Chapter Forty-Three #2
Erin viewed the empty fireplace. It looked dull without the bright vase and the blue candlesticks.
A pattern of pale rectangles remained where the prints had hung, like ghosts of decor past. She looked forward to filling the new space with beautiful things and building it into a home from home for anyone who needed it.
‘Thank you all for your help. You’ve been amazing.
I couldn’t have done any of this without you.
’ Erin held her palms together in a prayer of thanks.
‘It’s the least we can do,’ said Mercy. ‘If I added up all your kindnesses over the years, I would still find myself in deficit.’ The others added their voices, all agreeing it was a small thing in comparison to what Erin had always given them, and Erin found it hard not to let their kindness spill out of her in tears.
Joe hugged her. ‘Anything else need doing?’ He let go and smiled. ‘I’ll need to give my knees a day to recover, but after that I’m sure I’ll be ready to offer a helping hand.’
‘You’ve done quite enough for now,’ Erin said. ‘But no doubt I’ll be calling on you all to help put things back together when the building work’s done.’
‘Can’t wait,’ said Riley. ‘I’m loving this for you. For all of us. It’s going to be fucking mint.’ She squeezed Erin tightly. ‘Right, I’ve got to fly. Need to make myself beautiful for the good people of Greenwich.’
‘I’ll see you down there,’ said Jack.
‘Cheers, mate,’ said Riley, slapping his hand on the way out.
Erin marvelled at the lovely friendship that had formed between the two of them.
The sleepover, as Erin euphemistically called it, hadn’t been repeated and Riley had started a tentative relationship with a comedian she’d met at one of her gigs at Up the Creek in Greenwich, who Jack reported was a decent bloke.
He’d better be. Erin wouldn’t keep her mouth shut again if anyone treated Riley badly.
That girl deserved the world, and somehow, Erin thought that with her new status as an up-and-coming spoken word performer, she might well get it.
The others said their goodbyes, all taking one last look around the place before they left. Finally, it was just Erin, Jack, and Adam in the empty room. ‘It seems much bigger without any furniture, doesn’t it?’ said Jack. ‘I can’t wait to see it when it’s twice the size.’
‘I wonder how Mum and Dad felt when they first stepped in here?’ said Erin, sensing the ghosts of her parents in the still air.
‘Excited,’ said Jack. ‘And probably a bit scared about making things work.’
‘Just like you now,’ said Adam. ‘But they weren’t alone. They had Joe and Nuala to support them, and you’ve got us lot.’
‘Thank you.’ She smiled up at him with tears in her eyes.
‘I’ll see you two outside,’ said Jack, as if sensing they needed a moment.
When the door closed behind him, Adam took a book with a dark blue cover from his bag.
‘I bought this for you.’ He handed it over and Erin read the cover, The Midnight Library.
‘Have you read it?’ Erin shook her head.
‘It’s about a woman who’s given a chance to try out different versions of her life, the ones she might have lived if she’d made different choices.
Nora, the main character gets to explore different endings. ’
‘Does she finally get a happy ending?’
‘You’ll have to read it and see for yourself, but it’s more about what she learns along the way.
She’s trying to work out the best way to live.
What I took away from it is that no one really knows.
We’re all just doing the best we can with the information we have.
’ He opened the cover. ‘Hope it’s not too cheesy. I wrote an inscription for you.’
Erin read the words, To Erin, our story is to be continued … She swallowed hard and lifted onto her toes to kiss him. ‘Thank you.’
‘Will you be reading the last page first?’ He raised an eyebrow.
Erin pondered the question. When Adam first walked into book group she’d been riddled with anxiety and self-doubt.
Now, she was starting a new, exciting chapter, and it was full of love and hope.
On top of that, she had the confidence to believe she could make these new chapters the best of her life.
She didn’t need to know the ending, because she had faith in her own story. ‘You know what, I don’t think I will.’
Adam tried and failed to keep in his laughter. ‘So, you’re admitting I was right all along. Reading the last page first is ridiculous.’
She shook her head. ‘I’m not admitting that at all. I’m just saying I might give your way a go since you bought me the book.’
He was still grinning when they reached the door. When they got there, he paused, then kissed her and went out to join Jack at the top of Brigade Street.
Erin let the door close and stood, gazing around at the room that had been such a huge part of her life.
She was sure she heard her mother’s laughter, and paused, her heart keening for more, but when she turned to look out onto the street, a pair of girls were passing, one with her head thrown back in delight.
Her gaze landed on Adam and Jack, who were chatting together and smiling.
Her mother’s voice wasn’t in this room. It was inside her and she would carry it with her wherever she went.
The Bookmark was special because of the people who filled the space, and the furniture they left their marks on, a reminder that they had once sat there and enjoyed a coffee with a friend or read a book that had spoken to their soul.
‘Au revoir, old friend,’ Erin whispered into the empty room. ‘Thank you for the stories we made together. I can’t wait to start my next chapter with you. I have a feeling it’s going to be the best one yet.’ She opened the door and stepped outside.