The Blue Room

 She stood in the doorway, her hand drifting back to her side as the car drove out of sight. Eventually she shook her head, realised the sun was higher in the sky now, and retreated into the hallway.

Evie had at last - at long last - left home. Why do we say it like that? Maddy wondered. Evie had found a new home, she wasn't homeless! Though not the youngest, Evie had taken some time to 'find herself', and was the last one to fly the nest.

Maddy walked through to the kitchen, checked there was enough water in the kettle and switched it on. Coffee time. She poured a handful of beans into the grinder, turned the handle, the noise of the miniature stones breaking the beans into powder hypnotising her. 

She stood in the doorway, one hand resting against the frame, the other cradling the hot cup of coffee. Shaking her head, she sat the coffee down on the desk in the corner.

"Right. Enough of this. Time to get on with it!"

She'd long suffered good natured ridicule from the family from her self-pep talks, but it was a habit that worked. It didn't fail her now. 

An hour later, the bed was on its side, stripped bare in the hallway. The bedding was whirling around in the washing machine, wardrobe and dresser emptied. She'd pushed, pulled & pivoted each piece of furniture into her own room. Music blared from the lounge - the dvd player standing in for the CD player that had left in Evie's suitcase.

She could just hear it over the vacuum cleaner. She almost missed the phone ringing, finishing the vacuuming just in time to catch the phone before it cut off.

"Hello?" 

"Hi Mum, just checking in. Has Evie gone already?"

"Oh, hi love. Yes, she left early. She wanted to make sure she made her flight. And yes, I'm fine." Maddy smiled, knowing full well that Hannah expected her to fall apart. 

"So you don't need me to come home for the night?" She sounded hopeful. 

"I'm all good. Your dad'll be home in a few hours, it's not like I'm all alone here. Thanks for checking in, sweetie, but I'm having fun rearranging Evie's room, deciding what I'll do next."

"Ok then. You will call if you need anything?"

"Go! You have enough to do. Bye love". Maddy ended the call, laughing. 

Back in the room, her coffee had gone cold. She headed down to the kitchen and poured the coffee into a pan, reheating it on the stove. While she waited, she opened up her laptop and began scrolling through the marketplace listings for inspiration. 

Dressers, desks, chairs, drapes...so much choice. Before she knew it, her coffee had gone cold again. She'd found a couple of key pieces to base the new look around and made contact with the sellers. She opened the fridge and grabbed a full water bottle, picked up her car keys, phone and wallet and made her way to the garage.

"Hi honey, I'm home…" Jono sang out, doing his Jack Nicholson impression. He shrugged his coat off and hung it on the peg behind the door. 

"Maddy? Are you here?" He listened for a few seconds. Still hearing nothing, he made his way to the kitchen and lounge. Where the hell was she? No dinner in the oven, nothing on the bench. But her car was in the garage when he pulled in. 

"Maddy!" Torn between worry and annoyance, he took the stairs two at a time. Bathroom, no. Their bedroom, no sign of her. He stopped a moment, went back into the hall. What the hell had gone on here today? Running his hand along the wall, he felt the marks that dented the painted surface. He followed the marks to his daughter, Evie's room, saw a chip out of the doorframe. He pushed the door open, not sure what he'd see on the other side.

Sighing with relief, he entered the room and sank onto the side of the bed, next to his sleeping wife.

At the window, cheerful pale blue drapes were tied back with thick nautical rope, attached to the wall by a couple of brass hooks. On the floor, covering most of the carpet, was a well worn but beautifully worked rag rug in shades of blue and cream. Where Evie's dresser had been, there now stood a sturdy tallboy, and in place of her schoolgirl desk was a simple table. A wheeled work chair sat in front of it. A refill pad sat in one of a doubled-tiered paper tray, pens, pencils, staplers and various other office necessities filled a segmented stationery holder. 

Evie's display of posters and toys from her childhood were nowhere to be seen. Instead, the shelf above the desk held a selection of what looked like secondhand self-help books. An overstuffed old armchair sat in front of the window. How she'd managed to get that up the stairs, he had no idea.

Even the bed was different. Well, the bedding anyway. 

Maddy rolled over, opened her eyes. 

"I've talked to that pastor who runs the homeless shelter. She'll put together a shortlist of those she thinks we can help. What do you think?"

Jono reached behind him for her hand, not trusting his voice.

They'd met when she was working at the truckstop as a short-order cook. He'd been hitchhiking, picked up by a truckie who was due for a rest break. They'd caught each other's eye as soon as she brought his order to the table. He had intended to keep heading north, looking for work but that all changed in the time it took to finish his 'Full Kiwi' breakfast. Within weeks he'd moved into her flat and she'd helped him apply for a foundation skills course at the local polytech. Over time, Maddy had got his story out of him. How his dad had been lost at sea while fishing. His mum hadn't been able to keep up with the rent, so within weeks they were living in her car. The child welfare department had been alerted somehow, sending him into the fostercare system until he'd been old enough to get away. He'd never had much in the way of personal possessions, and never found his mother again. The streets had become his home. 

They grew ever closer, and at the polytech he'd discovered he had a good eye for detail and a talent for recreating what he saw, on paper. Maddy supported him as he trained, qualified and eventually found work as an industrial architect. 

He never forgot where he'd come from, and kept notes of how he might one day help someone else the way his wife had helped him. He'd drawn this room, based on memories of his parent's room in their home on the coast. 

"It's your time, honey. Let's do this." She squeezed his hand.

Two weeks later, Pastor Julia pulled up in the driveway. Maddy opened the front door as Julia's passenger unfolded his long frame out of the car.

"Maddy, I'd like to introduce Garth. Garth, this is Maddy."

"Ma'am." Garth ducked his head, unsure of quite how he'd been brought here. 

"Call me Maddy, please. Come in Garth."

Jono stood as they reached the lounge.

"Garth, this is my husband, Jono. What would you all like to drink?" Maddy busied herself at the counter, boiling the kettle and making drinks, giving Garth time to look about his new home without observation. Julia stood at the window, looking over the garden out back.

As Maddy brought the drinks to the lounge, Jono gestured for the others to sit down.

Knowing well how nervous Garth must be feeling, Jono kept the conversation light, choosing to wait to learn more about the newest member of his household.

After Julia took her leave, Maddy gathered up the cups while Jono led Garth to his room and left him to settle in.

"Thank you." Jono wrapped his arms around her as she rinsed the cups ready for the dishwasher. 

She leant her head back against his shoulder. It had been his dream first, and over the years it had become hers too.

Garth stood on the lower stair, silently taking in the tableau beyond the kitchen counter. He had no idea what he'd done to deserve this, but by God he wasn't going to let this chance slip by.