Chapter Seventeen
1893 Words
I’m just about to leave for work and I’m standing in front of my dresser looking at myself in my mirror. Today I’ve decided to wear my turquoise and black summer dress, its sleeves come down to the start of my forearms. It’s a low-cut dress with light gold and turquoise patterns, it fits perfectly into my waist and flows perfectly over my knees. I take the waist tie off of my dresser and tie it around my head to push my freshly washed curls back. I wear pearl like earrings and my tiny turquoise studs. I wear only lip gloss today, as I don’t really feel for blood red lips today. I bring out my white high heeled sandals and walk out into the beautiful morning sun, I hear the birds singing merrily as I walk to my car and it makes me smile. On the drive to work I smile to myself feeling excited knowing that Hannah is my first client this morning. When I get to work I see everyone catching up in the common area.
Not long before I fully enter I feel hands sliding down my shoulders, I spin around to see Marea with her confident red smirk.
“Hey Lisa, long time no see.” She pulls me into a tight embrace that lasts a few seconds, I hug her back.
“I missed that smirk of yours Marea.” I pull back to smile at her, she wears a royal blue dress that clings to her long figure with high black heels. She takes my hands and smiles brightly showing off her pearly whites.
“I missed yours too! I like seeing your hair pushed back like this it suits you.” She runs her fingers through my hair, pats the top of my head and swiftly walks off. “Come.”
I nod, smile and follow her into her office, it’s mad I don’t really get to come into her office usually because she sneaks up on me from nowhere in mine. Her office is lovely, her blinds are a nice pale golden cream colour made from nice wood. The wall behind her desk is a nice chalk like blue, she has two plants that sit at each side of the room and a cream sofa In front of her desk. Two black gothic cabinets are on either side of the room. A golden framed mirror hangs directly behind her desk, I’m pretty sure having a mirror behind your desk keeps people aware of their moods and actions, a smart tactic. Marea shuts her door and pulls the office blinds to a close. She spins round slowly and smiles at me.
“I brought you in to give you this personally.” She hands me a dark blue box from her shelf. I take it looking at her surprised, she waits patiently as I open it. Inside is a rose gold infinity bracelet, with small crystals surround one half of it.
“Oh Marea…I’m speechless…”
“I hope you like it; I’ve been trying to come up with a thank you gift for a while now. I know you wouldn’t accept a pay rise, so I thought I’d have to make it more personal.”
“But why? I’ve not done-“ She puts a hand up in the air to stop me and closes her eyes.
“Lisa, please. If only you could see the positive impact you’ve had on him, on us. He’s so happy.”
“Really?” It comes out sadly..
Marea takes the bracelet out of the box and places it on my left wrist, she pulls the small clasp so that it adjusts to my wrist size.
“There, see you have such tiny wrists I had to get you something that was adjustable. Yes, really Lisa, he’s been in his art room again painting something passionately. I know because he’s blaring music, he’s become so consumed in his task.”
“How is he? He’s not attended any of his online sessions with me.” I try to not to make it sound as eager as I feel.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself when you see him at twelve today.” I look down at the bracelet, I hug Marea.
“Thank you! This is incredibly kind of you.” I squeeze her so tightly that when she laughs it’s slightly chocked. Doesn’t look like she suspects or knows anything about me and Erin. I wonder if Marea has ever had a soul bind.
“You are always welcome Lisa; you’ve become a good friend of mine as well as a good work colleague. Now off to work with you.” Marea’s smile is warm, her cheeks glow with a slight pink hue and her bright eyes glean. She guides me out of her office before giving me another warm smile and closing her office door.
“Ouu well doesn’t someone look happy; may I ask why the pretty lady is smiling so much?” Michelle walks over to me with two cups of tea in her hands. She’s smiling at me with excitement, everything looks the same apart from her outfit which is a nice yellow sundress. I smile back at her and hug her.
“I’m smiling because Marea gave me this bracelet as a gift for helping Erin, and now I’m smiling because you are literally my ray of sunshine. First this dress and a cup of green tea.” Michelle laughs raising her chin, her eyes literally smile and glow.
“It’s nice to see everyone in such a good mood. Seems everyone has really missed being around each other at work. Ouu let me have a look, ouu Lisa this looks real.” Oh wow, I hope it wasn’t expensive, but I try not to ask questions about how much things cost because apparently that’s quite rude.
“I refused her offer to bring up my pay-check, so she went more personal with her appreciation bless her.”
“Ouu well aren’t you in her good books.” I smile into my mug of green tea, I wonder if Erin will come in today, I hope he does. I miss him.
“Ahem.”
“Okay what’s up?”
“Huh?”
“You only clear your throat like that when you’re trying to expel a thought. So, what’s on your mind?”
“Oh, uh I.” I take a deep breath “I’m hoping that Erin shows up to his appointment today because I actually want to know if I’m helping him like Marea says I am.”
“I think you and I both know that you are.”
I nod and smile at Michelle.
After hearing about some new tv series Michelle’s got into it’s time for us to get to work. I enter my office which I’ve missed so much. I go up to my wooden chair and stroke it, I have a flash back to when Erin sat in this chair, and when Marea touched the chair like she knew he’d sat in it. I remember Erin drawing me the first time I was getting to know him, then I look to my wall of art to see the sketch. Hang on a minute… It’s gone… I go up to the wall and start searching around the floor when I hear a knock at my door. Hannah walks in shyly, I’m on all fours and stand up to greet her.
“Oh hello! Oh my god how are you Hannah?” I go over to her and she runs into my arms. “Look how tall you’ve gotten! When did this happen?!” she giggles and blushes into me.
“It feels like forever and ever since we last saw each other. I’ve missed being able to hug you.”
Being away from my clients and colleagues the past two weeks has really showed me how much I love them and the environment we’ve all worked so hard to create here. It made me realise just how much I love my job and how rewarding it is.
“It really does feel like forever and ever doesn’t it?” I say laughing and stroking her silky brown hair, she nods closing her eyes. I feel her grip around me tighten. “So, Hannah, how are you feeling today?”
“I’m really happy because I get to be here in our room again and I’ve missed painting with you so much.” I nod along to what she says. “Oh! And I had another dream last night, I got closer to the figure her golden wings was made of something see through.”
“Ou really?! See through you say?” Hannah nods eagerly. “Like fairy wings?”
“No more like they glowed but they didn’t have a physical form.”
“Sounds magical.”
“I’m pretty sure I could paint it properly.” I get the special paints out for Hannah to use which is code for expensive paints, she starts sketching first with a pencil. “Lisa stand over there by that cupboard.”
“Okay, like this.”
“Yes, just face the door more. No look at your shoulder, yes just like that, just like that. This works better than having to imagine it.”
“I’m so glad I can help.”
“Lisa?”
“Yeah?”
“Wait don’t move, stay still just like that.” She lets out a giggle which makes me giggle. “I’m sorry I sound really bossy.”
“Haha, that’s okay Hannah you have my full permission just this once to boss me about, now what were you about to ask me?” I love seeing her smile, it reminded me so much of mine
“You look beautiful was all I was gonna say..”
“Thank you Hannah but I’m pretty sure you were going to ask a question.” I raise an eyebrow and smirk.
“Okay I’ll ask it, are you looking pretty for that guy?”
I chuckle to myself; Hannah makes me laugh I love her so much, the way she just blurts things out. I kind of hope that never leaves…
“No, I like to look good because it makes me feel good. I don’t dress this way to impress anyone but myself if I’m truly honest. You don’t have to look good for a guy you know, it’s important you remember to look good for yourself first and foremost.”
“Oh, okay then. How are you so confident?”
“I learned to love myself, which isn’t an easy thing for everybody to do.”
“Hmm. Sometimes I wish I could be as beautiful as my mum was.”
“Hannah you are beautiful, you’re so beautiful and each time I see you, you grow more and more into a beautiful person.” I feel hands around me.
“Thank you Lisa. I hope when I grow up that I’ll be as beautiful as you.”
“You really don’t have to worry about that because you’re growing so beautifully Hannah.” I hug Hannah back. She looks like she wants to cry, but instead she looks up at me and smiles.
“You make me feel better every time I see you.” Hannah hugs me, spins round and sits back in her spinny chair at the table.
“That makes me so happy, you should feel better. You deserve to feel good feelings.”
“Daddy gets really upset when I go quiet. I don’t like seeing him get worried.” There had been a time that when Hannah was grieving her mother she barely spoke or ate anything for months on end, and Matt nearly had a breakdown.
“I don’t like seeing my dad get worried about me either, but it’s natural because we all worry about the people we love. It’s not wrong to be upset and feel the negative emotions because they help us heal in order to feel the happy and good emotions again.”
Hannah looked up at me from the table and gave me for a long while a small smile.
- Writer
