𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞; eugene roe ✔

PART THIRTEEN

I wrote half of this on my phone so if there are typos pls forgive me thanks love y'

Word count; 2,397

Valentina

There was some consolation with having Eugene downstairs, however nothing could stop the impending hopelessness which all of us began to feel. I told the rest that Teo was sick again, the same fever as before, and how everyone should stay clear of his room, which seemed to settle any vital worries. I told them that a medic was staying downstairs incase things got too bad and therefore they should stay clear of the bottom floor as well, preventing any chance of him awaking too early than need be. Presently, I knew Eugene hadn't slept for more than four hours at a time in a long while and, knowing that, I wanted to make sure he could sleep for however long he wanted - a thank you to him helping Teo, giving the time of day.

Monika wouldn't stop crying until I personally found her and attached her to my arms. For a long while, I sat by Teo, reading the book Martin had given me, Monika lounging in my lap and resting her head against Teo's bed. At some point between eleven and twelve, Metlida did her runs around the house, dishing out warm cups of milk and honey to those who were still awake. When she reached Teo's room, she placed two mugs on the chest of drawers by the threshold, offering if I wanted for her to put Monika to bed. The toddler had fallen asleep, so in return I agreed.

"I made one for Teo..." She added quietly. "It normally always put him to sleep. I did it out of habit."

"Thank you, Metilda."

"Do you want me to give it to the American?"

I smiled gently, "No, it is all right Metilda, thank you. You get her tucked away."

I was standing and passing her the child. Monika curled into her arms, her head leaning on the woman's collarbone.

"Thank the heavens we have you." She whispered, moving hair away from the girl's forehead. "I will pretend not to be jealous."

I planted a kiss on Monika's cheek softly, "She is an angel."

Metilda's eyes drifted to behind me, to Teo. "I think we need an angel."

I nodded lightly in agreement, placing Martin's book on Teo's bedside table. On the way out of the room, I grabbed the two mugs, allowing Metilda to shut the door behind me. We continued downstairs together, until she trailed off down a corridor to the nursery. I carried on, reaching the silence of the bottom floor. At least on the others, you could hear the flick of a book, the breathing of slumber, the sipping of warm milk and honey. This floor had always been blanketed in quietude - I didn't know what else I was expecting.

I turned the corner of the room I had prepared for Eugene, finding it empty and untouched. There was a dip in the middle of the blankets I had laid out on the sofa, like he had taken a seat but then, for whatever reason, stood up and never returned. I put the two mugs down on the coffee table in the middle of the room. After re-adjusting the sheets, I went back to the doorframe and stared into the kitchen across the landing. The door which I had pointed out to Eugene clicked, to and fro. The small embroidered curtain which draped over the window of the door danced with every sound, a gush of air sweeping the threshold. I opened it fully, kicking a doorstopper beneath it, and stood idly once more, gazing into the landscape. With a moon high in the sky, the lake glimmered like a dance party you would see in the pictures. Heat still hung in the air but less violently, the breeze having picked up during sunset. A bank of clouds collected in the far distance.

I was four chapters into Martin's book and the most recent page was a whole memory the woman had of her first son. She described how he loved to swim in their old home, as it had a waterhole nearby, but as soon as they were evicted and had to move, he lost his passion for it. She asked him continuously if he was interested in going down to the river they now lived by, how he could play the games he used to play in the currents, but each time he declined. It reminded me of how Teo once adored the thought dancing, twirling around a floor with a partner, but as soon as the war began he lost touch with it. You see, in the book - not in the film, as Martin scribbled down on that specific page - this new place they moved to had a neighbour who swiftly befriended the woman's son. She was gorgeous, like an actor, and wore cherry coloured lipstick, only a few days over the age of twenty three. Almost immediately, she and the son engaged in a relationship. However, in my story, Teo's downfall was no where near as affectionate.