Page 53 of Love from Pretty Beach

C urled up right in the corner of the sofa, Darby had a cup of tea on the go, a cushion over her feet and she was very cosily wrapped in a stolen man’s dressing gown.

Softened with age and oh-so comfy, said dressing gown was infused with Archie.

It was so him that it almost felt as if he were sitting next to her.

Darby may have constantly pulled the collar up over her mouth and nose and inhaled.

Cupping her mug in her hand, she sipped and stared out the window.

The willow tree in the garden made lovely little patterns on a blanket of white, cloudy sky as Darby resisted doom-scrolling crap on her phone and instead let her mind wander.

Tracing her eyes around the same peach pattern wallpaper beside the window, she’d stared at so many times in the past, something had changed.

Many things, in fact. Mostly her state of mind.

There were other things that had come with her improved mental health: her energy levels, her happiness and more importantly, just her day-to-day run-of-the-mill feelings. All of which were on the up.

Staring at the peach flowers on the wall, she mused how they would soon be toast. She would miss them in a way. Not that much, though. They’d been like a noose around her neck for the five years she’d lived in the house. Not long and they would be nothing but a memory on the inside of her eyelids.

Checking the time, she went out and made another cup of tea and got her phone ready for a video call with her daughter, Elly. Elly was away studying and communicated mostly with Darby by way of voice message, which Darby was still getting her head around, but there you go.

‘Hey mum. How are you?’

‘Good, darling, thank you. Very good, actually. How are you getting on? You look tired.’

‘I am tired. I have three essays due next week, and I’ve barely started any of them. But you know how it is.’ Elly rubbed her eyes and yawned. ‘What are you up to? You look very cosy there. Is that a borrowed dressing gown you’re wearing? Archie’s?’

Darby looked down at the black fabric wrapped around her. ‘How do you know it’s his?’

‘Because it’s about three sizes too big for you and I’ve never seen you in anything other than flannelette and floral.’

‘Ha.’

‘Aww, so sweet. It’s lovely that you’re happy. I was worried about you for a while there. You seemed a bit lost.’

Darby adjusted the dressing gown and smiled. ‘I’m fine.’

‘So what are you up to?’

‘Getting ready to remove wallpaper, would you believe?’

‘Hah! Finally! You’ve only been threatening to do that for about five years. What’s brought this on then?’

‘I decided I couldn’t look at those peach flowers any longer. They’ve been staring at me accusingly for far too long. You know how long I’ve wanted to get going on this room.’

‘About time. I never understood why you kept them. They’re absolutely hideous.’

Darby laughed and joked. ‘Thanks. Your support means everything to me.’

‘Sorry, but they are! Remember when I brought James home for the first time and he asked if the wallpaper was some sort of vintage statement piece? That was funny.’

‘Poor James.’

‘So, what’s the plan then? Are you going to do the whole room at once or tackle it bit by bit?’

‘Bit by bit, I think. I’ll start with one wall and see how I get on. I’ve watched about seventeen YouTube videos on wallpaper removal, so I’m totally an expert now.’

‘Right, because YouTube videos have never led you astray before.’

Darby winced at the memory of putting Archie on her video and how that had turned out. ‘That was different.’

‘I can’t wait to see the moment those peach monstrosities finally meet their maker.’

‘I have to admit, there’s a small piece of me that’s going to miss them.

They’ve been part of my daily routine for so long, I’m not sure what I’ll stare at whilst I’m having my morning tea.

’ Darby pulled Archie’s dressing gown tighter around herself, breathing in the scent.

The sitting room felt cosy and part of her couldn’t be bothered to get started on it.

The peach roses seemed less offensive somehow, now that she was feeling better.

But their time was up. ‘How’s the studying going then, really?

You said in your voice message you’ve got three essays due. ’

‘It’s intense, but I’m managing. One of them is doing my head in.’

‘I’m so proud of how hard you’re working.’

‘Thanks, Mum. Sometimes I feel like my brain might explode from all the information I’m trying to cram into it. How did you manage when you were doing your studying with three small children and work?’ Elly shook her head.

Darby smiled at the memory. ‘Lots and lots of coffee and very little sleep and I may have cried in the toilets at work on more than one occasion.’

‘I can’t imagine doing this with children to look after as well. You were crazy to attempt it.’

‘I was desperate, more like. I knew I needed qualifications if I was going to be able to support you girls properly. Though I have to admit, there were times when I wondered if I’d bitten off more than I could chew.’

‘And look at you now, doing up the house and making videos and being all independent and fabulous.’

‘I don’t know about fabulous, but I’m certainly keeping busy. There’s something quite liberating about finally taking action instead of just thinking about it.’

‘And how’s Archie? Is he going to help with the wallpaper removal?’

‘I think he might be roped in, yes.’

‘Things are good between you two? Nothing else about that whole business with the video?’

Darby nodded. ‘Really good.’

‘He seems to make you happy, which is all I care about, really.’

‘It’s still early days, but yes, I’m very happy.’

‘I’m glad, Mum. You deserve to be happy. You’ve been on your own for too long. Anyway, when are you planning to start the great peach flower massacre?’

‘Soon. I’ve got a steamer thing and enough dust sheets to cover most of the furniture.’

‘No doubt a plan in one of your diaries.’

‘Maybe.’ Darby chuckled. ‘Right, I should probably let you get back to your essays.’

‘Yes, Mum. Love you.’

‘I love you too, darling. Good luck with the essays.’

‘Send me pics of the room!’

‘Will do.’

Putting her phone in the pocket of Archie’s dressing gown and mooching over to the wall, Darby traced one of the peach roses with the finger of her left hand.

Soon they would be in strips on the floor.

Funny really. No longer part of the cocoon that had enveloped her through some low times.

All of that, with any luck, was in the past. Time the peach flowers were, too.