EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT // ENOCH O'CONNOR

CHAPTER THREE - THE APOLOGY

Tuesday, 30th October 1956 || Tuesday, 3rd September 1940

When I stepped in the hallway three little girls were watching me with curiosity. Claire opened her mouth, but before she could say something I stopped her and said: "Come on, let's go and make your dolls new dresses."

I guided them to my room and opened the door. They stopped at the doorstep. It made me laugh and I called them in. I walked to my dresser and they followed me. I opened the first drawer and took out one of my old dresses. It was dark blue and had little golden stars embroidered all over it. Three girls looked the dress with awe.

Olive said: "This dress is too pretty for our dolls, you should keep it." I laughed and confirmed that the dress was too small for me and it would be alright. I asked them: "Do you guys have a sewing machine here?" "Miss Peregrine has one, I think," said Bronwyn.

We walked out of my room and Olive was holding my old dress. We headed down the stairs and girls showed me where Miss Peregrine's cabinet was. The cabinet's door was a masterpiece itself. It was made of some kind of dark wood and had different kinds of carvings on it. The glass was opaque but still managed to look beautiful. If you watched it from different angles, it would shine different colours. I knocked on the door, as small girls were standing behind me.

"Yes, come in," I heard Miss Peregrine's voice say. I opened the door and the room that welcomed me was even more beautiful than the door. Bookcases surrounded every wall. On the bookcases were standing every kind of books you could think of. There were: "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,  "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, "For Whom the Bells Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway and many more. The floor was made out of oak wood and was covered with what seemed to be handmade carpet. There was only one window but it was huge and surrounded with heavy velvet curtains. The room looked very elegant and in the middle of the room was a desk. Behind that desk, Miss Peregrine was sitting and writing something. When she looked up and saw me, she asked: "How can I help you Mrs. Allerton?" "I was wondering if you have a sewing machine here. I promised to Claire, Olive and Bronwyn that I would sew their dolls new dresses," Miss Peregrine listened then got up and motioned me to follow her. She went to the bookcase and opened one of the lower drawer. In the drawer was a Singer*.

 I picked it up but it was too heavy. Miss Peregrine looked at my efforts and said: "Mrs. Allerton it's clearly too heavy for you. I will ask Mr. O'Connor to help you," I wanted to stop her but she went on the stairs and called Enoch. When he opened his door I could clearly hear him thinking: what now. I didn't want to see him after what happened before, even less to ask for his help. When he got down stairs and saw me, I immediately knew that this feeling was mutual. Instantly, I heard him thinking: what is she doing here. I had a habit to defend myself when somebody said something about me and without thinking I said: "I'm here because I'm living here too, you should get used to it." His face started to get more and more red and he said with his thick Scottish accent: "Get the hell out of my head!" "It doesn't work that way, tu es stupide**. I can't control that," I said angrily. The truth is, I actually can't control it. I can hear somebody's thought if they are based on strong emotion and right now it was hatred. 

Miss Peregrine, who was watching us fight, said: "Stop it you two. Mr. O'Connor I asked you here to help Mrs. Allerton with carrying the sewing machine." Enoch looked at me with a poisonous stare and walked in Miss Peregrine's cabinet. He walked next to the open drawer and took the sewing machine in his hands. I could hear him thinking again: why does it have to be me, why couldn't it be Victor, but this time I managed to keep my mouth shut.

He marched out of the room, by the girls and out of the main doors in the yard. He put the sewing machine down on the picnic table and left.  I sat down by the sewing machine and the girls sat against me. Then I remembered that I needed scissors. I asked Bronwyn, could she get the scissors.