A Merry Little Christmas (34 page)

‘I like babies,’ said Noel. ‘And the thing is,
we
can’t have another baby, and we’d have loved one. And Mel is having a baby she doesn’t want. And it’s too soon for her, so why don’t we– ?’

The question hung in the air between them.

‘What, look after the baby for her?’

‘And let her continue her studies, do all the things she should be doing at her age,’ said Noel. ‘Come on, it’s the perfect solution.’

‘So long as you change your fair share of nappies,’ said Cat.

‘Scout’s honour,’ said Noel. ‘See? Problem solved.’

‘Oh lord,’ said Cat. ‘A baby in the house. Are we absolutely sure we’re doing the right thing?’

‘Of course we are,’ said Noel, giving her a kiss. ‘And it’s the best thing for Mel and the baby.’

‘I’m not sure Mel will be all that happy about it,’ said Cat, wincing as she imagined Mel’s response. ‘She seems to think we don’t want to help.’

‘Well then,’ said Noel, ‘we need to persuade her we do, won’t we?’

‘Hi Steven,’ Marianne came to greet him as Gabriel piled out of the car with several bags. He was only home for a weekend, but it looked like he was coming for a week.

‘Sorry, he appears to have a lot of washing.’

‘Don’t they do it for you at school?’ said Marianne.

‘Yes, but it doesn’t smell right,’ said Steven. ‘And I took some to Mum’s and she made it smell all lavendery and old lady-ish. I like the way you make the washing smell, Marianne.’

‘How does my washing smell?’ laughed Marianne.

‘Like home,’ said Steven seriously, and she felt her heart melt instantly.

‘You’re not homesick are you?’ said Gabriel anxiously.

‘Not exactly,’ said Steven, ‘but it is nice to be back.’

He played around on the floor with the dog, as if to demonstrate.

‘I mean, I do like school,’ he said. ‘It’s great. I’ve got loads of mates now, and I like the singing. It was fab having a solo at evensong.’

‘We thought you were pretty fab too,’ said Marianne, giving Steven a cuddle.

‘But it’s cosy here,’ said Steven. ‘And I like it best of all the places I live.’

Gabriel smiled hugely and gave him a hug.

‘Don’t you feel cosy at your mum’s?’ Marianne said cautiously. She’d thought Steven had been happy to go to see Eve and Darren.

‘Well it’s okay,’ said Steven slowly. ‘It’s just … it’s all a bit tidy.’

‘I hadn’t realised you set such store by my slovenliness,’ laughed Marianne.

‘You know what I mean,’ said Steven. ‘Mum has white sofas. I’m terrified to sit on them in case I spill my Coke.’

Gabriel and Marianne both burst out laughing. Steven was always spilling things.

‘Oh dear,’ said Marianne. ‘Well, never mind. I’m sure you have a lovely time when you’re there.’

‘Yes,’ said Steven, but he didn’t sound too sure, and Gabriel and Marianne exchanged glances.

‘Is everything okay?’ said Gabriel, ‘with your mum I mean?’

‘She’s fine,’ said Steven in a rush, and Marianne was taken again with his deep sense of loyalty to her. ‘But Darren’s – well, he’s a bit mean to her. I don’t like him very much.’

‘But I thought he bought you loads of great presents,’ said Gabriel. Marianne could feel he was resisting the urge to shout, ‘Yes!’

‘Only when he remembers,’ said Steven. ‘The rest of the time he seems to be on the phone and wants me to be quiet.’

‘That’s a shame,’ said Marianne carefully. ‘He’s not mean to you is he?’

‘No,’ said Steven, ‘he ignores me mostly. So that’s okay. It’s just that compared to here, it’s boring.’

‘Do you want to keep going over there then?’ said Marianne. ‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to.’

‘Of course I do,’ said Steven. ‘I love seeing Mum. But coming here’s better.’

‘Thanks, Steven,’ said Gabriel, looking touched. ‘That means a lot.’

Steven smiled shyly, and Marianne grinned. Father and son were so alike. It was lovely to see them bonding again.

‘Well this is exciting.’ Pippa’s mum and dad, Dan’s parents, Dan, Pippa and the children were all gathered round the TV to watch the documentary about the Sunshine Trust which was just about to go out. ‘I never thought I’d see my daughter on the telly,’ Margaret said proudly.

‘It’s okay, Mum,’ said Pippa. ‘It’s not like I’m going on
Britain’s Got Talent
. This is purely a one-off. And I only did it to get interest in our campaign.’

The programme started with a panning-in view of the Sunshine Trust, and a hammily arranged shot of smiling children being welcomed by the staff at the home. ‘For families like these,’ the voiceover said, ‘the Sunshine Trust offers a vital lifeline.’ It then went on to describe three families in detail, showing each of them in their homes. Pippa was depicted baking, and declaring that ‘Baking clears my head, and does me good, it’s my default when I’m stressed.’

‘And are you stressed much of the time?’ said the interviewer.

‘Constantly,’ laughed Pippa on the TV.

Pippa squirmed. She sounded like some demented airhead who was desperate to palm off her daughter on the respite care team.

And it got worse. When it came to Pippa’s big interview, she realised that her words had been twisted.

‘Not only does Pippa have to care for Lucy,’ the voiceover said, ‘but recently, husband Dan has been feeling the strain and has moved out of the marital home.’

‘I never said that!’ protested Pippa, but then the interviewer was saying, ‘So it’s been a strain on your marriage having Lucy?’

‘I really don’t want to talk about this stuff,’ TV Pippa was suddenly saying. ‘Dan couldn’t have been more supportive.’

‘But he’s not here,’ said the interviewer tellingly, and the voiceover followed up with ‘Just another casualty in the fight for support that all families with special needs children undergo, which is why the support of the Sunshine Trust is so vital.’

‘I didn’t say it like that,’ said Pippa, ‘I’m sure they didn’t ask me those questions.’

‘Probably makes for a better story,’ said Margaret. ‘You know what these TV folk are like. Don’t worry about it.’

Pippa loved her mum very much, but sometimes she couldn’t see what was under her nose.

No one else seemed to have noticed, so Pippa sat back and tried to relax and watch the rest of the programme, which fortunately didn’t have any more surprises to throw at her, but she was left with a gnawing anxiety about what Dan was going to say. He’d been very quiet throughout. She hoped he hadn’t taken it the wrong way.

But when it was over, and she was left alone with Dan and the children, he turned to her with a bitterness she’d never seen before.

‘Well, you couldn’t wait to put the knife in, could you?’

‘Dan, they misrepresented me,’ said Pippa. ‘I didn’t say those things.’

‘Well, clearly you did, because you were on TV saying them.’

‘What I meant was, I said them but in answer to different questions. They’ve joined it all up to fit a story they wanted to tell. I didn’t breathe a word about you, honestly.’

‘So how come they seemed to know all about my accident?’

‘I have no idea,’ said Pippa, ‘but I swear I didn’t tell them anything.’

‘I don’t believe you,’ said Dan. ‘Here I was thinking we were getting back on track, and I was even – how stupid of me – imagining I could move back in. But you’ve put a stop to all that.’

‘Dan,’ said Pippa.

‘Dan nothing,’ said Dan. ‘You’ve let me down, Pippa. That’s it. It’s over.’

He got up and walked out of the house without a word. Pippa was left, standing speechless.

FACEBOOK status Well
that
went well.

Jen17:
What?

Mel:
Baby shopping with mum )-:

Jen17:
Why

Mel:
Cos I told her I’m going to give the baby up for adoption

Kaz:
You can’t do that!

Ellie:
No!

Jen17:
Are you mad?

Mel:
I can. Why should I let this ruin my life? Andy’s not letting it ruin his.

Kaz:
But still …

Jen17:
You should talk to him.

Mel:
Tried, he doesn’t want to know.

Ellie:
Are you sure?

Mel:
Sure

Kaz:
But I wanted to be an auntie.

Mel:
Shut up Kaz.

Teenage Kicks

I thought Mum was against the baby. But she’s gone all weird.

She made me go baby shopping to ‘bond’ or some shit. She bought half of Mothercare & got really soppy about babies. Shit.

Sounds like she’s suddenly getting into being a granny.

Thing is, she’s made me feel trapped. I don’t want a baby now. I’m too young.

Every time it kicks and wriggles I want to scream. I don’t want this now. I’m not ready. I’ve got to get away. Or give it away. Or do
something
.

So I’ve decided. I’m giving it up for adoption. It’s the grown-up thing to do. And I told Mum.

I thought she’d be pleased.

But she looked like I’d punched her in the stomach.

I can never do anything right.

‘Fancy meeting you here,’ Marianne grinned to Pippa, as she got out of the car with the twins in the farmyard of Batty Jack, the local turkey farmer who had earned his moniker by his obsession with the rare bat colony that had taken over one of his barns.

‘I don’t even know why I’ve come,’ said Pippa, who looked pale and drawn. ‘I have never felt less like celebrating Christmas. Dan’s not going to be with us, Mum and Dad had a cruise booked months ago. It’s going to be a sad lonely affair and I have no idea how I’m going to keep the children cheerful.’

‘Oh no,’ said Marianne, ‘I thought you two were getting on better.’

‘So did I,’ said Pippa, ‘but you saw that bloody programme, right?’

‘Ah,’ said Marianne, ‘Dan thought …’

‘That I’d deliberately been doing him down and blaming our marriage breakdown on his lack of support. I tried to tell him, but he walked out, and says it’s over.’

‘Oh Pippa, I’m so sorry,’ said Marianne. ‘Maybe if Gabe talked to him …’

‘I really don’t think it would make any difference,’ said Pippa. ‘Thanks anyway.’

‘Why don’t you come to us?’ said Marianne, as they walked across the incredibly muddy field with Batty Jack to inspect this year’s crop of turkeys. ‘I’m ordering a huge turkey anyway, and I’ve got a houseful. Better than being on your own.’

‘Do you know, that would be bloody wonderful,’ said Pippa. ‘If you’re sure …’

‘Absolutely,’ said Marianne. ‘Come on, you’re probably much better than me at this. Help me choose a turkey.’

‘Well this one, here, see, I call her Hermione,’ said Batty Jack, pointing out an enormous squat turkey, gobbling away. ‘Beautiful isn’t she? She’s a nice strong bird, with no fat on her, and she’ll be tasty and give you gorgeous white meat. And she’ll be dripping with juice and blood and give you the best gravy in the world.

‘Or here’s my gorgeous Lizzie. Now she’ll feed an army. You’ll be eating turkey till the New Year. How many have you got for lunch, my lovely?’

‘As of five minutes ago, fifteen,’ said Marianne.

‘Fifteen?’ mouthed Pippa. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Positive,’ said Marianne, enjoying the ghoulish showmanship with which Batty Jack demonstrated his prize turkeys. One year, she’d swear he’d even get out knives and start rubbing them together. She always found it astonishing that he could name every single one of his birds, and yet still relish the prospect of their demise.

‘Six children, and nine adults, including five very hungry men.’

‘And you’ll be wanting plenty of extra for Boxing Day, I expect. Ah, then maybe you’ll need my lovely Arietta. She’s got a lovely pair of breasts on her – enough to keep any full-blooded male happy. However, steer clear of Miss Haversham over there. She’s a bad-tempered old bird. I’m thinking of sending her down to the Hopesay Arms for their Christmas lunches. They still owe me money from last year.’

‘What about you?’ said Marianne. ‘Which one have you got lined up for your Christmas lunch?’

‘Oh bless you,’ Batty Jack laughed. ‘I couldn’t eat ’em. I rear ’em and I can kill ’em, but I couldn’t eat them. That would be like eating one of my friends. No, I’m a vegetarian. Me and the missus have nut roast on Christmas Day and then we’re off to Barbados for a month, to get a bit of sunshine in.’

‘Pippa,’ said Marianne, ‘we’re in the wrong line of business.’

‘Now, how does that look, do you think?’ Cat was standing anxiously looking round the tables which were laid out for tonight’s ball, as Pippa approached her, pushing Lucy. Knowing how snowed under Pippa was, she’d come over with Paige and Ruby to sort things out for the evening. Paige was a dab hand at folding napkins, and she and Ruby loved using the helium machine Cat had hired to blow up balloons. Ruby quickly made Lucy laugh by breathing into the machine and speaking with a helium voice. Each table had a red and white balloon display, and Cat had made up a hundred different table decorations with poinsettias, holly and ivy. There were stars hanging from the ceiling, and on the backcloths, which Cat had draped around the edges of the room. The effect was wonderfully Christmassy.

‘Oh Cat, it looks fantastic!’ said Pippa. ‘Thanks so much. Look Lucy, isn’t it pretty?’

Lucy’s face lit up with pleasure, and she pointed at the balloons.

Can I have one? She typed.

‘Here Lucy, have this one,’ Ruby handed Lucy one of the balloons and tied it to her wheelchair. Lucy clapped with delight, and started to giggle. The giggling turned into a coughing fit.

‘Hey, Lucy, you okay there?’ said Pippa, giving her a pat on the back, and producing some water for her. Gradually the coughing died down.

‘Is she all right?’ said Cat.

‘I hope so,’ said Pippa. ‘She’s got the beginnings of a cold, and we always have to be careful at this time of year, as she’s prone to chest infections. But you’re feeling okay, aren’t you, Luce?’