CHAPTER 24
In Hope Vale, dawn rushed, Henry took everyone to the germinated house, that would be his gift to the couple. They could stay there as long as they wanted. Thanks to them, Henry knew his life was back on track. It needed renovation, the former miner who lived there for rent, was very correct with the payment, but unfortunately the man, was not very clean with the house, everything was very dirty. Henry knew that women would have a lot of work ahead of them. Henry, Jessy, Bill, Frank, Carson, Lee and Hickman, took their tools and soon each began to work on a part of the house. There were doors, boards and nails everywhere. Henry and Carson, fixed the stove and your chimney. They didn't understand how the miner who lived there managed to knock down that chimney. Bill, went to the master bedroom and painted it all in a light color, it was a very soft beige, with a yellowish reflection. He knew Elizabeth liked those shades of color. Frank painted the second room, in the same tone of paint, who knows soon, that could be the room of a Thorton baby... Bill smiled at that idea, he already felt like a grandfather to that baby.
Ned had donated the paint for the whole house, today and tomorrow all the renovations and painting would be done and the next day the women would clean and decorate with the donated furniture.
Bill, had bought a double bed for them at the market, and Abigail was sending the dresser that Elizabeth used in her house, with the small table so that she could write in her diary. Ned donated a sofa, after his marriage to Florence, they had some furniture left over, so the sofa and everything else for a room was donated by Ned and his wife.
Faith, Rose, Moly and Abigail, with several mothers from the school, made her trousseau, from products for her kitchen, glass, pots, plates, and even bed linen. Jessy and Clara, decorated the bathroom, even though it was from outside, as Clara thought there should be rugs to match the tablecloths, as well as several pots of flowers in the small garden. Laura, Emily and Opall made a small vegetable garden for their dear teacher, they brought several seedlings, all of them a good size of spices, tea and some legumes, which they knew Elizabeth would like, everything was planted in a small vegetable garden in the corner. . Lee and Rose, asked their employee to make a table with the wood from their lumberyard for their home. While Hickman and Frank repaired the picket fence and painted it white with blue accents. The house was next to Lee's house, so all the meals of the workers in that house were served by Rose, who very smiling, saw the house taking on colors and shapes so that her friends were happy. Who would have thought that she, Jack's ex fiancée, would now be Elizabeth's best friend. That teacher made her a better woman. For her sake, Rose knew she'd fight anyone tooth and nail, and she wouldn't let anyone hurt her. Lee decided that the townhouse should be painted white with royal blue accents, a princess's home, for indeed Elizabeth was a grand princess of Hamilton. It might not be the mansion it was created for, but they were going to make it a real home for them.
Henry, that same day, decided to invest in his neighbors, he would paint the outside of all the terraced houses. It would be a gift for his community, he commented to the men and there he ended up getting several volunteers. Henry heard Elizabeth's voice in his brain:
"HENRY… A GOOD DEED BEGINS ANOTHER GOOD DEED. KEEP ON THE RIGHT PATH AND DO GOOD AND YOU WILL REAP THE FRUITS OF THAT ACTION. HAVE STRENGTH AND NEVER GIVE UP".
Henry smiled to himself and Bill questioned:
"What's up Henry?" What were you thinking?
—In Elizabeth; You might not believe it Bill, but when you guys volunteered for the paint job, I heard her voice with something he said to me after I got back from jail.
"I believe Henry. From that girl, I believe in everything. She also changed me... She managed to enter my heart and unlock it. After all the losses and failures I've had, I've turned into a mean bear, but she has me in her hands like a teddy bear.
The men who were already there listening to the conversation began to laugh. It was incredible to know how that teacher and that mountie changed the lives and way of thinking of so many people in a small coal town.
