Chapter 39
DECEMBER
Nancy
Christmas was fast approaching, bringing memories to mind of past Christmases spent with Clifford, Val and Dennis, or just her and Clifford in a nice hotel by the sea.
This would be her first Christmas without Clifford for thirty-two years and she had no idea what to do with herself.
Val had invited her to spend the day with them, but Nancy felt like a third wheel whenever she was with another couple, and she didn’t want to stay all day.
She wondered what the others would be doing.
Slate and Jackie were bound to spend Christmas with their families, and maybe Jackie would also spend it with Oxo.
What about Phyllis? Joyce had died. Would she be home alone?
In the end it was Jackie who addressed the topic on Friday evening as they shared a meal of macaroni cheese, roast potatoes and honey-glazed carrots.
They’d got into the habit of having meals together every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, taking it in turns to cook.
It was Jackie’s turn tonight and she was an expert on quick, tasty meals.
‘What’s everyone doing for Christmas?’ Jackie asked as she spooned herself a generous helping of carrots. ‘Are you going to Jed’s, Slate?’
Slate speared a roast potato ‘He and Rosie have invited me to stop over and spend the day with them, but I said I’d just go for lunch.
I’d rather have a lie-in and go over later.
What about you? Are you spending it with Oxo?
’ Since Jackie and Oxo had gone official, the housemates had become used to seeing him pop in and out.
‘I’ll be going to Pam’s – she’ll be upset if I let her down – and Oxo’s going for Christmas dinner with his sister, but we’re spending the rest of the day together.
’ She looked around the table. ‘Is everyone going to be out all day? I thought it might be nice to have a bit of a shindig later that evening, if you’re all back. What do you think?’
‘That sounds like a fantastic idea,’ Nancy agreed. ‘Val and Dennis have invited me over to theirs for Christmas dinner, but I won’t stay long.’
‘And I’m going to Aurora’s, but I’ll be back about five. A get-together sounds wonderful,’ Phyllis agreed.
‘That’s settled then; a Christmas party in the evening it is,’ Jackie said. ‘Can I invite Oxo?’
Slate nodded. ‘I’m up for that. It will be good to have another bloke around. Maybe we can ask Decaf and Muriel too?’
‘The more the merrier,’ Nancy said.
Phyllis agreed too. ‘It sounds fun.’
‘Now how about we put up some trimmings and a tree this weekend to get us all in the festive mood? It’s only a couple of weeks until Christmas and it might cheer us all up.’ Jackie glanced at Nancy. ‘Do you normally have a real tree or an artificial one?’
‘An artificial one. It’s in the loft. Clifford never liked the mess of a real one. But actually… do you know what? I think it would be lovely to have a real one.’
‘Let’s go for it then. We can club together to buy it. And I’m sure we all have plenty of baubles, unless you prefer a themed approach?’ Jackie asked.
Nancy thought back to last Christmas when she’d spent hours making sure that the baubles and lights were evenly spaced.
Blue and silver had been their theme that year.
The year before it had been red and gold.
The thought of just hanging an assortment of baubles at random was liberating. ‘No theme,’ she replied.
‘I know just the place for a nice tree. They have lots of different sizes to choose from.’ Slate said.
‘That sounds perfect. Are you free tomorrow? We could pick one up then?’ Nancy asked.
She couldn’t wait to get the tree and trimmings up, it would be good to celebrate something and bring a bit of cheer into the house.
And it would take her mind off the fact that her divorce would be finalised soon.
Paul said there might be a delay with the post over Christmas but it should be through before the New Year. New Year, new start she told herself.
‘Sure. I’ve a poetry class in the library in the morning but we can go after that,’ Slate said.
* * *
The next afternoon she and Slate went to get a tree.
He’d emptied the back of his van and they brought the tree, and a pot, back in that, put it up in the living room and started decorating it.
Nancy baked some mince pies and Phyllis warmed up mulled wine.
They played some Christmas music, donned party hats and had a whale of a time.
Nancy couldn’t remember when she’d had so much fun.
When they’d finished with the tree, they put tinsel around some of the pictures hanging on the wall, hung a wreath over the front door and draped lights across the bay window. The house had never looked so festive, Nancy thought.
It was certainly going to be a different Christmas this year, and she was looking forward to it.