Chapter 34
Walking these roads again
"Home sweet home."
Withered leaves danced around their feet as Effie pushed the stroller out of District 12's grimy little station.
"Yeah," said Haymitch, loaded up with bags. It was good to be back. "And if we could just find us something to eat, that'd be even better."
But Sae's diner was closed this time of day. The bakery too. The first few stars had already appeared above the tree tops that shifted in orange and red and yellow.
Almost a year had passed since her last visit and yet hardly anything had changed. Everything looked and felt just as familiar as she remembered. Like pictures in a photo album.
The Harvest Festival was over but wreaths still hung on most people's doors, decorated in their own way with leaves and fruits and dry flowers. On Sunday the square would be filled with street stalls. Peeta's included.
"Tomorrow, we'll show them everything," said Effie, smiling up at Haymitch. "The Seam, the town, the meadow, all of it! We'll make it a real daytrip. Make them feel right at home!"
"Hardly anything to see around here," said Haymitch with a shrug.
"And we need to baby-proof the house, of course. And do a thorough cleaning as soon as possible. Your place hasn't been lived in for months now."
What she was to well-mannered to add was that the house had probably been better off without Haymitch being there all this time. Left to his own devises he defiled a place faster than other people changed their underwear.
God, she didn't even want to think about how much he'd let all of her hard work fall into ruin without her around. Sticky pools of vomit, wine splashed onto the wall paper, shattered bottles in every corner and that was just the hallway.
"Don't worry 'bout it, Eff," said Haymitch like he'd read her mind. "I'll take care of it. You can stay over at Katniss and Peeta's in the meantime."
Before long, they spotted the first rooftops of the Victor's Village up ahead. It truly felt like coming home. Haymitch's windows shone through the vanishing light.
"Look," said Effie. "There's smoke rising from the chimney."
They had all but reached the front porch when the door creaked open. Someone waved in the golden light. A small someone.
"Hi, aunt Effie! Uncle Haymitch!"
"Posy!" Effie smiled, recognizing the bright-eyed 13 year old. "Are you here? Good to see you again!"
"Come on in," the girl said. "Everyone's waiting."
"Everyone?"
They stepped over the threshold, enveloped by a warmth that could only be a crackling fire burning in the fireplace. From the depths of the house came the distant sound of voices, laughter.
"That's them?" they heard a gruff and very familiar voice ask and the next moment Johanna Mason materialized, holding a cracker with a generous slice of goat's cheese in each hand. "Well, finally!"
"Johanna," Effie beamed. "And Finn!" she burst when she saw the little boy in her wake. "My, you've gotten so big since the last time I saw you!"
"Hello." With his bronze hair and sea green eyes, the 7 year old looked more like his father than ever.
Johanna stalked over to the stroller. So did Posy and they both peeked inside.
"Had to see for m'self before I could believe it."
"And?" said Effie, voice brimming with pride. "What do you think?"
Johanna shrugged and bit into one of her precious crackers.
"They look like more work than they are worth." She glanced over at Haymitch. "Your papa never told you to use a rubber? Could've prevented this tragedy. Now come on in. I'm fucking starving!"
"Oh!" Effie gasped as they walked into the warmth of the kitchen. "You're all here?"
Greasy Sae and Hazelle and Annabel stood by the stove where pots and pans were cooking, giving off the most wondrous smells. Candles were burning, reflected in the crystal clear windows. Annie and June were just setting the table with the finest china. They all smiled when Haymitch and Effie walked in; the twins with them of course.
"Welcome back." Peeta appeared from the living room with Katniss in tow.
"My dear boy," said Effie, close to tears and gave him a hug, making Amy squirm in between them. "I can't believe it."
"We made a few phone calls. It was all Katniss's idea."
Effie smiled at the girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"My sweet sweet children. God, I've missed you so."
Peeta grinned and then his eyes went to Amy in Effie's arms and Ian in Haymitch's.
"So these are the marvels that we've heard so much about." He patted Ian's cheek and the boy smiled with the tip of his tongue sticking out.
"Wanna hold him?" Like he needed to ask that.
"Oh, absolutely!"
Ian cooed happily as Haymitch helped his baby boy over to his older boy.
"Just mind the head."
"Hello, little brother," Peeta said and dropped a butterfly kiss to the top of the baby's head, coaxing another smile out of Ian. "Nice to finally meet you."
Effie beamed at Katniss who kept to the background. Like, don't be shy.
"Do you want to hold Amy?"
"Er… OK." The escort placed the baby in Katniss's stiff arms. Amy glanced her over, screwed her face up and started to cry.
"Kid's already a good judge of character," said Johanna, speaking with her mouth full.
"Don't take it personally, sweetheart," said Haymitch. "Amy's picky as hell."
"Here, let me." Greasy Sae who had watched from the stove gave her hands a quick wash and held them out to Katniss, who was more than happy to pass the wailing infant over to her.
Lying in the old woman's arms Amy silenced right in the middle of a sob, peering up at Sae, curious and watchful.
Sae clucked her tongue.
"My, my, sweet girl. What's troubling you?" she asked, watching the little crease between the three month old's eyebrows. "You're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, huh? Boop!" she said, touching the baby's nose and Amy's face broke in to a smile. One of her first.
Sae smiled back. She looked from Amy to her brother and then over at Haymitch, standing by Effie's side. "It's like looking at you, boy. When you were a baby."
"Not altogether," said Johanna, who had finished one cracker and was just starting in on the other one. "Look at the hair, for Panem's sake! And when that one smiled just now," she said and nodded toward Amy in Sae's arms. "I sure saw it."
"Saw what?" asked Peeta.
"Her," she said with a look on her face like tasting something bad.
Effie gave a bright laugh and tried to give Johanna a big hug, which she barely managed to fend off.
"Oh, how I've missed you, Johanna!"
"Have a seat everyone," Sae said with a gesture to the table.
It was the best feast Haymitch and Effie had had in years.
Laid out on the pretty table cloth was food from four different districts. Cornmeal-crusted catfish. Spiced salmon with garlic and olive oil. Some of Sae's best meatloaves with mashed potatoes alongside Peeta's cornbread to sop up the gravy with. A braised pheasant and bacon casserole that Johanna finished off almost all by herself and tons and tons of fresh greens with Honeycrisp apple slices and roasted chickpeas.
And just when they were all so full to bursting that not even Katniss could get down another bite: here came the desserts! Chocolate cake. Cheese cake. Hazelle's sponge cake, so rich with butter it almost melted on your tongue. And to wash it all down with: a large bowl of Annabel's excellent apple punch made with cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice.
It was cramped around the table. They had to carry in more chairs and tables from the other rooms and even then some of the guests had to move to the living room with their plates.
"How's Scotch doin'?" Haymitch asked Posy, who sat on his right.
"Great," the girl said. "His wife just had kittens, like you."
"Really? Scotch got married?"
"Yeah! He was sorry you couldn't be there, uncle Haymitch but he told me to say hi and that he's a very happy father of five."
"Well, that's good."
He caught Effie's gaze from across the table where she sat propped in between Rory and Vick. She smiled and he smiled back. How long had it been, he wondered, since the last time she felt like she belonged? Like either of them belonged anywhere, really?
Afterwards they all retreated into the living room with their fruit punch glasses. The sun was gone but the candles were still burning. In the middle of the din and the laughter Amy and Ian had dozed off. Through the evening, when he wasn't lying in his baby bouncer, Ian had gone from arms to arms, fine wherever he went. Now he lay cuddled up with Annabel, with the gold heart of her necklace clutched in his little fist.
Amy slept in Greasy Sae's safe embrace. There she liked it best out of all these strangers that she could just barely tolerate.
Effie finished her glass and set it on the coffee table.
"I need to put these two down."
"I'll come with ya," said Haymitch and stuffed the last of his raspberry muffin into his mouth. He reached for Sae who placed a sleep-heavy Amy in his arms. The baby let out a little whimper but didn't wake.
After a quick diaper change back in the bathroom and dressing them in their nightclothes they headed up the stairs together, with one baby each cradled to their chest.
"No, Effs." His words stopped her in her tracks on the way to his room at the end of the corridor. "Over here." And he opened the first door, closest by the stairs.
Effie let out a soft gasp when he turned the lights on.
"My goodness."
This room used to be nothing but a dumping ground for stuff Haymitch held on to with ridiculous vengeance or simply didn't know what to do with.
Vital things like an armchair splattered with wine stains and springs showing. Broken chairs, broken mirrors and other furniture who asked for it. That and all the Capitol stuff that came with the house that he just couldn't stand looking at.
It was Hazelle who put it here, most of it, back when she worked as his housekeeper. She tried to convince him to throw it out or at least give some of it away but the hoarder side of Haymitch's mysterious personality wouldn't let her.
"I wanna look through it first."
A project that he, of course, never got off of the ground.
But now, not only was it gone, not only was the room cleaned spotless: But the walls. She had to blink several times to even see through her tears.
"Oh, Peeta."
On one side of the room, the boy had painted the woods. Thick tree trunks and ferns and moss-covered rocks. Anthills and blueberry bushes, still in their early bloom. Soft light shone through the greenery.
On the other side was the meadow. Their meadow, under a blue sky with puffy, white clouds. She'd recognize that place anywhere. Fresh green grass dotted with flowers. The dandelions in the spring.
A nursery in the middle a clearing.
As of now the room was all but empty. Save the dresser and bookshelf that were here beforehand. The few sets of furniture that was in a good shape. And the cribs, a gift from Sae's family, stood by the window as promised and the handmade rag rugs on the wooden floor screamed Hazelle.
She stepped into the room, drawn to the grand piano in the corner. Haymitch's piano. With Ian to her chest she stroked her hand across the smooth, deep red mahogany.
She turned to Haymitch, still by the door.
"Did you know? About all of this?" He had spoken with Katniss and Peeta on more than one occasion since the twins were born.
"Not about the party," he said. "But Peeta asked if they could clear this room out. Put some paint up on the walls. Piano was my idea. Anything to make them sleep, you know."
"It's perfect." She could hardly get the words out for the big lump in her throat. "More than I could ever ask for."
They carried Amy and Ian over to the cribs and laid them down to rest. As they watched their children sleep peacefully, for once, Haymitch slipped his arm around Effie's waist.
"Tomorrow," he said, "when we go downtown Imma take you to the wood shop. I know a guy. This wiz carpenter. He'll build us everything we need for this room."
Effie nodded.
"I'd like that very much."
She leaned her head into his upper arm and that's when she spotted something she hadn't seen right away. A section of Peeta's beautiful wall painting close by the window, behind the cribs.
A patch of delicate, white blossoms. It made her smile. Those were truly flowers she knew by heart, with its core of soft yellow surrounded by spring green leaves.
She once told Peeta, when they were both in the Capitol after Haymitch brought Katniss back to District 12, how much she adored strawberry flowers. It was just something about them that made her happy.
If someone asked why, it wouldn't be an easy thing to answer. Maybe because of the promise they held within. The possibilities.
That they might bear fruit one day, when the time was right.
She looked up at Haymitch – his kind, warm, Seam gray eyes that she saw in their children every day – and without a word she burrowed into his chest.
"We are so lucky," she mumbled against his sweater, enveloped in his strong, safe embrace. "All four of us."
Haymitch dropped a kiss to the top of her head, getting her hair stuck on his stubble.
"Yeah," he said. "We are."
