Chapter 26 #2
‘So how many of you will have breakfast tomorrow then? Or will you save your appetite for the big meal?’ Brian’s voice came out of the radio while they were all quiet and eating the very buttery mince pies.
‘How many of you are having turkey tomorrow? I must confess that I find it a bit dry and so we’re having a joint of beef from our local butcher.
I highly recommend Hollybury Farm produce if you’re ever in the area.
I think I enjoy the cold-cut sandwiches the next day even better than the big meal, but please don’t tell Mrs Cosgrove that because she’d have my guts for garters. ’
‘Well, if we are still here tomorrow, we’ll be having turkey, Brian, and I rather think we will be,’ Frank answered him, wiping pastry crumbs from his mouth. ‘I must remember to set my alarm so I can get up and put the oven on.’
‘Frank, one of us will take on that duty, you’ve done more than your fair share,’ said Jane.
‘Jane, never interfere with a chef and his plans.’ Frank shook the remainder of his mince pie at her and Jane held her hands up in surrender.
‘I think we’ll slow things right down now, from The Toomey Sisters. But did you know, they aren’t sisters at all, unlike the Beverley sisters, two of whom were twins. Anyway, this is “Alone For Christmas”.’
A string introduction ensued and then a mellow voice.
‘Last year you and I were together
Making plans for the rest of our life
This year you’re not here and I’m crying
And someone else is your wife…’
The room seemed to recede for Roo; Frank and Vincent sank into the distance as they were laughing about something, along with Jane chatting to Grace as they took a second mince pie from the plate, Tim, Elizabeth and Henry far away, deep in conversation.
The radio swelled into the foreground, sucking all the air out of it.
‘I’m lonely, so lonely this Christmas…’
Aaron and Amber, their champagne flutes chinking together.
‘I don’t know where my love’s going to go…’
‘What do you think Roo’s doing now, Aaron darling?’
‘It will wait in my heart for you always…’
‘Roo who?’ Ha ha haaaa.
The song cut off to be replaced by Brian’s voice.
‘I’ve just had an urgent message from my wife saying that I have not to play this song, it’s way too miserable…’
But the damage had been done. Roo’s banks burst; she dropped her head onto her arms on the table and she sobbed.
‘Darling, what’s the matter?’ said Elizabeth turning to her, putting her arm around her.
Roo was mortified. As soon as she’d given way to her emotions, she bucked against them. She looked up to find all eyes were on her. No wonder, as she’d just made a total fanny of herself.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, trying to recover, even though her tear ducts were clearly rebelling against her efforts.
Whoever was working them had clearly been promised double Christmas rates.
As fast as she was wiping her tears away, they were replaced by more.
She couldn’t stand the intensity of being such a centre of attention, not in this way anyway.
If she were on a stage performing then it would be different, but now she felt raw and stripped bare.
She attempted to stand. ‘I’ll get out of your way,’ she said.
‘You absolutely will not,’ said Elizabeth, pushing her back down.
Jane passed a tissue down the table and Roo blew her nose on it before she drowned them all in snot. God, she must look a total sight. She couldn’t look at them. What must they be thinking?
‘Dear me, I hope I haven’t moved anyone to tears with that song.
I didn’t realise it was so dour until Mrs Cosgrove pointed it out,’ Brian was now saying, full of contrition.
‘I don’t think we’ll be playing that one again any time soon.
Let’s go for Rudolf and his red nose, that always cheers me up and I hope it cheers you up too. ’
That didn’t help because Roo knew when she cried her face went red, especially her conk. Brian really did know how to wound.
‘What was he playing that he had to apologise for it so profusely?’ asked Jane, who hadn’t really been listening, but whatever it was had had a brutal effect on young Roo.
‘Something about being lonely at Christmas,’ Henry said. ‘Sounded a bit of a dirge.’
‘I’ll go and make some coffees or something,’ said Roo.
‘No, you’ll sit there,’ Elizabeth insisted.
‘You ain’t going anywhere,’ Vince echoed the sentiment if not the same words. ‘Start talking, gel.’
Oh, what the hell. If she could have pulled out her coin and asked it if she should tell them what was up, she knew it would come up YES.
She sniffed before beginning. ‘My fiancé got married today to my best mate. Or at least if they didn’t, they were supposed to, but she’s the type that everything goes right for so they would have.
I didn’t know anything about it until a few weeks ago.
They wanted to act quickly because she fell pregnant. ’
A few small sounds of sympathy rippled around the table, then Tim said, ‘Well, they sound a pair of shits.’
And Roo laughed, even though she didn’t think she had a laugh in her.
‘I can understand why you were going away with friends for Christmas now,’ Grace said and Roo pulled a wincey face.
‘I lied. I would have been by myself. My pals are all busy, there’s just me on the scrapheap.’
‘Surely they would set another place at the table for you,’ said Vincent.
‘Well, it’s a bit awkward really. They’re friends with all three of us. They didn’t want to take sides.’
Look, it’s a mess, but Amber and Aaron are our friends as well as you and…
they’ve asked us to be the witnesses. That from her second-best friend who, it seems, knew all about it but it ‘wasn’t her place to say’.
Not fun being trapped in the middle, she’d snapped and Roo had snapped back harder, It’s not exactly a barrel of laughs being where I am either.
‘Sounds like you need a whole new bunch of mates,’ said Tim. ‘If I were your dad I’d have gone round and thumped the little twat.’
‘I’d have come and held your coat,’ added Vincent.
‘Well, Roo, you are not going to be lonely this Christmas, because you are with us here on this wonderful train.’ Jane smiled at her.
‘With your own personal chef,’ said Frank, dropping a reverential bow.
‘And you didn’t have a clue?’ This from Grace.
‘Nope. When he was fessing up, we had to break off the conversation because the delivery of boxes had just arrived for me to pack my stuff up so I could move into his house. Neither of them dared tell me so they just didn’t bother…
until they had to. I had a wedding dress fitting booked. Amber was going with me.’
‘Dear god,’ said Tim. ‘What a pair of spineless…’—he hunted around for a fresh expletive—‘arseholes.’
‘Where’s the respect?’ Frank threw his hands up in the air. ‘If you fall out of love with someone, you can’t do anything about that, but you can act like a gentleman about it. And this… what’s his name?’
‘Aaron.’
‘Never liked that name,’ said Frank to that, which may or may not have been true.
‘Aaron Ewerin.’
‘And this Aaron—’ Frank’s brain caught up. ‘Urine?’ He wrinkled up his face in disbelief.
‘It’s spelt E-w-e-r-i-n,’ replied Roo.
‘Still pronounced the same way though, innit?’ said Frank. ‘You’d have been Ruby Ewerin? Sounds like a complaint you’d go to the doctor with. Blimey, you had a lucky escape there, gel.’
Vincent snorted and apologised, which made him snigger more and he set off the rest of the table.
‘Amber Ewerin sounds a little bit healthier,’ said Frank. ‘Although the doctor would probably tell you that you weren’t drinking enough water.’
Even Grace was infected with the comedy banter and was smiling.
‘Cuts down the names they can call the kids. I mean, you wouldn’t want a Misty Ewerin, would ya?’ Frank went on.
‘Or a Max. What about Cat?’ Vincent added.
‘Yuri. Lulu.’
‘Stop it, you two,’ said Roo, wiping her eyes again, this time from mirth.
‘You’re better off without the lot of them,’ said Tim, thinking that if anyone had hurt his daughter in such a way he really wouldn’t have been able to keep his nose out of it.
His son-in-law Eugene was a good man, decent, principled and a provider.
He’d be around for his wife and his baby, unlike Tim had been. He’d get the balance right.
‘How long were you together, Roo?’ asked Jane.
‘Three years. I got with him on the rebound. My first boyfriend was a right wanker. I didn’t think anyone could be worse than him.’
Jane nodded sagely. ‘Rebound relationships, they have a lot to answer for.’
‘I’m staying single from now on.’
‘Roo, you’re a lovely girl and someone someday will come along who deserves you and you don’t settle for anything less than the top prize.
’ Frank wagged his finger at her. ‘If he’s a proper man, am I right, gentlemen?
’—Frank’s eyes flitted from Tim to Vincent to Henry for confirmation—‘he will treat you like a queen, with respect. He won’t go knobbing your mates or lying to you.
He’ll want to look after you and hold your heart in careful hands.
’ Frank cupped his hands as he spoke and his eyes drew towards Grace and locked with hers.
And in that moment Grace felt his love punch through the barriers she had erected around herself.
Frank, who had never cheated on her, never treated her less than respectfully, never given her cause to doubt him.
‘I’d ask you out myself if you didn’t have such funny hair,’ said Vincent, making her hoot.
‘Here, have the last mince pie, they’ve got medicinal properties.’ Tim pushed the plate over to her.
‘Don’t you cry over a man, Miss Roo. Someone you love shouldn’t make you shed a single tear,’ said Frank, who had himself cried too many times over the person he loved.