Meeting James Carter was unexpected, and even now, he remains in her memory as that exceptionally gentle and refined big boy. She had seen him running with his long-sleeved legs, seen him in the swimming pool like a flying fish.
Seeing him now, however, Jane Sampson felt a pang of sorrow for him; he must have left their circle due to a physical ailment. Because of the limitations to his legs, James Carterās walking pace couldnāt be fast. He took a couple of steps, then turned his head toward Jane Sampson and suddenly asked, "Or maybe you should go up first? I might be a bit slow."
There was not a bit of embarrassment on his face, nor any trace of moodiness in his tone, as if what he said was a very minor concern.
From his question, Jane understood that James had already come to terms with his present situation, whether good or badāhe had bravely accepted a new version of himself.
At that moment, Jane saw courage in him, the kind needed to face the truest self.
"Itās okay, Iāll just stand behind Mr. Carter." That way, she thought, if he wasnāt steady on the phone, she could rush up to help him, to steady him.
Seeing that Jane truly showed no impatience or urgency, James replied with a smile and continued walking.
If it werenāt for following behind James Carter and watching him navigate the staircase, Jane Sampson might never have realized how difficult what used to seem so effortless to her could be for others.
Jane even wanted to ask James why he didnāt move his study and room together.
But in the end, she held back.
"My mom and dadās room and study are on the left side of the second floor; to the right are my room and study. The third floor is my sisterās domain." Upon reaching the second floor, James Carter casually introduced the layout to Jane, "I donāt come back to stay often, so there isnāt much stuff in my study."
"Mr. Carter has a sister too?" Jane expressed her surprise. As soon as she walked in, she could see the family photo on his desk, which she picked up and glanced at.
"Yes, I have a sister whoās about your age," explained James. "This family photo was taken when I was 16, and my sister was only a few years old at that time."
In the photo, a girl with dimples laughed sweetly in the arms of a father dressed in team uniform, holding a string of rock sugar candy. Her eyes were narrowed into happy slits as she laughed.
The other hand not holding the candied haws was held by her mom, and James Carter at 16 stood beside his father and sister, his eyes full of smiles as he looked at the camera.
"She looks so pretty when she laughs," Jane secretly admired in her heart. It was a girlās most fortunate and happiest smile because, in this world, three people adored her.
Daddy, mom, and a brother who was much older than her.
"Your smile is pretty too," James sincerely complimented Jane. "You have dimples like my mother, and when you laugh, itās especially sweet."
To Jane, that comment was undoubtedly a compliment. She smiled back at James and then pointed at Jamesās father in the photo, saying, "So, Mr. Carterās father was a guard? James Black, my husband, is also a guard. My grandpa was a guard, and James Blackās grandfather as well. I grew up in a guard team area courtyard as a child."