Driving Home for Christmas

by Emma Hannigan

  ‘Thanks, Sadie,’ Maggie said. ‘You’re looking older too.’

  ‘Ah, go on out of that,’ she said, swiping Maggie’s arm. ‘Would you not wear a wig or something until you’ve more hair? I’d say you’re frozen back here in the snow with nothing but a few wisps dusted around your head.’

  ‘The wig was so itchy in the heat I gave up,’ Maggie explained. ‘But I must say I’m freezing now.’

  ‘This was meant for Holly but I’m sure she won’t mind you using it for a while,’ Sadie said, as she handed a wrapped gift to Maggie.

  They all giggled when she opened a tea-cosy in the shape of a Christmas pudding.

  ‘It actually looks like a pudding too,’ Lainey pointed out. ‘It’s really good. Fabulous stitchwork and detail.’

  ‘It’s great the way the person managed such definition between colours,’ Joey said.

  ‘Have you all gone mad?’ Sadie expostulated. ‘When have any of you lot had the least bit of interest in knitting?’

  ‘We hadn’t,’ Joey started to laugh. ‘Until we got our presents from Mum this morning.’

  As they held up their sweaters, Sadie had to grip the sideboard for fear she’d fall over, she was laughing so hard. ‘They’re priceless,’ she managed finally, dabbing at her eyes.

  ‘Here is yours,’ Holly said, presenting Sadie with a parcel. It was meant to be a pudding too.

  ‘Who gave the poor old dear blue wool to knit a pudding? It looks mouldy.’ Sadie giggled. She pulled it on and stood beside Maggie, who was now wearing the tea-cosy.

  ‘Take a photo!’ Maggie commanded.

  Four of the group produced iPhones and snapped.

  Operation Christmas lunch took effect. With all hands on deck, things happened quickly. Sadie was in control, issuing instructions. ‘Lainey, stuff the turkey, baste it and put it in the oven. Pippa, peel the sprouts and put them in the pot. Holly, you and I can do the spuds and leave them in water ready to boil. Paddy, can you carve the cooked ham and spiced beef onto platters?’

  There was a knock at the back door and Scott came in.

  ‘Hey, Scott,’ they all chorused. ‘Merry Christmas.’

  ‘Many happy returns, folks. I’ve a few pressies here for you,’ he said. ‘Ah, hi there, Mrs Pudding,’ he said to Maggie, who still had on the tea-cosy.

  ‘What did I tell you?’ Sadie whispered. ‘Gorgeous or what?’

  ‘You weren’t lying,’ Maggie agreed. ‘Nothing wrong with him.’

  ‘We thought you might like this,’ Paddy said, handing him an Irish rugby jersey.

  ‘Cool! Thanks, guys,’ he said, pulling off his top and tugging the jersey over his head.

  ‘And here’s a special gift I got for you,’ Holly said.

  ‘Aw, cheers, Holly, I’m made up. Thanks so much. All you guys have been so good to me. I’m having the best time in Ireland,’ he said.

  ‘I’m glad, and you’re so welcome,’ Holly said, struggling to keep a straight face.

  When he opened his sweater, they all shrieked with laughter again. It was supposed to be a reindeer but the resemblance was slight.

  ‘Eh, thanks, Holly,’ he said, biting his lip. He snorted, and burst out laughing.

  Pippa pulled hers out from behind her back and the others showed him theirs.

  ‘I reckon you could put those on your website next year, Pippa, and make a fortune.’ Scott lapsed into more helpless laughter.

  ‘Good plan,’ she said. ‘Jumpers you wish your gran had never made but were too polite not to wear!’

  Feeling underdressed, Scott put on his army-patterned onesie.

  ‘Now I feel like I fit in.’

  ‘I’m waiting for the men in white coats to come and put me out of my misery,’ Paddy said.

  By the time they’d all dragged themselves upstairs, had showers, dressed in normal clothing and reconvened, it was after midday.

  ‘Where does the time go?’ Holly said. ‘I want to make today last for ever.’

  ‘I don’t think I could cope every day with the madness that takes over this family at Christmas,’ Paddy said, feigning alarm.

  ‘Isn’t it great?’ Holly giggled. ‘Now, the turkey went into the oven just after eight, so we should be ready to sit down to eat at three.’

  ‘Well, I’ve just had half my selection box,’ Joey said.

  ‘That’s not very triathlon man of you,’ Pippa teased.

  ‘I’ll get back to the training once my body heals,’ he vowed. ‘But for now I’m having everything that’s put in front of me.’

  Cynthia, Jacob and Matt arrived at two, laden with bottles of wine and champagne.

  ‘Come on in,’ Holly and Paddy greeted them at the front door. ‘We’re delighted to see you all.’

  The rest of the household joined them around the blazing fire in the hall.

  Maggie was delighted to see her neighbours and made no apologies for wearing a smart dress with a tea-cosy on her head. If they thought it was odd they did a good job of hiding the fact.

  ‘Happy Christmas,’ Matt said, handing Lainey a small gift discreetly.

  ‘Thank you, Matt,’ she said, blushing furiously. ‘I didn’t get you anything. Now I’m mortified.’

  ‘It’s only a tiny thing,’ he said, smiling.

  Lainey opened the red box and found a little silver charm bracelet.

  ‘You were so friendly to me on that awful night, and when we met yesterday, you still didn’t make me feel like a fool. So I wanted to get you a small gift,’ he said. ‘I found it in the chemist in the village so if you hate it you can always change it for some Sudocrem or a packet of plasters.’

  ‘No, I think I prefer this.’ As she leaned up to kiss his cheek she noticed the musky freshness of his cologne. ‘You smell nice,’ she said, without thinking.

  ‘Thanks. I bought it while I was in the chemist. I did all my Christmas shopping in there. It took almost twenty minutes.’

  ‘Well, mine took even less. I bought everyone the same thing. I’m not the best shopper you’ve ever met.’

  ‘Are you delighted to have your grandma home?’ he asked, looking at Maggie, who was chatting to his mother. ‘I didn’t realise she’d been sick.’

  ‘None of us did. She didn’t tell us. Then she surprised us by arriving home unexpectedly last night.’

  ‘Will she be okay?’

  ‘So she says. I wish she’d told me. I thought we were close. I can’t help feeling she shut me out. It hurts.’

  ‘I can understand where you’re coming from, of course,’ Matt said, ‘but the other side of the coin is that she probably kept quiet because she loves you so much.’

  ‘That’s what she said.’

  ‘Well, I’ve never been close to my parents. When my father phoned, told me Mum was getting worse and more or less summoned me home, I can’t say I was delighted. In fact, I was pretty angry at first.’ Matt looked at the floor and took a swig of his bottle of beer.

  ‘How do you feel now?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m beginning to settle in. But it’s not my choice to be here, Lainey. I had a life in the UK. But I knew I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t come home when Dad asked me to. What could I do?’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I should shut up. We’ve barely seen one another over the last twenty years and now it seems every time I meet you I pour my heart out to you. You must think I’m a right weirdo.’

  ‘Not at all. I’m doing the same thing to you,’ she pointed out. ‘Maybe it’s a good thing that we can chat.’

  Lainey considered what Matt had told her. She’d been so busy being angry with Grandma that it was hard to change her perspective. She gazed at Cynthia, perched uncomfortably on the arm of a chair, rocking back and forth, unable to join in with much conversation, and her heart went out to her. Jacob looked older and thinner, and she suspected there was very little joy to be had in their home.

  Then she looked at Maggie, with the knitted pudding on her head. She was animated, chatting to Mum.
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  Lainey knew there and then that her grandmother hadn’t let her down. She hadn’t shunned her or tried to run away. She’d done the least selfish thing of all. She’d spared them the grief of the past year.

  ‘I don’t blame my father for asking me to come home,’ Matt said, interrupting her thoughts. ‘There was no way he could’ve coped alone. But the time is coming when Mum will have to go into a home. Then I’ll decide whether or not to stick around here.’

  ‘Do you think you might?’ Lainey said, sounding substantially more hopeful than she’d intended. ‘Eh, I mean, it would be great if you did. I’m always around at weekends. I’m actually thinking of moving back in this direction. I hate my apartment.’

  ‘I’ll see how things go for the next couple of months.’ He held her gaze.

  ‘Can I get you another beer?’ she asked.

  ‘That’d be lovely.’

  Holly and Sadie ushered them into the dining room, Cynthia shadowed by Jess; she seemed to have found solace in stroking her coat.

  ‘Is the dog allowed in the dining room?’ Jacob asked.

  ‘Not usually, but we’ll make an exception,’ Paddy said.

  When they had sat down, Paddy stood up and pinged his glass with a teaspoon to command silence. ‘Welcome to family and friends, new and old,’ he began. ‘We’re so delighted to have our beloved Maggie back in our midst. It’s great to have our children too, even if Joey is about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike.’ They all laughed. ‘Thankfully, Pippa’s boyfriend Jay came along again this year – I’d never have got the wood chopped without him,’ he said. ‘Jules is a delightful addition to our table and most welcome. As for Skye, you’ve encouraged my other daughter to stop shopping and make other people pay her for the privilege, so you’re most welcome too!’ He coughed. ‘Jacob, Cynthia, Scott and Matt, we’re thrilled to have you with us. Last, and by no means least, Sadie. She’s kept our family together in more ways than one this past year and we’d be lost without her. Please raise your glasses and join me in a toast! Merry Christmas, all!’

  ‘Merry Christmas, all!’ they chorused in response.

  ‘Let’s do a tag-team effort so,’ Pippa said. ‘All cross your arms at chest height and hold your cracker to the right! With both hands, we all pull on the count of three,’ she said.

  ‘What about me?’ Joey said. ‘That’s discrimination!’

  ‘I’ll help you,’ Skye said, and leaned across him.

  ‘One … two … three!’

  They pulled their crackers and the popping and banging was mighty as they tried not to fall off their chairs. Then they put on their paper hats and read out the jokes.

  By the time they’d cleared the soup bowls and put the platters of meat into the middle of the table, with the bowls of vegetables, Holly’s sides ached with laughing. ‘I’m letting you all help yourselves,’ she said. ‘Don’t be shy or you’ll starve! Dig in, folks!’

  Skye picked up Joey’s plate. ‘Shall I do yours?’

  ‘Thanks a million,’ he said gratefully.

  ‘No problem. Will I cut it up for you?’

  ‘Would you mind?’ he said.

  ‘Not at all. This should help too.’ She stood up and tied his napkin around his neck. ‘Seeing as I’ve no bib it’ll have to do.’

  Joey wondered why he’d only just noticed how pretty Skye was.

  The eating and drinking lasted well into the early evening as they shared stories of Christmases past. Holly and Paddy, at opposite ends of the big table, caught each other’s eye from time to time and shared unspoken delight in having their family around them.

  Skye topped up Joey’s glass from time to time, exchanging with him secret smiles.

  ‘My mother wasn’t big on Christmas so I was never that excited about it,’ Jules said matter-of-factly. ‘As it stands, we’re not speaking.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that, sweetheart,’ Holly said, taking her hand. ‘You’re welcome here any time, isn’t she, Paddy?’

  ‘She certainly is,’ he agreed readily. ‘We know how lucky we are to have all our children here today. The fact that you still want to be with us is amazing and wonderful.’

  ‘Not only do we want to come but we’ve brought extras,’ Lainey said. ‘We’re the lucky ones, Dad.’

  Maggie and Sadie had snuck off into the kitchen together and now reappeared with the pudding. ‘Jay and Scott are in charge of setting it alight,’ Maggie said.

  ‘Take it easy, guys. It’s Christmas, not Hallowe’en,’ Joey teased, as the brandy burst into purple flames.

  ‘You’re just jealous because you can’t move your arm,’ Lainey told him.

  ‘I’m so full but I’m going to stuff a massive helping of that down my gullet,’ Joey said. ‘It’s a good thing Sophia isn’t here.’

  ‘I agree,’ Skye whispered.

  They spent the evening playing Twister, then Buckaroo, which Holly claimed was going to give her heart failure if they didn’t stop. ‘I know it’s meant to be fun, but when that plastic horse bucks the things off, it frightens the living daylights out of me. Not to mention the fact that he looks like a hinny.’

  ‘A what?’ Lainey asked.

  ‘A hinny is the offspring of a stallion and donkey,’ Holly explained.

  By ten o’clock Jacob said he’d better take Cynthia home. Reluctantly they pulled on their coats for the trek across the field in the snow.

  ‘I could drive us in the tractor,’ Scott offered. ‘But I might take out the fence and the hen-house on the way. I’m a bit pissed.’

  ‘The air will do us good,’ Matt assured him.

  The family waved them off, then went back into the house. Lainey hovered at the door, praying Matt would turn around. He did better than that: he ran back and kissed her. ‘Merry Christmas, Lainey. Can I call over to see you tomorrow?’

  ‘I’d love that.’

  She found everyone in the kitchen putting the last of the glasses into the dishwasher.

  ‘I’m going to stay in the spare room,’ Sadie said. ‘I’ll see you all in the morning.’

  Before she could move, though, Joey wheeled himself in and made an announcement: ‘The money I get from this accident is going towards keeping Huntersbrook House in the family. My accident has made me realise that nothing is more important than having people who really care,’ he said. ‘I know this place is only bricks and mortar and we’d all make any place a home, given time, but we love Huntersbrook, and I know I won’t be wasting my money by holding on to it.’

  ‘Let’s talk about this another time,’ Holly said.

  ‘We can and will,’ Joey answered. ‘But none of us wants this place to go so we’ll work it out together. If the email I received the other day, with the estimated figure of what I stand to gain in compensation, is anything to go by, Huntersbrook House will stay in the Craig family for many years to come.’

  ‘I’ll go for that,’ Lainey said. ‘I could sell my apartment and put some money into the place too.’

  ‘I haven’t a bean but I’ll gladly do all I can to help,’ Pippa added.

  ‘Let’s discuss it over the next few days,’ Paddy conceded. ‘And now it’s bedtime for us old fogeys at least,’ he said, and put his arm around Holly.

  ‘Night, everyone,’ Holly said, as they moved en masse towards the stairs.

  ‘Night, Skye, merry Christmas,’ Joey said, hovering momentarily at his bedroom door.

  Pippa picked up on his words from halfway up the stairs. ‘Goodnight, Mary Ellen, goodnight, Jim-Bob,’ she said, amid giggles.

  ‘Shut up, Pippa, you hinny,’ he shouted.

  ‘I heard that!’ Holly yelled, from the top of the house.

  ‘Will you be able to manage?’ Skye asked, as Joey manoeuvred his wheelchair through the door. ‘I can help if you like.’

  ‘I’d love that.’

  They went in together and closed the door. When they kissed, Joey felt happier than he had for a long time.

  On the top
floor Holly and Paddy clung together as they mulled over the events of the day.

  ‘That was the best Christmas ever,’ she said, yawning.

  ‘You say that every year. This time, though, I have to agree. We’re blessed with the people we have in our lives.’

  ‘I’m sorry I’ve been so awful lately,’ Holly said. ‘I’ve been terrified that everything we hold dear would go along with the house.’

  ‘No matter where we end up, we’ve created a strong team, you and I.’

  ‘I know that now.’ Holly pulled him closer.

  On the next floor down Lainey skipped around her bedroom reliving the kiss she and Matt had shared as they said goodnight on the doorstep.

  There was a knock on her door. ‘Can I come in?’ Jules asked.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘I was watching you today with Matt. You’re smitten, aren’t you?’ Jules grinned.

  ‘Was it that obvious?’ Lainey was blushing.

  ‘Maybe not, but I could tell …’

  Pippa and Jay were planning their holiday.

  ‘I can’t believe we’re going to the Seychelles,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll have to start a holiday clothing page on my website.’

  Epilogue

  St Stephen’s Day dawned silently, and fresh snow blanketed the landscape.

  ‘It looks like the largest Christmas cake in the world out there,’ Holly said, propping her elbows on the windowsill. ‘There won’t be a hunt today. It’d be far too dangerous.’

  ‘That mightn’t be a bad thing,’ Paddy said, stretching. ‘We can relax and eat more!’

  ‘You’re a good man, Paddy, do you know that?’ Holly turned to face him.

  ‘If you say so. What brought that on?’

  ‘You always look for the positive side of things. You try to bring the best out of every situation,’ Holly mused. ‘Even after Lainey was born and I had that awful post-natal depression you just stayed by my side.’

  ‘Of course I did,’ he said simply. ‘I love you. Always have. Always will.’