Chapter 63
Welcome to our Nativity Play!
We hope that later you will stay
For a cup of tea and a biscuit or two
Although there may be a bit of a queue!
But now please sit back and enjoy tonight.
We’ve been practising with all our might!
There’s plenty to entertain you all
No matter whether you’re big or small!
Nancy watched Gemma standing on the stage as she recited the ‘welcome’ rhymes in that beautiful dress that made her, as Danny had whispered, look like a fairy princess. She’d just heard one of the other mothers whispering that Gemma had done an amazing job to do all this. Nancy wished that she could have been like Gemma, so sure of what she was doing and so nice with it.
Who else would have donated her bone marrow so willingly after being tested, without being asked? Sam was grateful to Gemma, too. When Nancy had gone backstage just before the curtain went back because Brigid urgently needed a safety pin for Billy’s outfit, she’d seen Sam give Gemma a thank-you hug. If there was one good thing that had come out of Danny’s illness, it was Sam being able to show his emotions. Her heart melted to see him now, with Danny on his knee sitting up bright-eyed and excited. Sam had his arms around his son’s waist to make sure he didn’t slip. Yes. There was no doubt about it. The two had definitely become closer during Danny’s illness.
Her mother leaned towards her, talking in what the English called a stage whisper. ‘Nancy! I’m still not happy about Danny being here. It’s very cold outside. Supposing he catches consumption?’
Her mother had been adopting what she saw as English mannerisms and vocabulary ever since she arrived. The trouble was that the vocabulary belonged to English books published in the 1950s or even earlier. No one used the word ‘consumption’ nowadays, as far as she knew. Besides, they’d been through all this before.
‘The doctor said it was all right,’ whispered Nancy, nodding towards the platform where the Puddleducks were doing a dance. Couldn’t her mother see that they ought not to be talking? Clearly not. Just as she hadn’t taken Nancy’s point the other day that it was time for both her and Patricia to go back to their respective homes.
‘We do love Corrytown,’ they had chorused when she’d raised the subject. The shops are so pretty, Christabel had said wistfully, while Patricia had made noises about not wanting to go back to an empty house when she could be with her grandson.
‘Shhh,’ said a father in the row in front, turning round to glare at their murmured conversation.
‘Sorry,’ mouthed back Nancy.
Just then a telephone rang, with that shrill tone of a mobile pretending to be a landline. ‘Whoops!’ said a pretty woman in a smart black suit with glossy heels. Getting up from the seat next to the father in front, she noisily made her way past jutting-out knees towards the back. ‘It’s my call from head office in Toronto,’ she exclaimed happily. ‘I do apologise!’
That was Honey’s mother, who’d gone back to work and was now taking conference calls in the middle of her daughter’s nativity play.
‘Sshh.’
That man in front again! Just as it looked as though he was going to say something, a ripple went through the audience as a small, slightly bowed figure bounced on to the stage, wearing a red costume with what looked like maroon jumper sleeves underneath.
‘It’s Bri …’ began Patricia excitedly.
‘Mum!’ This time it was Sam shooting his mother a look.
Danny was sitting so far forward that he was in danger of falling over. ‘Father Christmas,’ he said in a hushed, reverent voice.
He leaned across his two grandmothers and grabbed Nancy’s arm. ‘Do you think he’s got my letter?’
Nancy didn’t need to worry about the disturbance this time. Santa’s appearance on stage had got everyone excited. The children in the audience, who didn’t seem to recognise Brian, were leaping up and down in their seats, while the children on stage seemed equally mesmerised.
Brian’s surprise appearance was also causing ripples amongst some of the adults who had spotted the former teacher, and were giving him a warm ‘welcome back’ clap. His popularity couldn’t have been easy for Joe, his successor, to live up to. Joe was, so she’d heard, leaving after only one term. She’d never be able to thank him enough for giving up his apartment to them. ‘Cuts a very fine figure, I must say,’ murmured Christabel, patting back an imaginary stray hair.
‘If you don’t mind me saying so, there’s nothing like an Englishman,’ retorted Patricia, getting out her powder compact and bright red lipstick. She smiled at her rival, completely unaware that she had left a trace of Elizabeth Arden on her front teeth. ‘We know how to make them in this country, and they, in turn, know the value of a good Englishwoman.’
Brian had left the stage now and it was time for the three wise women to take over.
‘They’re girls!’ hissed Patricia in horror. ‘Shhhhhh,’ said the man in front, turning round and glowering again.
‘Three wise women?’ repeated Christabel. ‘I can see you feel as I do, Patricia. It simply isn’t on. Frankly, I’m thinking of becoming a Buddhist.’ She reached into her terracotta-coloured tapestry knitting bag. ‘I’ve got this wonderful new book about it. You can borrow it if you like.’
Sam sent Nancy a look that said we’d better let them get on with it, and she sent one back to say she agreed. One look at her son’s face proved that none of this mattered if he was happy and, touch wood, on the mend.
Meanwhile, Toby and Giles, dressed as shepherd boys, were walking together across the stage, and there was a collective ‘ahhh’ from the audience. ‘We’re looking for …’ began Giles. He stopped.
‘Baby Jesus,’ whispered Jean loudly from the wings.
But Giles was moving away from Toby, giving him a disdainful look. ‘Ugh! He’s farted,’ he announced loudly and the audience cracked up with laughter.
Thankfully there was the interval after that, which might, Nancy hoped, give the two grannies time to compose themselves after the excitement of seeing Brian. Ever since the charity disco, she’d been hearing nothing but that man’s name from both of them. Brian seemed a nice enough man, but a maroon jumper? Bet he had patchy hair under that hat. Yes, she was right! He was coming towards them now without his Father Christmas costume, wearing brown cords, that jumper and a shirt with a collar that had seen better days.
‘Christabel,’ he was saying. He was actually kissing her mother’s hand. ‘And Patricia!’ Now it was Sam’s mother’s turn.
‘May I buy both of you lovely ladies a nice polystyrene cup of coffee?’
Open-mouthed, Sam and Nancy watched him leading the two women towards the back of the hall, where refreshments were being served by adult-sized angels. One of them waved gaily to Nancy and, abandoning her duties, skipped over to them.
‘So lovely to see you!’ Annie bent down next to Danny. ‘And how’s the brave soldier doing?’
Danny eyed her wings distrustfully. ‘I’m not a soldier.’ He pointed to the stage. ‘I was going to be a shepherd.’
Annie clasped her hands together. ‘And you will be, I’m sure. Maybe next year.’
Nancy looked up at Sam, who seemed to know what she was thinking. Since Vietnam and the hospital, they had begun to read each other’s thoughts.
‘Think I’ll take Danny off to get some juice,’ Sam said. ‘Leave you two girls to have a natter.’
Nancy waited until their son was out of earshot. ‘The thing is, Annie, that we’re going.’
‘Going? Where?’
Nancy felt as thrilled as she had when Sam had come back the other evening and told her about his promotion. ‘Sam’s being moved to Boston. It’s a great package and we’d be crazy to turn it down. Of course, we won’t go until Danny is completely better, but we’re due to make the move by February at the latest. We’ve found a great school for Danny right next to the university, where I’m going to be doing an art course. I’ve never done anything that’s not purely academic before, and I’m really excited about it.’
Annie’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I’ll miss you.’ She moved towards Nancy and gave her a hug. ‘I take it Danny doesn’t know yet?’
Nancy shook her head. ‘I’m worried it’s going to upset him. He won’t want to leave his friends. And then of course there’s the puppy.’
‘What puppy?’
‘Didn’t I tell you?’
Just as she was about to explain, someone tapped her on her back. It was Tracy’s mum, who some time ago she’d mistakenly thought was pregnant. Tracy’s mum had lost a lot of weight, and wore a tight smile on her face to say she knew it.
‘I’m so glad your boy is better.’
‘Thank you.’
The smile faded. ‘However, I think there’s something you ought to know. Something I overheard at Parents’ Evening actually, between Miss Merryfield and your mother-in-law.’
Nancy felt a strange prickle down her spine, just as Patricia herself loomed up behind Tracy’s mum with a grim expression on her face.
‘Excuse me, young woman, but I couldn’t help hearing what you said. Contrary to what some people think, my ears are as sharp as they used to be. And my eyes, too. So if you don’t mind, I’d like a word with you.’
Amazed, Nancy watched as Patricia virtually escorted Tracy’s mum out of the door.
‘What was that all about?’ she asked her own mother, who’d come up with a cup of tea for her.
Christabel put an arm around her. ‘I wouldn’t worry about it, dear. Probably something to do with Early Years Goals. Dear Brian has been telling me all about the British learning system. I must say, it’s rather bizarre, isn’t it?’
A bell rang, and everyone started going back to their seats.
‘No thank you,’ her mother was saying to a large cherub helper. ‘I won’t have another drink. I’ve had an elegant sufficiency.’
Nancy snorted with laughter at her mother’s feeble grasp of English idiom, but somehow managed to turn it into a cough.
Annie was nudging her in the ribs. ‘I’ve got a new venture,’ she was hissing excitedly. ‘You know, a project. Something to do now the kids are at school. So has Brigid. I’ll have to tell you later. If I don’t get back to the washing up, I’ll get the sack. Fallen angel and all that. Byeeee.’
Then Patricia came back, sliding into her seat next to Christabel, and Tracy’s mother took her place in front, looking extremely subdued, and it was time for the second half to begin.