After work, Evie made her way to the shelter, careful on the pavements that had become icy so quickly tonight. The latest haul of coats had brought in a gorgeous, red button-down woollen swing coat with deep pockets and a soft lining, and Evie was almost tempted to claim it for herself. But she was one of the lucky ones. She’d leave it for someone else more in need than her. No, what she needed was a little different to a coat … she needed a miracle. She needed her uncle to disappear.
She negotiated the frosted pavements, past a small, gated park whose railings were tipped with frost. She couldn’t deny it. She’d thought about running again. Maybe she’d been stupid to run to Manhattan in the first place, a city with so much opportunity, but one that was so obvious for a girl like her. Maybe she’d run again, head to San Francisco instead. After all, she had the work experience, she had savings to tide her over at the start. Perhaps thousands of miles would mean her uncle would finally lose interest and she’d be free. She’d never have to run again.
But she didn’t want a different life. Not now she’d worked so hard to get this one on track. She wanted the life she’d carved out for herself, the life with Nicole in it, and now Lizzy. She had no idea how to get through this, but by the time she stomped up the steps to the shelter, she’d made up her mind. She couldn’t, and wouldn’t, run away. Not this time.
Evie smiled at Roger, one of the regulars, as she shut the door to the cold and pulled off her gloves. Roger had been coming here since Evie started helping out and would be one of the many whose heart would break if this place shut down. She patted Millie on the shoulder, a woman who had started visiting the shelter every day for the last month, and she asked how the session with the volunteer counsellor had gone that morning. Evie waved over at Dorothy, one of their rather talkative regulars who was huddled at a table with two younger people Evie didn’t recognise. Evie hoped Nicole had already noticed the new faces and called their volunteer counsellors if she saw fit. It wasn’t uncommon for the homeless to have mental illness, and Nicole was adamant that they wouldn’t fall through any crack in any government system, but get the help they needed before it was too late. As Evie shrugged off her coat, she spoke with Simon, a kind but misunderstood man with a big heart. He’d lost his job and his way, a story all too often told within these walls, but he hadn’t let it change who he was at his core. Evie smiled as she left him to sign with the deaf woman, Nancy, who’d found the shelter last week.
She hung her coat in the cupboard at the far end of the room before grabbing the broom to sweep beneath the tables Nicole was busy wiping down.
‘It’s busy in here tonight,’ said Evie. And then more quietly she asked, ‘Have you met the new recruits?’ She was referring to the newcomers she didn’t recognise.
‘I have, and I think they’re fine, but Daisy will be here in a while, so if they’re still here, I’ll send her over for a chat.’
Daisy was one of the counsellors and only lived three blocks away so was there on hand when they needed her.
‘I think the snow has brought people inside,’ said Nicole, wiping down one of the plastic chairs that had a coffee spill on its seat.
‘It’s far colder than last year,’ Evie agreed. ‘We could be in for a white Christmas.’ The snow seemed to be making an appearance every day now, even if it was just a flurry to coat the black, dirty slush and restore picture-postcard status to the city.
‘That sounds exciting.’
‘Oh, before I forget, I’d be happy to do the shift first thing on Christmas Eve. Bonnie’s shutting up shop a week before and heading off to family in Florida.’
‘She’ll enjoy that.’
‘She works so hard. She has such a passion.’
‘That’s the key,’ said Nicole. ‘Do something you love and your days will go quickly and well. Do something you hate, they’ll drag and you’ll resent it.’
Evie smiled and kept sweeping.
‘You’ve already done that spot,’ Nicole observed, the cloth dangling from her hand; she rested it against her hip.
‘What?’
‘You’ve swept there already and there’s nothing left.’
‘Oh.’ Preoccupied by her necessity to keep busy and not think about her uncle’s ambush, Evie hadn’t even realised she was doing it. She propped the broom against the wall in the corner. ‘It’s so busy without Lionel here today. How long do you think it’ll be before he’s back?’ Lionel was another volunteer, but for the last three days he’d been stuck in bed with the flu.
‘Probably not for another couple of days.’
‘Can we cope?’
‘We’ve got an extra pair of hands,’ said Nicole as Evie walked over to the servery to hand out the latest meals. This time it was pumpkin soup to start, followed by roast beef with mashed potatoes, peas, cabbage and gravy.
Evie picked up a bowl and a plate as she looked up to see another volunteer as he came out of the kitchen.
She turned to Nicole. ‘What the hell is he doing here?’
