15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
‘Ican’t believe your sister is having her hen do here,’ Paige complained, as she and May pushed open the doors to the Ship Inn.
‘I know.’ May shook her head. ‘You’d think her and Kitty would have been a bit more imaginative, but this is what they wanted, and they were very specific.’ She winked at her friend. ‘Don’t worry. Sylvie and I have cooked up a few plans between us.’
‘Ooh.’ Paige grinned. ‘I like the sound of that. Are you going to tell me more?’
May returned the grin. ‘Nope. You’ll have to wait and see.’
‘Oh hello, ladies.’ Rita nodded a greeting and kept on stacking glasses. ‘Sylvie’s already out the back setting up …’
‘She’s so keen.’ May leaned against the bar. ‘You know this is her first ever hen do?’
‘She’s only told me about thirty times.’ Rita rolled her eyes. ‘What can I get you ladies to drink?’
‘I’ll have a glass of pinot, please,’ said Paige.
‘And I’ll have a pint of cider,’ said May.
‘No shots?’ asked Rita.
May laughed. ‘Best save them for later.’
They carried their drinks through to the snug at the back to find Sylvie standing on a narrow bar stool, trying to pin bunting to the ceiling.
‘Sylvie!’ May hurriedly set down her glass and stood hovering by the stool. ‘What on earth are you doing up there? You could fall!’
Sylvie fixed them with a stare and snorted a laugh. ‘My dear, at my age I could fall standing on both feet in the middle of my living room. What’s the point of life if you can’t take the odd risk?’
‘Even so,’ said Paige, ‘May’s right, that does look really dangerous.’
‘Then I’ll leave this part to you youngsters,’ said Sylvie, nimbly climbing down from the stool, bunting in hand.
‘What were you trying to do, anyway?’ asked Paige.
‘I’ve had this made.’ Sylvie showed Paige and May alternating triangles covered in Nick and Luke’s faces.
May laughed. ‘This is brilliant!’
‘Wait till you see the rest.’ Sylvie rummaged in a carrier bag and pulled out a set of masks. ‘Tonight we’re either going to be on Team Nick or Team Luke. And whichever team you’re on, you have to wear their face.’
‘Oh, goodness.’ Paige put her hand to her chest, giggling.
‘I love them,’ said May. ‘I really didn’t think they’d look as good as this when you told me about them. I brought the quiz questions with me,’ she added, pulling a wad of paper from her bag. ‘Paige, if you hang the bunting, I’ll help Sylvie with the table decorations.’
While Paige precariously pinned the cardboard bunting from one side of the room to the other, Sylvie and May laid the table. They liberally sprinkled glitter everywhere – which May would be responsible for cleaning up, as arranged in advance with Rita.
The penis straws Sylvie had insisted on sat proudly in glasses, and little gift packs were set at each place.
‘We’re ready for the balloons,’ said Sylvie. ‘I left them in the storeroom while we got everything done. Could you go and fetch them, May?’
When May returned five minutes later, she was completely hidden beneath twenty neon pink helium balloons.
‘They’re going to take up the whole space,’ she said. ‘We’re not going to be able to see each other.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ said Sylvie. ‘They’ll be fine once they’re tied in bunches, here, like this.’
She began expertly tying the balloons together with pink ribbon.
‘I hope tonight lives up to your expectations, Sylvie,’ said Paige, ‘especially after all this trouble you’ve gone to.’
‘Well,’ said Sylvie, ‘I’ve nothing to compare it to, so that’s a good start.’
‘Very true,’ said May. ‘Let’s have a time check … Oh, crap, we’ve only got half an hour till everyone arrives! We’d better get changed. Have you got your outfit with you, Sylvie?’
Sylvie, who had been wearing a long grey cardigan, began unbuttoning it.
Her eyes glinted, and with a dramatic flourish she threw the cardigan to the floor, revealing a pink sequined minidress.
Her arms were covered by a black, glittery cardigan, which matched the black, glittery tights on her legs.
Paige’s mouth dropped open, and May let out a burst of laughter.
‘Do I look ridiculous?’ Sylvie frowned.
‘No.’ May shook her head. ‘You look incredible. I’m not laughing because you look ridiculous, I’m laughing because it was such a shock!’
‘I hope your outfits are going to be as good,’ said Sylvie. ‘Do you have them with you?’
May held up a hessian bag. ‘We’ll go to the toilets to get changed. Are you OK putting out a few napkins?’
Sylvie tutted. ‘Am I OK putting out a few napkins? I’m not dead yet, May.’
May leaned over and kissed Sylvie on the cheek, then she and Paige headed to the ladies’ toilets, ready to transform themselves from room decorators to hen party participants.
It was a struggle to change in the confined space of a cubicle, but after a few swearwords flying around and a couple of bruised elbows, they emerged at the same time.
May laughed again as she examined her and Paige’s reflections in the mirror. ‘We’re the complete opposite.’
Where her only concessions to the hot pink theme were her lipstick and a narrow sparkly pink belt around an otherwise all-black outfit, Paige had gone to the opposite extreme – bright pink hot pants, a glittery pink blouse, and a pair of hot pink tights.
‘You can borrow some more pink from me if you want,’ said Paige. ‘I think I might have overdone it slightly.’
May tried to control her giggles as she looked her friend up and down.‘Do you think?’
Still laughing, they emerged from the bathroom to find a subdued hen party standing by the bar. The expression on Alice’s face was in complete contrast to her cheerful pink outfit.
May stopped in her tracks. ‘What is it?’ she asked Alice. ‘What’s wrong? Why are you all looking like that?’
Margot put a hand on May’s arm and led her to a corner table, pushing her down into a seat.
‘What’s happened?’ May’s heart thrummed. ‘Has something terrible happened? Is it Grandpa Jack? Has something awful happened to him?’
‘No,’ said Margot. ‘No one’s hurt. Nobody’s died. It’s not that.’
The thrumming eased, curiosity taking over. ‘Then what is it?’ said May. ‘Please, Margot, you’re scaring me.’
Margot took a deep breath and sat down beside her. ‘It seems we have another guest at the hen party, one we were not expecting … to say the very least.’
‘Another guest?’ May did a mental count. Who had they missed? ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Hello, May.’
May stared up in horror at the sound of a voice once so familiar. Her mother stood grinning at her, doing a little twirl as if the pink hot pants and silver crop top were the only surprise in the room.
‘What … what are you doing here?’
‘What do you mean, what am I doing here? It’s my daughter’s hen do. You don’t think I’d miss that, do you?’
‘But … but we haven’t seen you for five years.’
May’s mother waved her hand as if that were of no concern. ‘We’ve all been leading our own lives, May. Don’t tell me you missed me.’
‘Missed you?’ said May. ‘Missed you?’ She stood up, the table rattling as her leg caught it.
Her fists slammed down on the wood. ‘Do you have any idea the mess you left behind when you ran out on us? Do you have any idea what Alice has had to sacrifice for me over the past few years? And you come in here as if you have the right to attend Alice’s hen do? Who do you think you are?’
‘I think,’ said her mother, her voice like steel, ‘that I’m your mum. And you should think twice before speaking to me like that.’