears.


    His mom, too frazzled to soothe him, scrambled to apologize to the vendor.


    The boss looked pretty ticked off. He said, “Look, I’m not trying to be hard on you. My cotton candy


    costs two bucks a stick, and I can’t sell the ones you guys knocked to the floor now. Pay me what they


    cost, and since the syrup is no good either, give me fifteen bucks, and we’ll be even.”


    As the waiter started bringing out our food, Charlie and I both looked away from the drama and


    checked out the dishes on the table. Before we could dig in, this ear–splitting yell came from


    downstairs, “Fifteen? Are you kidding me? Do you think you can scam over a few sticks of cotton


    candy? Dream on, buddy.”


    She did not even wait for the boss to respond. She just grabbed the kid sitting on the ground and


    stormed off.


    The little guy was caught off guard, tripping and tumbling as he tried to keep up with her.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    The boss stepped in front of her, nowpletely fed up, “Come on,dy, you’re not making any sense.


    I’m trying to be reasonable here, but you’re not listening. Do I need to call the cops or what?”


    “Go ahead, call them! I’m not scared. It was an ident, the kid just pulled it down, and I already said


    sorry. What is this stuff even worth? It’s all junk food. I haven’t even reported you for selling bad food,


    which is me being nice. Now you want me to pay up? As if!” She went off like a machine gun, then tried


    to bolt again.


    The boss could not help butugh, blocking her path, “Fine; report me. But you’ll wait here while I call


    the cops, and we’ll sort this out at the station.”


    He whipped out his phone, ready to dial.


    As soon as she saw the phone, the woman plopped down on the ground and started wailing like her


    heart was being torn out, using the boss of trying to rip her off.


    It did not take long for a crowd of onlookers, who had been casually strolling by, to stop and gather


    around. With more and more people showing up, Charlie and I could not see what was happening


    anymore.


    The table was set with all sorts of delicious dishes, and I slid the window shut to keep the outside


    mor at bay.


    “Here, try this–it is super good,” I said, offering him a bite.


    Charlie gave a


    a nod, tasted it, and then asked me with curious eyes, “Is cotton candy any good?”


    I paused, slightly surprised, and replied, “Yeah, it is pretty good. Some are sweet, others tangy. You’ve


    never tried it?”


    He shook his head. “Nope.”


    Hisck of experience with cotton candy caught me off guard. “Where did you grow up?” I wondered


    aloud. It seemed like cotton candy was a staple treat everywhere back home.


    He did not really answer, just got quiet for a moment before admitting, “I’ve seen it but never had it.”


    I frowned, getting the vibe that his folks must have been super strict about sweets when he was little.


    “My mom was the same way, totally against it. But my dad would sneak it to me on the down low. But


    honestly, after a while, all that sugar during my tooth–losing years left my teeth a wreck. In the end,


    they were ck as night and just in ugly.”