by Pamela Fudge
‘Oh, yes, I know that just about everyone is welcome in your home.’
Her nasty tone prompted me to protest, ‘I really don’t know what your problem is, Alice. I am a grown up single woman. Am I not allowed to have a man friend? Because I guess that’s what you are referring to.’
‘Perhaps it was the fact that you couldn’t wait for us to be gone before you embarked on this affair,’ she glared at me, ‘and the fact you were so secretive about it. As if,’ she snarled, ‘you had something to hide.’
I was about to protest, to reiterate what I had said before about waiting until they were all together, when Jake – who had been staring at her in the strangest way, suddenly spoke.
‘Sometimes,’ he said, ‘I feel as if I don’t even know you, Alice, because how you can say that, you of all people…’
She seemed to know what he was going to say and she hastened to interrupt him. ‘This has nothing to do with that. It’s entirely different.’
‘How?’ he demanded. ‘How is it different?’
Ever the peacemaker, Jake gave into Alice’s whims and humours more than anyone else in the family. It was why they got on so well and, because I had never known Jake to challenge Alice before, I found myself staring at him.
‘It just is,’ she said sullenly, throwing Jake a look that would normally have shut him up.
Today it didn’t seem to be working because he was insisting on an answer, demanding, ‘How?’ and then continuing astonishingly, ‘You can’t answer, can you, Alice? Your Mum has asked you more than once what your problem is, and I would like to know the answer to that. Why is it so wrong for your Mum to have a secret boyfriend, but it’s all right that you do?’
I looked from one to the other and shook my head. ‘Well, I can see why Alice might think I was trying to keep Stuart a secret, but I thought I’d explained that I was simply waiting to tell you I was seeing someone when you were all together. It’s not even anything serious because we haven’t been seeing each other for long.’
‘Oh,’ Jake smiled, but it wasn’t a pleasant smile. ‘Alice can’t say hers isn’t serious because she’s been seeing her secret boyfriend for some time. Haven’t you, Alice?’
‘Shut up, Jake,’ she said, but it was more of a plea than the order she would usually have issued.
‘I won’t shut up because this has been going on for long enough, and I’d like to know how you can accuse your Mum of being secretive when you’re guilty of it yourself.’ Jake sounded incensed and as if he had been holding his anger in for a very long time. ‘You’re a hypocrite, Alice, and have made me into one, too.’
I felt I had to step in and cool the situation down before it got out of hand. I wasn’t sure what was going on here, but I tried to make light of it by saying, ‘I’m sure Alice doesn’t have to tell me – us – every detail of her life, including whoever she is seeing. She’s an adult now and may do as she pleases, see whom she pleases.’
‘She doesn’t afford you the same privilege,’ he pointed out.
There was nothing I could say to that, so instead I said, ‘Perhaps Alice thinks we will disapprove.’
‘We both do,’ Jake said bluntly, ‘because her secret boyfriend is me.’
There was a sudden audible intake of breath from the doorway, and the three of us turned to find Owen, Connor, Ella and Mai standing in the doorway and it was obvious they had heard every word.
Chapter Thirteen
Alice stood white-faced, all trace of defiance wiped from her face and Jake stood beside her. He appeared to be rigid with the enormity of his announcement and was obviously waiting for something - wrath, disapproval, disappointment - anything from the family to fall around their ears.
In all honesty we were probably so shocked by such a startling revelation that I don’t think any of us could think of a single thing to say. To be told out of the blue that Alice and Jake were a couple – and had been for some time it would appear – was something none of us had been expecting, judging by the stunned looks on everybody’s faces. It must have been obvious to us all that something was going to have to be said but, momentarily at least all we could manage was a stunned silence.
Into the silence Noddy Holder of seventies band Slade suddenly yelled, ‘It’s Christmas,’ and it was just what I needed to prompt me into action as the popular festive song continued on the radio.
I carefully kept my tone even as I said, ‘I’m sure we all have something to say, but before anybody says anything they might come to regret, I think we should sit down and enjoy the lunch we’ve spent all morning preparing. It’s Christmas and we’re all together as a family, any discussion can wait until later, can’t it?’
‘Of course it can.’ Owen instantly followed my lead and I was so grateful to him. ‘I’ll go and get Arthur.’ He left and I had the feeling he couldn’t get out of the door quickly enough. I didn’t blame him, because if I felt completely out of my depth there was no doubt at all that he felt the same.
‘I’ll set two more places.’ Ella rushed to rearrange the table settings.
‘I’ll help dish up, Mum.’ Mai followed me into the kitchen area. I had the feeling she was wishing she could shut a door behind her but, probably thankfully, that wasn’t possible in an open plan house like this one. It wouldn’t help at all, I felt, for anyone to be suspected of whispering in corners.
‘You could open your presents,’ Connor offered helpfully, indicating the untouched pile under the tree.
‘Perhaps later,’ Jake managed, with a quick look at Alice, who hadn’t moved since he had dropped his bombshell into our midst.
Gizmo proved a welcome distraction, racing into the room and tearing up to each person in turn, ecstatic to find so many of his favourite people in one place. Even Alice, it seemed, couldn’t resist his overtures and she sank on to a chair, lifting him into her arms and allowing him to lick a face that was as pale as alabaster.
In the end I couldn’t have been more amazed at how well lunch went. In spite of what had just happened, everyone made a concerted effort to behave normally. It probably helped to have Arthur there, because he was so obviously thoroughly enjoying the food and the company, that we all went out of our way to ensure nothing happened to spoil it for him.
Crackers were pulled, paper hats worn, and mottos read and embellished with our own touches of humour. The impression that this was exactly the same as any other Christmas lunch we had shared was somehow achieved, and most of us ate with a good appetite. In fact, I found I was actually starving, but then it was a well-known fact that I was inclined to eat more in times of stress.
Jake and Alice had been separated at the table, but whether this had been by accident or design on Ella’s part when she had directed everyone to their places, I had no way of knowing. He continually sent worried glances Alice’s way, but Arthur seemed to be doing an excellent job of drawing her out and, in the end she was chatting to him quite amicably.
Finally, when the pudding had been set on fire as tradition dictated, and then eaten with either ice cream, custard, cream or brandy butter - or even as in a couple of cases a mixture of several of these choices – Arthur excused himself because his son, Ron, had promised to ring him. Connor, Ella and Mai immediately said they would see him home safely and begged to be allowed to take Gizmo for a walk while he was waiting for his call.
That left Owen and I with Jake and Alice and a silence we didn’t quite know how to even begin to fill. It took all my willpower not to start rushing around clearing up the debris of the meal we had just eaten, but somehow I managed it.
It was, typically, Alice who finally broke the silence with a show of her usual defiance. ‘You’d just as well give us all the reasons you can come up with why Jake and I shouldn’t be together, because I’m sure they are many and varied.’ She glared at Owen and I. ‘It’s what we’ve been expecting and why we’ve kept quiet. We probably know them all, but we can’t help the way we feel.’
‘What are t
hey?’ I asked calmly.
‘What?’ Alice stared at me.
‘The reasons why you shouldn’t be together, what are they?’
‘You know.’
‘Well, I don’t.’ I shrugged and turning to Owen asked him. ‘Do you?’
He frowned, ‘Well, I could probably guess at a couple, but I’m not sure if they’d be valid or not. Our circumstances are – unusual.’
‘Oh,’ Alice actually seemed lost for words, and then she managed, ‘so why the big show of disapproval from everyone when Jake made his announcement?’
‘I think you’ll find it was more surprise than disapproval,’ I ventured, and Owen nodded. ‘It wasn’t something we were expecting to hear, that’s all.’
‘But we’re step-brother and step-sister,’ Jake pointed out in a troubled tone.
‘Actually, you aren’t,’ Owen refuted, ‘because Evie and I aren’t married. If you’re worried about the family connection we can check out the legalities of the matter, though you aren’t related in any way.’
‘You may have grown up together,’ I added, ‘but you two were seven and eight years old when we all got together, not babies, and you knew from the start that we were two families, not one. We did our best to make that clear to you all and that knowledge has probably made a difference to your feelings now.’
‘Why are you being so understanding?’ Alice demanded suddenly, looking straight at me.
‘You’re my daughter, why wouldn’t I be?’ I asked, returning her look with a straight one of my own.
‘Because I’ve behaved like such a bitch to you recently.’
‘It’s not been easy these last months for any of us.’
‘But I’ve punished you and blamed you for daring to want a life of your own and all the time I knew in my heart that I had no right to object.’ Tears trickled down her face and all the defiance and anger seemed to have left her as she continued, ‘you and Owen couldn’t have been straighter with us.
‘Right from the start we were all well aware that our family and your relationship wasn’t what it seemed, but there’s never been a day go by when I didn’t want for us to be exactly what we seemed. I know it’s childish, but I never gave up hope – until the changes forced me to accept that to keep hoping was pointless. Then I just got angry – with you. I guess I just needed someone to blame for making changes I wasn’t ready for.’
‘Oh, Alice,’ I said.
She shrugged, ‘That seems a bit ridiculous now in the light of what you now know about Jake and me, but you and Owen did such a great job, putting us all together so well that we were barely aware of the join. It never mattered that I always called you Owen,’ she said to him, ‘because you’re my Dad in every single way that counts.’
Owen looked as if he might cry himself as he told her, ‘Thank you. It means the world to me to hear you say that but, Alice, though circumstances change, feelings don’t. When we all moved in together I became the father of five children and that will never change. The fact that your Mum and I live in different houses now won’t mean I love you any less. You’re a social worker and should know, of all people, that similar things happen even in traditional families.’
‘I know,’ she hung her head, ‘but knowing the theory doesn’t help very much when it happens to you. Thank you, both of you, for being so understanding. I have a feeling I’ve learned a lot about myself and about life in general and maybe I can be a more understanding social worker as a result.’
We smiled at each other, but there was no time to say more as the dog walkers erupted into the room, minus Gizmo who, they explained was back with Arthur.
‘He’s having a bit of a rest,’ Connor explained, ‘and I’ve told him not to make the attempt to come round here on his own because one of us will go and see him round here safely later. The temperature is already dropping out there and Arthur reckons snow is forecast.’
‘Shall we start clearing up?’ Mai started collecting pudding dishes, but I stopped her and invited, ‘Sit down for a bit - all of you. We can do it later. Jake was about to tell us how he and Alice got together and what their plans for the future are.’
Jake actually looked a bit startled, which was hardly surprising since he had indicated no such thing and, in fact, had said hardly a word since making his defiant announcement.’
‘Yes, go on, Jake,’ Alice encouraged as the other three sat down and looked at the pair of them expectantly.
‘Well,’ he started hesitantly, ‘we haven’t been together very long or really made any plans either. It was all the upheaval, you know, everyone going their separate ways and then the family house being sold. It felt like the last straw to Alice. She was devastated.’ he reached over, took her hand in his and looked at her in such a caring way that I felt tears pricking my eyelids. ‘She knew she was over-reacting, didn’t you?’ Alice nodded, pulled a rueful face and shrugged an apology to the rest of us. ‘She couldn’t help how she felt, but that was when she turned to me.’
I had a sudden vision of them coming together to the restaurant to find Owen and me on the day that Mai went off to university, and the For Sale board went up on the house.
He paused, and then went on, ‘I was just a shoulder to cry on initially – and I knew that – but you see, I’ve been in love with Alice for a very long time – and these past weeks she’s come to share my feelings.’
‘Oh, Jake – Alice,’ Mai was crying, ‘that’s so sweet.
‘It’s all right for them to be together, isn’t it?’ Connor looked from Owen to me.
‘We have no objection,’ Owen said emphatically, ‘and as they are not related in any way I don’t think there can be any legal problem, but that’s something that can be easily clarified.’
‘Well, I think it’s lovely,’ Ella said. ‘Who would have thought it?’ She grinned suddenly and warned, ‘Just don’t start expecting me to fancy Connor because it’s just not going to happen.’
At the look of complete horror on both their faces the rest of us burst out laughing and they very quickly joined in.
‘Let’s hurry up and get the lunch things cleared away,’ I said, still smiling, ‘and then we can get Arthur round to enjoy what’s left of what is turning out to be a pretty special Christmas day.’
‘There are still presents to unwrap,’ Connor reminded us, and Owen told him, ‘we’d better get a move on then, hadn’t we?’
It felt quite like old times as we all worked together to get the table cleared and then the kitchen tidied. Very soon the dishwasher was humming and everyone was chatting easily. I felt myself relax, probably for the first time that day, and looked forward to the kind of family evening that – with all the upheaval the recent changes had wrought - I had been beginning to think would be lost to us forever.
As the table was laid out with traditional Christmas favourites – savouries such as ham and turkey slices, assorted cheeses, crusty bread, various pickles and sausage rolls, together with an iced cake, mince pies, and a yule log – we lit candles and placed them around the rooms.
It was only then that I noticed how dark it was outside and went to close the blinds. I had reached for the cord of the one across the French doors in the sitting room, when I paused as something caught my eye and threw the doors open instead.
‘Come and see this,’ I called, ‘it’s snowing, and has been for some time by the look of this.’
I was very nearly bowled over as everyone rushed into the garden, and Owen reached out to steady me. We stood together, Owen’s arm lightly draped around my shoulder, thoroughly enjoying the sight of all our children – form the eldest to the youngest - forgetting they were now adults and joining in a snowball fight.
Eventually, when everyone was very wet, Connor suggested making a snowman, and that idea was met with great enthusiasm.
‘You’re all going to catch your death,’ I laughed, ‘come and get out of those wet clothes and we’ll have supper. You can do it later, or at Owen’s tomorrow
. This snow isn’t going anywhere for a day or two yet if I’m any judge.’
‘I’d better go and get Arthur,’ Owen said, turning to go inside, with me right behind him. ‘He’ll be wondering what’s happened to us.’
And then we heard Gizmo barking frantically.
Chapter Fourteen
Every one of us paused to listen. The barking went on, and to my ears the little dog was sounding more and more hysterical.
‘It’s coming from the front of the house,’ Jake decided.
‘We’d best get round there.’ Owen quickly made his way through the house with me hot on his heels and everyone else close behind.
I had a horrible feeling I knew what we were going to find and I was proved right. Arthur had obviously been making his own way over to us, but he hadn’t even made the gate before he came to grief and he was lying, groaning a little, on the path.
Pointless to tell him he should have stayed put. Pointless to wish I had never noticed the snow that had distracted us all into forgetting the old man had been waiting, probably impatiently, for someone to go and collect him.
‘Oh, Arthur,’ was all I could find to say.
‘I’ll be all right in a jiffy, Evie,’ he assured me - already struggling to get to his feet.
‘Don’t move, Arthur,’ Owen instructed, ‘because we don’t know what damage you’ve done to yourself and you may make matters worse. Jake, use your mobile to phone for an ambulance. The rest of you go and get blankets or a quilt, and a pillow or cushion for Arthur’s head – and for God’s sake take that dog indoors with you.’
I was so glad for his calm good sense, because I was shaking, more from shock than cold, I thought, as I knelt beside Arthur holding his hand, encouraging him through chattering teeth to remain still, while assuring him that everything would be all right.
‘Oh, no, we don’t want to be bothering the ambulance service on Christmas day,’ the old man was protesting, though his face was grey with pain. ‘Just help me up and get me inside and I shall be better presently.’
