Chapter 31 #3
Cath stayed a few precious seconds to watch everyone delightedly tucking in, then saw this as her chance to nip out, ready to make a swift wardrobe change in the storeroom.
All was quiet in the kitchen area now with everyone out in the main hall serving and chatting.
Though she was a little late with her 50s outfit, she was determined to join in and look the part.
She’d found a gorgeous dress, a couple of days ago, in the Kirkton charity shop.
A ditsy print, pink-and-green-floral affair, that nipped in at the waist, showing just enough décolletage, and swirled out in a fabulous A-line skirt.
She slipped out of her trainers and got her navy ballet pumps ready – pretty yet still comfy and practical, with all the running around she yet needed to do.
Closing the door on the little store, she took off her apron, and her long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, pulled the dress out of the bag, and thrust it over her head.
Hmm, perhaps she should have changed in the bathrooms where there was a mirror, she suddenly thought.
Oh well, today wasn’t about her, was it.
A swipe of soft-pink lipstick went on. She decided to let her dark wavy hair down out of its ponytail now that the cooking was over, and ran her fingers through it to loosen it up a bit.
Sorted. She’d do. She’d better get back out to the hall and give her gang a hand.
Will glanced over just as Cath was making her way back in through the hall’s double doors.
She saw him look and then look again, as a hint of a smile creased his lips, and his eyes seemed to widen.
But then, as though he’d remembered their falling out, his face fell rather stonily once more, and he turned away to serve some more tea.
At that point, a troop of young girls dressed in their brown and yellow uniforms walked briskly in through the doors.
Brown Owl lead the way, instructing them to gather just below the stage.
Veronica, who was in on the Brownie troupe’s singing, and had spoken with the swing band members earlier, gave a nod to the band to take a well-earned break.
They then wrapped up the ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ tune they were on.
Brown Owl turned choirmaster, and with her back to the audience, began some vigorous arm signals.
Dan made a loud ding with a teaspoon on a cup, to draw the guests’ attention to the new arrivals, and a respectful hush filled the room.
The pianist had stayed back as agreed, to start the opening notes to lead them in, and a nine-year-old girl took a step forward from her pack to start with a solo introduction.
Her voice was so clear and beautiful as she began the first chorus of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, the rest of the Brownie choir joining in thereafter.
The look of joy on the guests’ faces was mesmerising.
And though Cath had known this was to happen, the gorgeous singing and its effect on the gathering was wonderful.
‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ came next with the audience joining in with the actions, and then a great version of Bruno Mars’s ‘Count on Me’, to huge smiles and much applause, and a ‘woohoo!’ from Andreas.
And then, something totally unexpected happened – not part of the supper club’s plans for today’s event at all.
Reggie stood up first, and then Betty, and one by one several of the care home residents filed into line behind the Brownies.
And Reggie, who stood a little to the side of the choir, started to sing.
His voice a little shaky to begin with, but then it rang out loud and clear with the first line of ‘Stand by Me’ by Ben E.
King. And then the elderly guests who’d filed behind him, plus the Brownies, joined in to sing the most wonderful rendition of one of Cath’s favourite songs.
She looked across to Will instinctively, but then had to look away, as the tears that were fogging her eyes were threatening to spill over.
This moment was so magical and touching, and unforeseen.
The lyrics summed up everything about the event today, about her love for Will, and for their families and friends.
It was so wonderful and so bloody moving, that it made her want to cry – in the best of ways, and also want to go over and somehow shake Will out of his dark and gloomy, cut-off place.
The hall burst into thunderous applause as the rendition by both young and old came to a heartfelt close.
‘Bravo!’ cheered Kenneth.
‘Marvellous,’ shouted Dan.
‘More,’ called out Vera, who being rather frail and finding standing for long a challenge, had remained in her seat, but had sung along heartily with them.
Reggie took a small bow, enjoying his moment in the limelight, then said, ‘Thank you, and I’m sorry all, but that’s the only one we’ve practised.’
‘Well then, that calls for another cup of tea, and we’ll get the band to strike up again shortly,’ said Andreas. ‘There’s plenty more scones and cake to go around, too. And don’t forget the baklava.’
Cath, still brimming with emotion, stepped forward to address the singers.
‘Thank you all so much. And thank you, Brown Owl, and your fantastic Brownie choir. That was just wonderful.’ She added, ‘We’ve left some spare seats at the end of each table for you.
And there’s still cake and scones galore, and a drink of lemonade for the young ones, too.
’ Cath was so glad that she’d thought to include them in the tea.
And she knew the elderly would enjoy having a little chat with them, too.
‘Ooh, and we’ve got our crafted buttonholes to hand out.
We’ll do that first,’ exclaimed Brown Owl gathering up a big hessian bag.
‘Come on, girls.’ The children took several of the bright pink, purple, red and yellow felted flowers each, and gave everyone a gorgeous floral gift to clip onto their outfit, and to take home and keep.
The smiles in the room got even broader.
‘Oh, and there’s one more thing.’ Brown Owl dug into her cloth bag again.
The youngest of the group, walked up to Will bearing a small gift bag, announcing herself as Olive and saying that she and her dad had worked on this together.
Cath watched with intrigue as Will opened the bag, pulling out a hand-sized metal craftwork.
As he turned it in his hand to study it, Cath could see it was a man on a bicycle, made of twists of metal strips, nuts and bolts welded together.
‘Daddy loves your cycling shop,’ the girl added.
‘We heard you’ve been poorly, and we made this for you … to cheer you up.’
Small kindnesses that meant so very much. Well, that was it, Cath’s tears spilled over. The dam had bloody well burst.
Will was evidently feeling it, too, as he took a sniff before replying, ‘Thank you so much, I love it. You and your daddy are very clever to make this. It’s going to have pride of place in my cycle shop.’