Under This Roof

Chapter 13

4 August 2014.

Harry looks across the door and is a little surprised when he sees me all dressed and ready to go. He is confused. I do not blame him.

"You're... coming?" He asks.

I come out of the room after having fixed my dress well and grabbed my jacket.

I know what it means to lose someone close. Not a long while before I came to London, I lost an aunt. My aunt was very sick that she spent her last months at our home. My mom, and sometimes I, used to take care of her. It was mainly my mom who took care of her well being. But I was there emotionally all the time. During these months, my aunt would receive mother's day gifts from me, she would receive flowers, souvenirs from my short travels, she was happy.

And I do not know why after she passed away that I stopped bringing flowers home. My mom is still there. She is capable of receiving flowers. She would still be happy to receive some. But something about the fact that she is healthy, that there is no fear of losing her at any second, makes me forget to bring her gifts. 

My dad, unlike the rest of us, always brings something home. He is fond of buying her flowers. He is obviously driven by something different than fear. I do not really know what it is. But I wish I had it as well.

Anyway, as I said. I know what it means to lose someone. 

And I do not think I need to explain that sentence further.

So yes, when I saw Harry's eyes yesterday, I knew. Loss looks the same on everyone.

****

Conall and I were talking in a corner after most people have left when my phone rings.

"Hi Steph."

"Hey, Lauren. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay. But as you noticed I won't be able to make it to work today."

"It is alright. I just hope everything is okay. Mr. Adderly was planning the next steps for us today. You know, things are getting serious. He asked about you. I told him you had an emergency."

"Thank you Steph. I'll take care of this tomorrow, I promise."

Harry, Conall and I took the same train from London to Caversham. But I will be the only one taking the train back tonight. Harry needs to stay with his family. And Conall needs to stay with Harry.

****

The trip back home is smooth but overwhelming. I cannot wait to get back home and sleep. 

I do not know if I can say that today, I met Harry's family; his nice younger sister Eva and his father, I forgot the name. To meet someone in these situations is to meet a completely different version of them. I wonder how they would have been in an average normal day. On a dinner table, gathered. On a road trip somewhere. I wonder. 

****

5 August 2014.

I wake up a little bit tired and still overwhelmed, I see a text message from Conall on my phone.

Hey, hope you're well. Harry and I will be here for a couple more days. Just thought I would let you know. Take care.

So this is good. I immediately call Claire. 

"Hi Lauren! How have you been?"

"Fine. I was wondering if you'd like to sleepover tonight? Harry's still out of town."

"Oh my God, I forgot to call Harry. Let me go do that. Oh, and yes! There's a lot to talk about. I'm in!"

I leave to work that morning and tell Marcus and Stephanie about both my weekend and my Monday; the reason I did not come to work. We do that over lunch because we spend the morning on something much more urgent: the fashion show. 

The show date is set to be on September 12. It is called La Diversa, which is Spanish for 'the diverse'. The show originally started in Spain in 2001 and has been going on once a year ever since in the summer. The reason they named it as such is because the show does not include famous designer's new collection, but instead includes a small sample of different teams' new collection. These teams should be diverse and should be made up from people with different nationalities. Hence the name La Diversa. 

NARAH made a competition over the past year in order to choose one person to join the team here, which was made up of Stephanie and Marcus. The chosen team will then have to decide on, enhance and create the designs to be presented to the crowd. A lot of opportunity might come up from this show. So our collection needs to be captivating. 

Having around one month left, it is time to stop sketching and start the first step: choosing. Stephanie told me that Mr. Adderly had given them the timeline we need to stick with for the upcoming month.

2 weeks to choose the collection we will present.

1 week to perform modifications and enhancement.

10 days to execute.

5 days to choose and train the models.

We spend the rest of our afternoon looking at different designs and rating them according to different criteria. The hours pass by quickly and we suddenly find that it is 7pm. We pack up, say our goodbyes and leave.

****

Home feels calm and different. Harry does not make much of a noise, but his presence is definitely very well felt. Maybe not in a good way, but that also makes a difference.

It has been a while since we made any encounter. I wonder how he is doing. 

My thoughts are cut by the doorbell. Claire.

We decide to order Pizza right away. We eat it as each one of us describes the past few days to the other. I really missed Claire.

"So when is it that you two are going out again?"

"Tomorrow, actually.' she answers with a lot of excitement in her voice. 

"Claire I am so happy for you. He seems like a nice guy."

"And how has it been with the place all to yourself? Did you go into his room yet?"

"What the hell Claire?"

"You know. Maybe you will find a secret box that explains why he is so weird." she imitates my voice.

"Shut up."

Claire and I stay up very late, eat pizza and talk. I tell her about the loss I endured lately and why Harry's mom's death has made me feel so overwhelmed. I genuinely feel bad for him. I start wondering how he is doing now. And the thoughts calmly bring me to sleep.