The next day (Willow = 3 weeks old)
Peeta, Willow and myself are just sitting down to a lovely breakfast (courtesy of Peeta) filled with my favorite homemade cheese buns berries and homemade orange juice, when a frantic Effie bursts through the door.
This is the first time that both Peeta and myself have seen Effie since her miscarriage and as a result we are both taken aback to see her bursting through our house so early in the morning. "Effie what's wrong?" I ask rushing over to her, Peeta unable to help with a struggling Willow enclosed in his arms. Effie looks around the living room in a panic and finally says through rapid breaths "Haymitch didn't come home… last night…. I… I don't know where he is. I think… oh Katniss… I think… the liquor cabinet…. it's empty. Oh Katniss… I think… I think he has started drinking… he's left for good!" Effie bursts into tears and I lead her over to the couch, where she collapses into the cushions. I look over at Peeta who is fastening Willow into her play chair on the floor. He then walks over and sits beside Effie with his arm around her shoulders (Peeta is always so much better with the emotional side of things than I am.) "We are going to find him Effie, there is no need to worry! Please don't stress yourself out." Peeta says soothingly rubbing Effie's shoulders.
Peeta organizes for him to take Effie back home and make sure that she is alright back at home, maybe bake her something along with Willow, and for me to go out and search the town for Haymitch. I agree to this grudgingly, knowing that looking for a most likely looking for a drunk Haymitch will be better suited towards me, rather than taking care of an overly emotional Effie.
I set out towander through the town looking in all of the places that are best suited towards Haymitch. I head straight for the liquor shop right in the entre of town, the shop assistant Mike informs me that Haymitch dropped by about an hour ago and picked up 4 bottles of his finest white liquor. This news comes as no surprise to me, knowing that alcohol and liquor is Haymitch's way of dealing with pain and loss. I thank Mike and take off back into the outskirts of town. I walk past several of the abandoned houses and notice one of the doors to the abandoned house is ajar. I walk through the door of the rickety old house and immediately am hit by the musty damp smell of the old house. I walk through the open door leading out to an over grown garden out the back of the house to find Haymitch sitting on the porch with four empty liquor bottles on the porch next to him.
"Did you came to find me to give me a damn lecture sweetheart, coz there is no point, and the bloody damage is already done." Haymitch says to me while slurring and chugging back another bottle of a brown liquor (which I assume came from his house.) I walk over to the other side of Haymitch and take a seat beside him on the porch. I don't answer for a while and Haymitch continues to down his last 3 bottles of liquor. Finally I look over at Haymitch and say "You know, Effie is really worried about you." At the sound of Effie's name Haymitch's face changes to a deep sadness and he drops his head and lets it hang low to the ground. "Haymitch?" I ask tentatively after a few minutes, he grunts in response. "Haymitch, why are you doing this?" I ask signaling to the ever-growing amount of empty bottles that litter the porch. Haymitch looks up and stares at me for a few minutes before he sighs and answers my question. "Well sweetheart, life hasn't been that sweet to me as you very well know, my family and… well you know… my family…. it didn't end so bloody well. With this whole… baby thing… I blame myself; it was my responsibility to look after that damn kid… making up for what I made happen to my family. The baby… it's all my fault… I should have taken better care of Effie, everything… its all my fault." I sit there for a moment not knowing what to say, I know how hard it must be for Haymitch opening up to me like that. "Haymitch, none of this is your fault. Effie having a miscarriage has nothing to do with you not taking enough care of Effie. You treated Effie like a queen, and I am absolutely certain there is nothing that you or Effie could have done any differently. You were so wonderful to Effie all throughout her pregnancy, there was nothing that you or Effie could have done to prevent this." I say to Haymitch giving him a pat on the shoulder as I do so, he reaches up and squeezes my hand. We sit there as the day moves on, sitting there his hand on mine, wallowing in his sorrow.
It is not until several hours later when I see the sun starting to set ever so slightly when I begin to think that I should be getting Haymitch home to Effie. I release my hand from Haymitch's shoulder and begin to stand up. Haymitch turns to me and understands my intentions and he slowly stands up swaying a little as he takes a step back in towards the house. We walk through the streets not talking, Haymitch slightly stumbling as a result of the alcohol. I lead him up the path through the victor's village and up the steps to Haymitch's house.
Just as I am about to push open the door to Haymitch's house the door bursts open and an absolutely frazzled Effie stands in the doorway.
HEY GUYS,
HOPE YOU GUYS AREN'T TOO STUPER ANGRY AT ME AND ARE EXCITED TO READ ABOUT THE REST OF THE STORY!
PLEASE CONTINUE TO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU WANT INCLUDED IN THE STORY!
LOVE ALYWAYS GUYS,
GRACE XO