The Perfect Room, Pam Swain [best ereader for academics .TXT] 📗

The Perfect Room

Lisa looked around the room again, something was missing. It was really annoying her as she couldn’t think what it was.She had remembered it in her head for so many years and wanted it to be perfect. It had to be an exact replica of the lounge room from her childhood. She remembered everything exactly as it had been but had a niggling feeling it wasn’t quite right.

They bought the house about a month ago and Graham had taken the responsibility of decorating the rest of it and leaving the lounge room to her. It had been hard to let him make the decisions but he had done well. He worked on it every night when he came home from work. He had started with the kitchen and did the floor in cork tiling. It looked professional. He painted the walls a sunshine yellow which looked clean and bright when the cupboards went in. They had bought a lovely red table and chairs that complimented it beautifully.

Lisa had taken a long time to find the carpet and wallpaper nearest to what she wanted. She got down on her knees and felt the soft plush pile of the carpet and ran her fingers through it as she had done as a child. She closed her eyes and put her head closer to the carpet. She breathed in through her nose to get that new carpet smell. Opening her eyes again she sat on the floor looking at the room. The gold framed mirror was above the fireplace, the red and gold suite and coffee table in front of it resting on a thick brown rug.

Memories came flooding back of her playing here as a little girl. It had been her favourite room in the house and it made her feel cosy and comfortable. It also gave her a feeling of sadness when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her childhood had gone, the precious time when she had no worries. Now she was a mother and wife and she never had much time to herself. She was always doing things for others. That is why the project meant so much to her. It was something she could do and plan on her own.

Suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue it came to her. Gold and white sausage shaped cushions with gold tassels on either end. How had she forgotten them? They had been used so often, it seemed impossible to have forgotten something so important. They would finish the room and make it look perfect.

Next day Lisa set out on a mission to find similar cushions. After being in several speciality shops she decided she would make them herself. It would be easy. She bought material with matching tassels and some foam filling. At home she painstakingly hand sewed the cushions until they were complete.

Lisa proudly placed the cushions on the sofa and chairs. Perfect. She straightened the pictures and made sure everything was in its place. Tomorrow morning it would be revealed in its entirety.

Going past her daughter’s room on her way to bed Lisa heard noises. She quietly looked round the door and saw her daughter still awake.


“Mummy, I can’t sleep. I am way too excited. I can’t wait for my birthday tomorrow. Please tell me my favourite story about when you were a little girl.”Jenny said.

“Ok, let us see how much you remember. What was my favourite room and what did it look like? Lisa asked.

"The lounge room," Jenny answered going on to describe it in detail. She even remembered the gold cushions that Lisa had forgotten.

“Well then, I will have a surprise to show you in the morning but you must go to sleep now or you will exhausted tomorrow.”

They said goodnight to each other and when Lisa was ready for bed she went and checked and Jenny was fast asleep.

Next morning, Jenny was up very early squealing in excitement at the thought of her birthday.
The family all went downstairs together and into the lounge room. They gasped in admiration at the large dolls house resting on the table. The front of it was open to reveal the beautifully decorated rooms and special lounge room. In it were the same little family of dolls that Lisa had kept for all these years.

Jenny ran over and peered in. Looking from the lounge room to her mum she said it was perfect and just as she had imagined it.

Lisa and Graham were delighted that all their hard work had paid off.

“Happy 5th Birthday, sweetheart” Lisa said as she knelt beside Jenny to play with the dolls house.

Publication Date: 01-30-2013

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