Chapter 24
Christmas Eve found the Ballygowan docking bright and early at Basseterre, capital and main port of St Kitts. It seemed incredible to Ruth that Christmas Day was literally around the corner. It also weighed heavy on her mind that she had yet to buy the kids anything in the way of gifts.
Ruth cradled a mug of coffee in the Harvest Basket while her children scouted the breakfast counters like locusts.
Millie had decided she was going to try something different every day for the remainder of the cruise, returning to the table with a stack of ‘Angelic American pancakes’, topped with crispy rashers of bacon and swimming in maple syrup.
‘This is what Americans eat,’ Millie announced as some of the syrup slopped onto the table from her overfilled plate.
‘Whoops,’ she added, using her finger to wipe up the sticky dribble and licking at it before Ruth could tell her that in a public arena like this, the five-second rule didn’t cut it.
The zero-second rule was in operation, regardless of how fastidiously the staff sprayed and wiped down surfaces.
Bugs lurked around every corner, and the last thing Ruth wanted was the rest of the cruise ruined by having any of them in constant conversation with the giant porcelain telephone.
A reference neither of her kids understood, but one which had stood the test of time, as far as Ruth was concerned.
Nathan padded across to their table, today’s plate brimming with scrambled eggs surrounded by sausages.
‘Going back for toast,’ he muttered as he claimed his spot then headed off again.
‘It’s called “Good tidings toast” I think you’ll find. And don’t forget ketchup today,’ Millie piped up, earning herself a flipping-off by the teenage ball of attitude.
They were expecting Hannah to join them again for today’s excursion, and Ruth hoped they’d have enough time to debrief on the previous day before they got going on shore.
She was hoping the lack of communication after they’d returned to the ship the previous afternoon boded well for Hannah – and when she wandered into the restaurant, joining them with a mug of coffee and a wide smile, Ruth felt all must have gone well.
‘Do you want anything to eat?’ Millie piped up, her expression open as she added, ‘I don’t think I’m going to be able to eat all these pancakes, so you can have some of them, if you want?’
‘Maybe just a couple,’ Hannah said. ‘I’m not very hungry this morning.’
‘Why don’t you pop over and get Hannah a plate and some cutlery, then, Mils?’
With Millie heading away from the table, Ruth leant forward. ‘So?’
‘So, what?’
Hannah seemed to melt against the soft contours of the seating; she looked the picture of relaxation – and Ruth had an inkling as to why.
She raised her eyebrows. ‘I wasn’t born yesterday, Hannah. Did you see Louis again once we were back on board?’
‘I did.’
‘And you’re not going to expand?’
‘Wasn’t planning to.’ Hannah moistened her lips, drawing in a deep breath that she let out slowly as a cat-like smile edged onto her face. ‘I’m sure you don’t need me to paint that picture, Ruth…’
Ruth clapped her hands together, eliciting a couple of sideways glances from neighbouring tables. ‘I knew it! Pearl acquired. Is he coming with you again today?’
It was childish, but Ruth couldn’t help sniggering at her own double entendre. She apologised, but Hannah was trying to hide her own smile as she shook her head.
‘He needs to stay on board today, but we’re meeting up later.’ Hannah leant forward, a frown clouding the sunshine of her expression. ‘Actually, I might have to cut today a bit short. His shift patterns mean we can only see one another this afternoon. Do you mind?’
Millie arrived back at the table, clattering a plate and assorted cutlery in front of Hannah, and Nathan slid into his seat with a leaning tower of toast in one hand, and half a block of butter in the other.
‘Morning,’ he said, pushing hair out of his eyes as he gave Hannah more of a smile than Ruth ever got – or certainly had received since she’d broken the news that she and Trev were getting a divorce.
‘Good morning, Nathan,’ Hannah said.
‘I don’t mind a bit,’ Ruth said, hands wide as Millie asked what she didn’t mind.
‘I’m only visiting St Kitts for a while today,’ Hannah said. ‘Then I’m heading back on board.’
‘Is that so you can work some more on your new project?’ Millie asked, shifting a couple of pancakes onto the empty plate and completely oblivious to Hannah’s increasingly amused expression when Ruth’s features fell into an approximation of horror.
How on earth could Millie have known – and who had taught her such an oblique reference to sex?
She darted a stare at her son – bloody Nathan, she’d put money on it being something to do with him – her mounting panic evaporating when Millie passed across the plate and said, ‘Your new painting, I mean. I saw it the other day and April told me all about what you have planned. I think it’s going to be ace. ’
Ruth’s shoulders dropped a good three inches in relief.
‘April is very kind,’ Hannah said. ‘And, yes, I might do some more painting. But actually, I’m hoping to spend some time with Captain Louis.’
Millie’s eyes widened as she licked at a syrupy finger, then her expression morphed into something more usually seen on Question Time, it was so adult and serious.
‘Yes. I expect you’re hoping to have sex with him, aren’t you?’
Ruth felt the entire world fall away as she caught her breath, then burbled something approaching an apology, scolding Millie while trying to bury her own embarrassment.
She wasn’t sure she managed any of them successfully as she insisted Millie should also apologise to Hannah for being completely inappropriate.
For her part, Hannah hid her shocked expression masterfully, turning it into a grin, which eventually gave way to laughter.
Millie remained defiant. ‘What’s wrong with that?
It’s what people do when they fall in love, isn’t it?
I saw an episode of Yellowstone at Dad’s, and they did it up against a chest of drawers.
I asked Dad if that was comfortable, because it didn’t look it to me, but he just laughed.
So, I suppose it must feel better than it looks. ’
Ruth stuck fingers into her ears, begging Millie to stop, which only made Hannah laugh harder.
‘I might go and get some more syrup for you, Hannah,’ Millie said. ‘Otherwise I’m going to have to spoon it off my plate and onto yours and I’ll make a right mess of it. Back in a mo.’
Seemingly oblivious of the furore she’d stirred in her mother’s otherwise ordered countenance, Millie headed off and Ruth apologised to Hannah all over again.
‘At least she didn’t say she’d seen her father and Janey, and that was how she knew,’ Ruth said.
‘No,’ said Nathan, giving his mouth a rare break from chewing. ‘But I have, and Janey likes being on top. They don’t always close the bedroom door.’
‘Kill me now,’ Ruth said, and Hannah began to laugh all over again.
Hannah did her best not to feel guilty about imposing her plans for the day onto Ruth and the kids – especially on Christmas Eve.
Ruth had been so kind, scooping her up like she was a stray puppy they’d found behind the bins, setting her back on her feet and ensuring she wouldn’t be alone on the cruise unless she wanted to be.
And how had she repaid Ruth’s kindness? By asking that they didn’t stray too far from the Ballygowan so she could have inappropriate sex with the captain.
Ruth said she didn’t mind a bit. Apparently, Millie had held on to Hannah’s guidebook and announced they would have plenty to do in Basseterre itself. There would be special Christmas markets and stalls to browse.
Nathan seemed keen to remain near the ship, too. Ruth told Hannah it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he was given the freedom to do his own thing for the day, so long as he was sure to be back on board in good time for the evening sailing.
‘I want to get the kids some bits and bobs for Christmas, too,’ Ruth said as they headed down the gangplank into the bright sunshine of the pier, which led from the ship to the terminal complex.
‘I heard that, Mum,’ Millie said, her backpack banging up and down on her back as she overtook them and spun a circle on the concrete walkway.
‘You were supposed to. We might as well choose things you actually want, don’t you think?’ Ruth frowned at Millie’s wide grin. ‘Within reason, young lady. Don’t go getting any wild ideas.’
‘I know, I know. Look at all those trees,’ Millie said, pointing past the immediate muddle of concrete and buildings, higher into the island’s mountainous interior, coated with a myriad of green rainforest. ‘Looks a bit like broccoli, doesn’t it?
Wonder where they grew all the sugar cane, then?
It said in the book that this was a British colony until 1983.
There used to be slaves and everything working on the sugar cane farms.’ Millie’s voice took on a hushed tone.
‘Not in 1983 there weren’t,’ Nathan said.
‘No. ’Course not. But further back in history there were. There’s no sugar cane grown at all on the island now, the book said. But how do they make money, if there’s no crops?’
Nathan snorted a laugh, then waved at the people streaming past them from the Ballygowan, keen to make the most of the excursions they had planned. ‘They get money from us, you dimwit. From tourism.’
Millie’s eyebrows raised, as though for once her brother had said something apposite.
‘I suppose that’s right. I hadn’t thought about it that way…’
‘No. Because you’re a dumbass. Why do you think they’ve built these huge piers for the ships, and reclaimed all the land from the sea to build the terminal complex?
All you have to do is google it and find out…
’ Nathan shoved a hand beneath his flop of curly red hair, pushing it out of his eyes as he looked at Ruth, then stared at Hannah. ‘I’m going to head off.’
After Ruth had issued her demands for him to remain close, and to be back on board well before the ship was due to leave, and to take care of himself, and to phone her if he had a problem, any problem, of any kind, Nathan wandered away.
‘Laters,’ floated back at them on the breeze.
Ruth turned to Hannah. ‘Perhaps my son is taking more of an interest in our holiday than I thought. Where did he get all that from?’
Hannah grinned. ‘Google, by the sounds of it. He’d be daft not to make the most of this, though, wouldn’t he? These are a magical group of islands. Plus, if your kids do all the hard work researching the places we’re visiting, we can just relax and enjoy, don’t you think?’
Ruth laughed. ‘Fair point.’
‘That’s called slave labour,’ Millie piped up, then looked awkward. ‘I shouldn’t say that word here, should I?’
‘Nobody thinks you meant anything by it, Mils,’ Ruth said.
Hannah paused, an idea wriggling its way into her mind. She waited for Millie to get far enough ahead to be out of earshot.
‘I was wondering, Ruth. The other day Millie was telling me how much she wants to go snorkelling. And it’s something I want to do as well, so it occurred to me that we could go together, if that suits you? It could be my Christmas present to Millie, perhaps. What do you think?’
‘Did she tell you I wasn’t going to let her, or something?’
‘No. Nothing like that. I thought it might be nice, that’s all.’ Hannah swallowed. ‘It looks like St Lucia could be a good place for it, and we’re there tomorrow. It’s Christmas Day, which would be perfect. I just thought I’d suggest it.’
Ruth frowned. ‘But you will want to do stuff like that with Louis, won’t you?’
‘Maybe. Or he might need to be on board. I can’t demand he drops everything to be with me, can I? Not if he needs to work.’
‘You won’t have to demand anything from that man. He’s crazy about you.’
Hannah grinned as they wandered through the terminal complex and on out into a wide square, flanked with colonial-style buildings painted a variety of vibrant colours and packed with stalls, all clamouring for attention. Strings of pepper lights stretched all around.
‘It’s madness, isn’t it?’ Hannah said. ‘But I feel the same about him.’
‘There’s a stall over there selling T-shirts and keyrings and tree decorations,’ Millie said, circling back to them with a pointed finger outstretched. ‘Maybe we could find something for Nathan? I haven’t got him anything yet.’
‘Let’s go and have a look,’ Ruth said.