Haymitch's girl

I watch Peeta lean in as Haymitch unwraps the gift with those shaky hands of his. It turns out to be a painting, clearly one of Peeta's, but not of anyone I recognise. The effect on Haymitch is instantaneous though; he freezes, looking into the grey eyes of the painted girl as though she might spring from the canvas. I glance at Peeta curiously and he explains:

"It was his girlfriend, back during his games. I rewatched the video and found her when she was being interviewed."
Haymitch's girl, the one who was killed along with his brother and mother, two weeks after the end of the Quarter Quell. Haymitch had only mentioned her twice, once in District 13 and once when we were working on the memory book and he was particularly drunk. I didn't like thinking about the girl the Capitol killed just to punish Haymitch, and quickly pushed her from my mind. But the story must have stayed with Peeta, resonated with him in a special way. He definitely took a risk in surprising Haymitch like this, though.

"So," Peeta asks, pulling Haymitch from whatever place the painting sank him into, "Is there anything I have to apologise for?"
I wait for Haymitch to start yelling and throwing things and running away to drink, but he just squints at Peeta as though he can't quite believe he's there.
"No," he finally says, looking back down at the painting, struggling for the right words to describe it. "No, this is- this is-"

We never did find out what it was, but we did see the girl many times after that, hanging in Haymitch's kitchen. It was clear he was making an effort to keep that room tidier too. Empty bottles no longer covered every surface, and the geese were no longer allowed inside. "Nothing ever escaped her notice," he told us one day, nodding at the painting. I wondered what the girl would think of the man Haymitch had become. He was a drunk, he was mistrustful and often violent, but he was intelligent too, and kind, in his way.

I was sure that didn't escape her notice either.

Characters (c) Suzanne Collins
Art (c) me