Safe Haven

I had a place I used to go when I was being harangued once again for some transgression. I mastered the ability to stare straight into another’s eyes, nod occasionally in agreement or look into my lap where my twisting hands and fingers gave way my nearly insane state. I could even cry on cue while I was mentally in another place. This place was what I called “my room”. I loved going to my room. Sometimes I lived there for hours on end--happily occupied with all the items at my disposal.

My room was the perfect hideaway tucked within a pink Victorian house where no one resided but me. I loved the subtle aroma of lilacs and honeysuckle that coursed within. Some days I redecorated that room several times. I would move the furniture around and change color schemes at whim. I usually returned to the original design in the end.

My room was serene, comforting, non-judgmental, and always welcoming. One of the best things about my room was that I could go there anytime, stay as long as I wanted, do anything I wanted. No one knew when I retreated there…..ever and I never told about it existence to another human.

Ivory Peau de Soie, a soft silk fabric with a watery finish, covered the walls. Oak wood was used throughout for furniture and cabinets. My bed was an antique one that had three wooden pieces stacked upon each other for the head board. The wood was intricately carved with scrolling ivy and lily-of-the-valley. Beside my bed on a marble top three-drawer chest sat a German blown glass Tiffany lamp. My writing notebook was within easy reach with very sharp pencils waiting for use in a small cut-glass vase. The remote to all the electronics in my room sat within easy reach on top of my Ryrie Bible. Just under the bed was a three-step stool that boosted me onto the extra thick mattresses.

My bedspread was a magnificent cream Chantilly lace with cool, slick satin accents. My sheets were satin. They were cool and silky. I loved luxuriating within the confines of those covers. I was like a child making snow angels. Over and over I would raise and lower my arms reveling in the sensation of the sheets against my skin. My favorite sheets were persimmon and fuchsia. Oh, they were yummy… just like sherbet ice cream.
On the left of my second story room was a wall of windows with a glass and oak elevator shaped like a rounded bay window. I used to escape into the gardens below. A cane-backed rocking chair sat in the bay window with a lavender-hued pieced quilt across it. My grandmother hand quilted the blanket for me using pieces of my baby dresses. I loved sitting, rocking, and looking out on the world. Watching the sleepy sun rise over the purple mountains in the distance, listening to the bird’s choruses of early mornings, seeing the leaves turn from green to yellow to scarlet as fall announced itself were miracles I only I had the pleasure of beholding.

Hummingbirds came to gather nectar from the feeders hanging the windows that flanked the bay window. They hovered and guarded and buzzed-bomb the flower-like feeder and one another. The same birds came every evening. I could distinguish between the buzzers by variations in their colors and their attitudes. Yes, they really sported obvious attitudes!

On the wall that faced my bed, I had floor to ceiling shelving that resembled the old time lawyer book cases with the glass fronts that pulled up and then slid in. All of my favorite books were there in hardback editions. Some I had read and re-read dozens of times. For example, I never got enough of Anne of Green Gable , The Quickie, Gone with the Wind, A Time to Kill , The Client, Desiree, Small Sacrifices , The Watchers, Clan of the Cave Bear or Homecoming. I kept my books shelved neatly and organized like the city library. New books that I haven’t read yet were shelved nearest the windows. I chose ten new books monthly to add to my collection. I enjoyed laying in bed and seeing all the colored spines.

The centerpiece of the last wall was my 60-inch plasma television. It's the only thing you can see when I first enter because all the other electronics were built into a giant cabinet that looked--at first--like a wooden wall. Every electronic gadget I ever wanted resided in this cabinet. My favorite trophy was a large screened, super-powerful computer.

A round, multi-colored Victorian carpet laced the elements of my haven together. I enjoyed scooting around on this soft wool rug for minutes at a time. I enjoyed the tickling of the bottom of my feet.

I spent quite a bit of time in my save haven in the "old days of my first marriage", but haven't visited it for about ten years. I don't miss it for I have no need to escape my wonderful life. I do, however, remember it fondly and have enjoyed revisiting it for this assignment.

(Word count 845)