Colin smiled for the first time in what felt like days.
Aside from lighting what felt like a million little candles in Adam’s house, he’d spent a lonely New Year’s in his own home. He hadn’t even bothered waiting up to see the new year in.
Hearing Adam gush down the phone that he was engaged, and how impressed Helena had been with the state of the flat, had brightened his outlook somewhat, and as he hung up, he resolved to banish the blues and change his outlook.
Now, he found himself back at work.
‘Be a phoenix, son’ Barry said. ‘It’s the first day of a new year and you need to forget that you were courting a murderer. Arise from the ashes, young man, and good things will come.’
‘Like you did?’
‘Aye, well, I bottled out of asking Doris for a drink, but if you stop moping, maybe I’ll get round to it.’
‘Deal,’ Colin laughed.
He looked around the room.
‘Oi, Doris,’ he shouted. The old lady looked over the top of her magazine. ‘Barry here fancies you and wants to know if you want a drink.’
Barry slapped Colin’s leg with a rolled-up newspaper, before looking at Doris expectantly.
‘I’d be delighted. Your place or mine?’ she laughed, before going back to her photos of the latest celeb to get married.
‘Easy as that,’ Barry shrugged, and Colin laughed.
He left the lovebirds to it and headed for reception. A new resident was moving in today, and as manager, he wanted to be there to welcome them.
They arrived a short while later. Ken walked in with the aid of a walking stick, and surveyed his surroundings. Colin had met him on a few of the pre-visits, and shook his hand warmly. His family fussed over him, though something in Ken’s eyes convinced Colin that he was ready for his next adventure.
Colin walked with him to his room, where they got to know each other for a little while. His daughter and two sons brought a few suitcases and personal belongings in, and Colin was about to leave them to it when a girl popped her head around the door that stopped him in his tracks.
Her long hair was the colour of a tropical beach, and her eyes the colour of the sea that washed upon it. She smiled at Colin, who heard Barry’s words reverberate around his head.
‘Be a phoenix, son.’