Chapter 14 Nearing the End

Clarence got behind me and pushed the wheelchair. "Are you in this wheelchair because you're sick?"

I answered honestly, "No, because I don't have long to live."

A tense silence fell, and I could feel Clarence clenching on the wheelchair's handles so hard, they might break.

He said hoarsely, "If that's a joke, it's not funny."

It was not a joke. I could see him tensing up from the corner of my eye, but I changed the subject anyway. "Take me around."

A tense Clarence pushed me to the market. A festivity was probably going on, and things were bustling. It had been years since I got around, and everything felt new to me.

Suddenly, Clarence said, "I ran into you the first time at a market as well."

That was odd. The first time we met was supposed to be at a bar. Wait, the manor, perhaps?

Clarence smiled shyly. "I used to run a stall with Yvonne when I was eight. I needed the money. Your carriage passed by, and you pulled the curtains back. You looked at us and told the butler to bu