A Thousand Roads Home Page 19

After breakfast Ruth packed DJ’s lunch into his school bag and found a note. She opened it with shaking hands. Please do not let it be another event that involves parent participation. She still shuddered when she remembered the disaster that was the coffee fundraiser the previous year, when she managed to upset Dev and his mother. And DJ, too.

  Dear Ms Wilde,

  I hope you are well. I have been thinking about our conversation and have a suggestion to make. DJ may stay in school an extra hour each afternoon to do his homework. I am in the school until 4 p.m. every day anyhow, planning the next day’s lessons. I appreciate that a hotel room is not the most conducive environment for him. Let me know if this sounds acceptable.

  Yours, Mr O’Dowd

  Ruth smiled as she reread the note. Mr O’Dowd was full of surprises.

  She broached the idea with DJ, who thought it sounded like the most heinous suggestion he had ever heard. She wrote a note to thank Mr O’Dowd, saying she would give it some thought. Which is exactly what she did as she ran back to The Lodge from school later that morning. And somewhere along the route an idea began to form. When she got back to her room she grabbed the laminated sheet of rules and scanned them to find the item she was looking for.

  A communal room is available on the ground floor. Guests must ask reception for the key.

  She thought she had remembered that correctly. Where was this communal room? She had not come across it, or heard any of the other residents mention it.

  She would ask Kian! He knew everything.

  She found him in the kitchen eating a breakfast roll with gusto. She kept her eyes on the ground, shuddering at the thought.

  ‘Hello, love,’ Kian said mid-mouthful. ‘How’s she cutting?’

  Ruth had no idea what he was talking about. She ran through possible reasons why he would ask her that. She had nothing. ‘I do not understand. I am not cutting anything.’

  Kian bellowed laughter at this. Aisling and Ava walked into the kitchen, their faces curious as to what was going on. ‘What are we missing?’ Aisling asked.

  ‘This one. She’s hilarious. Loves her, I do,’ Kian said, taking another bite of his sandwich.

  Ruth was surprised by this statement. Should she say she liked him, too? ‘I am not sure how I feel about you yet, as I have not had enough opportunity to make an informed opinion. But early indications are that I like you, too.’

  At this, Kian doubled over, holding his hand up, saying, ‘Stop … you’re killing me.’

  Aisling said, joining in the laughter, ‘I told you. She’s funny.’

  ‘People laugh at me a lot,’ Ruth said.

  ‘We’re not laughing at you, love,’ Kian said. ‘We’re laughing with you. There’s a difference.’

  Aisling filled the kettle and they each took a seat at the table.

  ‘Have any of you been in the communal room before?’ Ruth asked.

  They looked at her blankly.

  She held up the laminated rules and pointed to number nineteen.

  ‘Jaysus, it’s months since I looked at those rules, I’d forgotten that was even there,’ Kian said.

  ‘Me, too,’ Aisling said.

  Ava added, ‘I did look for the room when we moved in, but never found it. Erica was vague when I questioned her. I assumed it wasn’t available any more.’

  Ruth shook her head. ‘But the rules say that it is there. So it must be. I am going to investigate.’

  She made her way to reception. Erica was sitting in her usual spot.

  ‘Good morning! Isn’t it a lovely day? I swear those clouds are full of snow. I said to my Billy this morning that one of these days we’ll wake up and the ground will be white,’ Erica said.

  ‘Does Billy actually exist?’ Ruth said.

  ‘I beg your pardon?’ Erica replied, as she seemed to do a lot when she spoke to Ruth.

  ‘I asked you if Billy was a figment of your imagination. Because I have never set eyes on him. Is he just someone you talk to in your head?’ Ruth smiled. ‘I have one, too. Odd Thomas.’

  ‘It is you who is odd. Honest to goodness, Ruth, the things you come out with. I can assure you that my Billy is most certainly real,’ Erica said.

  ‘If you say so.’ Ruth did not believe her. ‘May I have the key to the communal room? Please.’

  ‘There’s no lock on the kitchen, so no key needed.’

  ‘I am aware of that fact. I am talking about rule number nineteen on the laminate.’ Ruth held up the sheet. ‘It states that there is a communal room for the guests. Guests must come here for the key. I would like the key. Please.’

  Erica’s face went from puzzled to understanding. ‘Oh! That room. I’ve never been asked for the key before, to my recollection. And to be honest with you I’m just as happy. The room is little more than a dumping ground. My Billy has had plans to clear it out for years, but he does suffer with his back.’ She looked at Ruth and dared her to question Billy’s existence again.

  ‘The rules say that if I ask I can have the key,’ Ruth insisted.

  ‘You and the rules,’ Erica said. ‘Well, you can have the key if you want, but don’t come complaining to me about the state of it. You get what you see and that’s just the way it is. And if you have an issue you know what to do. Take it up with the council.’

  ‘I will not complain. I would just like to see the room,’ Ruth said.

  Erica got up from her seat and grabbed a key from one of the drawers. ‘It’s just past the dining room on the right-hand side. You can’t miss it.’

  Ruth walked out of reception, pausing at the last minute to call back, ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Happy to help,’ Erica shouted after her. Ruth was an odd one, no doubt about it, but you couldn’t fault her manners. Her Billy always said, you can get through life with bad manners, but it is a darn sight easier with good ones.

  One, two, three, four …

  Eighteen steps. Ruth had passed the door many times without thought. What if it is a portal to another world, Odd?

  Only one way to find out, he answered. She unlocked it with shaking hands. It swung open with a bang.

  Erica had not exaggerated. If this was a portal, the only place it led to was to a rubbish dump. The room was crammed with black rubbish sacks, cardboard boxes, stacked tables and chairs. Her eyes took in the cobwebbed ceiling and the dirty carpeted floor. With every detail her heart sank. While her expectations were low, this was worse than she had envisioned. It would take a lot of work.

  But that was something that Ruth was not afraid of. She grew up in a messy and disorganised house. Her parents’ lives were so busy that they never seemed to take a moment to stand still. Ruth’s bedroom was the only space that remained uncluttered and pleasing to her. And that was all down to Ruth. Her earliest memory was wiping down her doll’s house with a damp cloth she’d persuaded her mother to give her.

  Marian had laughed, saying to Alan, ‘Where did we get this one from?’

  She could not work out why her parents did not just organise themselves better. Why could they not work harder to eliminate the things in their lives that caused the chaos? Why put themselves through so much every week? They constantly shouted to each other, to the children, ‘Where is my coat, my keys, my book, my shoes?’

  When her father left, Ruth took over pretty much all of the chores in the house. Mark teased and called her Cinders. But she did not mind. She liked to clean. She enjoyed bringing order to things around her. Bit by bit, she removed piles of newspapers from counter tops, took books that had toppled over into heaps on the hall floor and placed them in their bookshelves, untangled clothes that peeked out from under beds.

  So, this communal room in The Lodge, that might to some seem like a hopeless cause, did not faze Ruth in the slightest. I can do this. She flipped open one of the boxes closest to her. It was full of cups and saucers, all plain white. Dusty, but in good condition. Another box had saucepans. Then she found several that contained books. This made her happy. She grabbed
the nearest one to her and whooped out loud when she discovered it was a Dean Koontz. She looked at it in awe. It had to be a sign.

  I’ll be just like Odd. An unlikely hero. I can do this.

  35

  RUTH

  Ruth ran back to reception. Erica was mid-mouthful of mince pie. ‘One of the nicest things about November is that the shops start selling these. You simply have to try the Salted Caramel ones from Lidl. Or Aldi. I can never remember which. Delicious.’ She stuffed the second half in her mouth.

  Ruth shuddered and said, ‘I would like to clean the communal room.’

  Erica brushed some mince-pie crumbs from her mouth. ‘You, young lady, need to slow down.’

  ‘May I clean the room?’ Ruth asked again.

  ‘Why?’ Erica asked, suspicion written over her face.

  ‘So that we can use it,’ Ruth answered. ‘It says here in rule nineteen …’

  Erica held her hand up. Those rules would be the death of her. ‘I know what it says. I personally laminated them myself.’ She took a moment to go through the pros and cons of Ruth’s request. She couldn’t think of a single objection. Yet still, she was fundamentally against the idea.

  ‘No.’

  Ruth looked around the hotel lobby and said, ‘Imagine having a quiet space that your residents could retire to in the evening.’

  ‘Go on,’ Erica said, putting down her second mince pie.

  ‘What if the unused communal room became The Silver Sands Lodge Library?’ Ruth said, inspiration hitting her.

  ‘A library?’ Erica repeated. She had to admit that did sound rather grand.

  ‘Just think what that would do for The Silver Sands Lodge. A boutique hotel with its own library,’ Ruth said. She noted with satisfaction the look on Erica’s face. Erica liked the idea.

  ‘What’s in it for you?’ Erica asked.

  ‘The children need a quiet space to do their homework in. It is impossible for them to concentrate, study or write in their bedrooms. So the room has to be used by all guests. Not just the “normal” ones. Somewhere they can read a book or newspaper, have a cup of tea …’

  Erica raised her hand, ‘There is no budget for your proposed project. My housekeeper and her team are already at full capacity and do not have the time to take on the cleaning of another room.’

  ‘What if I clean the room every day? There will be no additional responsibility for your staff because I will take care of it all,’ Ruth said.

  ‘I can’t pay you,’ Erica shouted after Ruth, who was already running down the corridor.

  Ruth was too excited to wait for the lift so she ran upstairs two at a time, heading straight for the kitchen. Kian, Ava and Aisling were still there, plus Melissa from room 131, who had a toddler in her arms.

  ‘I found the communal room,’ Ruth said.

  ‘Praise be,’ Kian replied.

  ‘Good for you,’ Aisling said, elbowing Kian.

  ‘It is very dirty and full of rubbish,’ Ruth said.

  ‘Course it is. Typical of this dump,’ Kian said. ‘Look at the state of that wall.’ The once-white paint in the kitchen was now grey.

  ‘I am going to clean it,’ Ruth said.

  ‘The kitchen wall?’ Kian asked.

  Ruth looked at that and shrugged. ‘Maybe later. But right now, I am going to clean the communal room. And I hope you will all help me.’

  Ava made a face. She had just painted her nails. They weren’t really dry yet.

  ‘I’m not sure, Ruth …’ Aisling said.

  ‘The children need somewhere to do their homework. I have already been called into DJ’s school to discuss the decline in his homework quality. It is impossible for him to concentrate in the bedroom. And there is no desk for him so he ends up working on his bed. It is unacceptable,’ Ruth said.

  Melissa added, ‘My daughter Ciara is doing her junior cert this year. There are five of us in our family room. It’s an impossible situation.’

  ‘So your idea is that this communal room downstairs is going to be a homework room?’ Kian asked.

  Ruth nodded.

  ‘What’s the point of doing that, though?’ Melissa asked. ‘This hotel is just temporary for us all.’

  ‘I like the idea of a homework room. Won’t lie. But why should we have to clean the hotel, do their bleeding jobs for them?’ Kian said.

  ‘Exactly,’ Melissa agreed.

  ‘Playing devil’s advocate here. Just say we do clean the room up, what then? Who says Erica will even let us lot use the room?’ Aisling asked.

  ‘I have spoken to her about that. The room will be renamed the Library, to be used as a quiet room for all residents.’ She looked at Kian. ‘No more hiding behind the palm tree when you want to read the newspaper. No more balancing their maths homework on their knees. A proper homework area with desks. Erica has agreed to it as long as it does not cost the hotel money to create or maintain. I have told her I will do all of that.’

  Ruth looked around at them all, staring at her with varying degrees of shock and surprise on their faces.

  ‘It’s a waste of time, something I don’t have spare,’ Melissa said, walking out.

  ‘I don’t know, Ruth,’ Aisling said. ‘I think you are being taken advantage of by Erica. You’ll do all the work, clearing the room out. Then she’ll say it’s only for her “normal” residents.’

  Murmurs of agreement moved through the room.

  Odd whispered in her ear, as Ruth’s shoulder sagged with the weight of her disappointment. She cleared her throat then repeated one of Odd’s lines. ‘Perseverance is impossible if we don’t permit ourselves to hope.’

  ‘Come again?’ Kian said.

  ‘It is a line from a book I love. Odd Thomas. It’s my mantra when curveballs are sent my way. I believe that we have to keep trying, persevering, pushing for our children’s sake. And the only way I can find the strength to keep doing that is believing and hoping that it will all work out in the end. For DJ’s sake, I have to hope that.’ She walked out of the kitchen and made her way back down to the communal room.

  I can do this on my own. I do not need anyone. Why then, did she feel so disappointed?

  Standing on her tippy toes, she reached up to pull a chair from a tall stack.

  ‘You trying to kill yourself?’ Kian’s voice said, making her jump.

  She turned round in surprise to see him standing there, with Aisling and Ava by his side. ‘You came.’

  ‘My diary was wide open today so you chose a good time to make a speech,’ Kian said.

  ‘Anna needs somewhere to go other than our bedroom or the park. I figure that if we do this, maybe it will be like good karma or something,’ Aisling answered.

  ‘I like the idea of a library,’ Ava said. ‘I read about these free libraries popping up around the world, outside cafés, in villages, towns, even in people’s front gardens. A free book exchange – take a book, leave one back. I’ve got a few bags of books in storage I can donate.’

  Ruth said, ‘I found a couple of boxes of books in here. We could have a section for children and for adults.’

  ‘There is some serious shit in these boxes,’ Kian said, peering through open box lids. He picked up a plastic green turtle and threw it back in again.

  ‘I’ve got lots of kitchen stuff over here that could be useful.’ Aisling held up some saucepans. ‘We could do with a few of these upstairs. Someone burned the bottom of a couple of the pans in the kitchen last week.’

  Kian held up a kettle. ‘Couldn’t we make a little hot-chocolate station for the kids, too? Cormac would love that.’

  Ruth smiled. ‘DJ loves marshmallows.’

  ‘I’d say this place hasn’t seen a duster in years,’ Aisling said.

  ‘I like to clean. I just need help with the furniture,’ Ruth said, afraid that they would leave again. And she did not want that. She found she liked having their company.

  ‘Many hands make light work. Let’s get going so.’ Kian began unstac
king the chairs one by one.

  ‘I’m going to take some of this kitchen stuff upstairs. That way we are clearing as we go,’ Aisling said, sorting a box out.

  ‘Where do you want this table?’ Kian asked, and they looked around the room, trying to work out how it would all fit.

  ‘How about over here for a homework station for the older kids? They need space for all their books,’ Ruth said.

  ‘And over here, we could have a few tables for the small ’uns. Melissa’s kids are forever running around the hall. They might sit still for five minutes if they had somewhere to do it,’ Kian said.

  ‘That’s a lovely idea,’ Aisling said.

  ‘I’ve been known to have a few,’ Kian winked.

  Ruth noticed Aisling blushing scarlet and turning away to hide it.

  ‘We need a bookshelf,’ Ava said.

  ‘Why don’t you use the windowsill?’ Kian suggested. They walked over to look at it and all agreed it was perfect as it was so deep.

  ‘Ah, lads, I’m on fire today, what?’ Kian said, and the room filled with laughter and hope. ‘You happy with the plan, boss?’

  ‘I am not the boss,’ Ruth answered, startled, when she realised he was talking to her.

  ‘Oh, you are, no doubt about it. This is all you. I’m just the muscle.’ He flexed one arm and Aisling pretended to swoon.

  The four of them worked well together in companionable silence, with Kian cracking the odd joke. The furniture was moved to new positions, the rubbish stacked out the back with the bins.

  Ruth collected a vacuum cleaner and some cleaning materials from the housekeeper.

  ‘Give me a go of that bad boy,’ Kian said when she came in dragging a Nilfisk behind her. ‘I’m parched. Why don’t you all go for a cuppa and I’ll be up in five minutes when the floor is hoovered?’

  Aisling, Eva and Ruth watched him for a few minutes, delighted to see an acceptable red carpet revealed under the layer of dust. Then they walked upstairs to the kitchen.

  ‘Kian is really lovely when you get to know him,’ Aisling said.

  ‘I never thought I would ever agree with that statement. But he’s been all right today, I suppose,’ Ava replied.