Darling Legacy · Chapter 2 — Hope
Could this be our new home? Could it be?
The teenagers stopped walking. Cathy held Corey on her hip, and Christopher carried Cora on his back. They stopped in silence, and looked at what was going to be their home one day.
At the moment, the only thing there really was to look at was ruins. A small house stood there once, the villagers said. It had burnt down, and the owners abandoned it. The land had been left for decades, now overgrown with weeds. The structure of the old house still stood there . There was no roof, and not really any walls either. But you could tell that some of these stone walls were once part of a building. A few of them still connected to each other, forming a sort of low, broken maze, covered in green moss and vines.
‘’There is no roof, and the walls barely deserve that name,’’ said Cathy.
‘’But the walls will surely cut off some wind during the night, don’t you think?’’ said Chris.
Cathy pouted. ‘’I guess it’s better than the park.’’ She paused. ‘’You’re right. This is good. This will be good.’’
The twins were not awake to witness this moment. This pause, this realization -finally, they had somewhere to call home. It would take a lot of work, and a lot of time. They would still be sleeping outside for many more months, while they fixed up the place, but eventually, it would be better. And in the meantime, they could… stay there. Safe, home. The sheer concept felt so strange to the both of them.
Really, Chris was the one to be thanked for this. Once they made it into Henford-on-Bagley, he had commented on the beauty of the landscapes, and the picturesqueness of the area. Cathy had agreed, but she couldn’t really afford to care. So what if it was pretty ? They would be only passing by, surely. The twins cried; she fished, gutted mechanically, roasted the flesh on a park grill. She was too disconnected to care. Chris fed the twins some berries he foraged, keeping only a few for himself and Cathy. While the family ate the freshly caught fish, seated at a picnic table by what seemed like a pub, a lady walked by. Cathy didn’t notice, as she was busy with little Cora. But Chris noticed the lady waving, and waved back with a smile.
The next day, after waking up beside his siblings, Chris sat there for a minute. Sitting directly on the grass, his clothes were damp from spending the night on the moist soil. He checked the twins: they were fast asleep, huddled against Cathy and lying on his thick jacket. Cathy’s head was also on the jacket, her arm draped over them. Thankfully, it was summer, he thought. He got up, and started walking around the park. He found a garden patch that seemed to belong to the community. Jackpot, he thought. He harvested only what he believed was respectful, though it wasn’t quite enough: two apples, some fresh herbs, blueberries, and a handful of wild mushrooms. He walked back to his siblings, and left the small pile by Cathy, as they were all still asleep. He grabbed his old easel, and walked farther away, toward the more frequented area. Maybe a few portraits would buy them a hot meal to share at the pub, he thought.
Christopher sat down and patiently waited for someone to request a portrait, or anything he could sketch or paint for them. He fiddled anxiously with his rag, stained with paint. Before long, he noticed the lady from the previous night walking towards him. She was waving happily at him again. He waved back, and asked if she wanted a portrait.
‘’Sure, boy !’’ said the woman. She sat in front of him as he gestured.
Christopher started painting what was before him, just as he had done for so many other people before. His brush expertly glided over the canvas paper, pinned to a piece of cardboard. In minutes, he had laid down the foundation of the painting: the woman’s frame, her skirtsuit and the basic plaid pattern of the outfit. After a few silent minutes, he asked what the pin on her jacket stood for, as he began outlining the color of it on his portrait of her.
‘’This is the mayoress’s pin’’, said the woman. ‘’I manage this village.’’
Christopher smiled. ‘’Oh, that is very nice ma’am. You sure have a beautiful place to call home !’’.
‘’Thank you very much,’’ said the lady. ‘’My name is Lavina. My son Rahul, is just a little older than you. He delivers the groceries here. Tell me, young man- you’re awfully young to have such a full family. I saw your wife and children yesterday in the park. Are you travelling?’’ asked Lavina.
Christopher kept his eyes on his canvas. His portrait was almost over. ‘’Oh, that’s not my wife, nor are the little ones my children. Cathy is my sister, and the twins —Corey and Cora— are our younger siblings,’’ he said.
‘’Oh, how imaginative of me! Sorry about that,’’ said the mayoress. ‘’Are you traveling?,’’ she asked again.
A few more paint strokes and the portrait would be finished. Christopher felt his cheeks flush and looked forward to the conversation ending soon. He had said enough. The last thing he needed was an authority figure to ask more questions and give them trouble. Would she cause a scene? Would she judge him and Cathy, report him to the authorities? Did she want to take the twins from his care ? His mind was reeling. People usually didn’t ask questions. He wasn’t sure what to do of this interaction.
‘’Yes, sort of,’’ he said, hesitantly. ‘’We’re trying to find some work during the summer and make a little bit of money before returning home for the fall,’’ he lied.
‘’Ah! I see. Would you like some work in the village ? Surely the pub or the market stands could use an extra hand,’’ she offered.
Christopher sighed in relief. The portrait was over, and he got a nice opportunity out of it !
‘’My sister and I would love that. Thank you very much ma’am,’’ Christopher said as he unclipped the canvas from the cardboard supporting it. He handed her the canvas. ‘’Keep it on a flat surface until it fully dries; then it’ll be fine to roll up if you want,’’ said the teenager.
‘’This is beautiful! You are a true artist. I’ll come by later to discuss possible work for you and your sister. Maybe we could find some artistic work for you, young man. Here in Henford-on-Bagley, we are a small community. Support is very important to us,’’ she said.
‘’Thank you ma’am,’’ said Chris.
Lavina patted his shoulder affectionately and smiled. She handed him a fifty-dollar bill, then walked away.
Christopher waited for the mayoress to disappear behind a building, then hurriedly packed his easel and ran to where he had woken up just a few hours before. He found Cathy and the twins eating what he had left. Cathy had already washed the twins' diapers in the river, and they were drying on the park bench. He ran towards her, all smiles.
‘’Cathy! Cathy!’’ he called.
‘’What?’ replied the girl as she wiped Corey’s cheek with the corner of her shirt.
‘’I met with the mayoress just now. Her name is Lavina. Anyways, that’s not important. She was asking so many questions and-’’
‘’What did she say? Did she ask about our parents?’’ interrupted Cathy.
‘’Don’t worry, I told her we’re only travelling over the summer. Anyways, she said she has work for us around the village. I think we should stay around longer than a day — maybe this is our chance to earn a little bit of money,’’ he said.
Cathy could see how hopeful he was. She was doubtful, but she agreed. Afterall, a park in a village, or a park in a busy city... a park is a park right ?
‘’Sure,’’ she said. ‘’As long as we stay close to some water so we can clean the twins’ diapers and stuff. We were pretty comfy in this area last night,’’ she added.
Christopher smiled and hugged her. ‘’We’ll be okay. I have a good feeling about this’’, he said.
Chris lay in the grass, looking at the sky. Cathy left to go fish. He let the twins crawl and play around him. He closed his eyes, letting the sun’s rays warm his face. He could still see the clouds behind his eyelids. The twins’ giggles seemed to fade as he fought sleep. His mind was already populated with images of safety and warmth.
If only he had known how close he was to this safety and warmth.
