The Gift of Cockleberry Bay

by Nicola May

  ‘Oh dear,’ Rosa mustered, trying to keep a straight face. ‘How terrible for you.’

  The disgruntled forty-something drained her coffee and grumbled, ‘I’d better get back on the dating sites, I suppose.’ As she got up and pushed her chair back, she let out a noisy fart. ‘Oopsee,’ she said, showing no sign of embarrassment. ‘One of the perils of saving the planet.’ She reached for her bag. ‘See you later – Rosa, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes. Er, yes, see you soon, V…I mean, Bergamot.’

  Sara, who had been listening in, was doubled up with laughter when Rosa reached the counter and put Vegan Vera’s measly 20p tip into the ceramic burlesque dancer money box that held a sign saying Nice Tips.

  ‘I wonder if they ever have a firm stool?’ Sara remarked.

  ‘What? Who?’ Rosa began to unload one of the dishwashers.

  ‘Vegans,’ Sara whispered, although the café was empty now, also causing Rosa to laugh out loud.

  Then she tried to be serious. ‘All things aside, I do think we need to start offering a couple more vegan options. And well done on the different milks. I tried the oat one and it tastes OK – in porridge, anyway.’

  ‘Yes. I thought I’d make a start after what we discussed previously. We are a tourist industry, after all, and the customer is always right.’

  ‘Does that include Vegan Vera? No, definitely not. I wonder what dating site she’ll be looking at,’ Rosa mused.

  ‘Gold-diggers dot com, I should imagine,’ Sara said and they high-fived.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ Titch manoeuvred the baby stroller towards the counter. ‘Actually, I’ll tell you what’s not funny. A teething baby. “Oh coo, coo, look at his lovely toothy-pegs coming through,” says the childless chuffing stranger in the Co-op.’ Titch sighed. ‘There is nothing funny or lovely about a ruddy teething baby. I thought by now he would have a full set of gnashers, but no, still they keep popping through. He’ll have a set like that Rylan Clark-Neal at this rate.’ She pulled off her coat and went to sit at a window table.

  Sara made an oops-type face at Rosa. ‘Large black coffee coming up, girl.’

  Hot, who had been contentedly chewing a raggedy soft dog-toy, had got up and trotted over, and was now circling around the push-chair, sniffing and wagging his tiny tail. He didn’t bark, but eventually sat down, guarding the pram and its contents.

  Rosa went over, kissed her friend on the cheek and peered into the pram. ‘Oh look, he’s sleeping like a baby now.’

  ‘Ha bloody ha, Rose, yes, he is and probably will for the next two hours, so actually I’m not sure why I’ve not gone back to bed too. Oh yes, I’m starving, as I’ve been awake since bloody four a.m., that’s why. And I can’t get into the kitchen at the bungalow as Mum is fussing around in there. Can I have a bacon roll, please? With loads of butter and ketchup?’

  ‘You sound as if you need it, girl,’ Rosa told her.

  Titch then smiled. ‘That’s better – and breathe… I just needed to get that off my chest, Rose – sorry. Ritchie is on a double shift at the chip shop later today, so I’ve left him to lie in. The poor sod, he usually gets my morning rant.’

  ‘You must both be knackered from Theo’s first-birthday celebrations too. That was such a happy party you had at your mum’s. And that cake Ritchie made was lovely. He is such a keeper.’

  ‘I know. A whole year has gone by since my little treasure flew out of me on to the Corner Shop floor. It seems like five minutes ago, but also five years ago. So much has happened in that time. I can’t believe I am going to be Mrs Patricia Rogers soon. It’s madness.’

  Sara brought over Titch’s mug of black coffee and a tea for Rosa.

  ‘Are you sure you’re still OK to man the shop as planned?’ Rosa asked Titch. ‘I just need to sort some stuff with Sara this morning.’

  ‘Of course I am. Apart from needing to get out of the house, I’ve also come down to show you both a couple of,’ she hesitated, ‘er…things.’

  ‘OK, what’s that then?’

  Titch reached past the curious Hot and gently pulled a blanket back in the compartment under the stroller. There, curled up together and sleeping soundly in a compact carrying crate were the Duchess’s two little dachshund puppies.

  Rosa bit her lip. ‘But I thought–’

  ‘I thought, too, but when I went to tell Jacob I couldn’t have one of them, I fell so in love that I then couldn’t split them up, so now I have both of them. The two brothers.’

  ‘Will you be able to cope?’

  ‘You know me, Rose, I moan but I’m a doer, I can sort anything out. The puppies adore Mum too; her wheelchair is like an adventure playground and their favourite sleeping place is on her lap or tucked down the side of her. It’s put a big smile on her face, and she says she is more than happy to mind them and feed them when I’m working. Ritchie loves them too, and likes taking them for tiny walks around the block. Not too far, and he has to go slowly, but they absolutely love sniffing all the new smells. We have to keep them away from your mum’s cottage though, in case Merlin comes out and has them for breakfast.’

  Sara approached carrying a plate containing a delicious-smelling bacon roll. She said wistfully, ‘I now have puppy envy.’

  ‘I didn’t think to ask you if you wanted one,’ Rosa said, and bent down to stroke Hot and keep him from waking all three of the sleeping babies.

  ‘Not at the moment. But who knows, now we are living together – and if Brown doesn’t mind. Maybe that’s the next step for us. Alec and I both have matching walking jackets already.’

  ‘Aw.’ Rosa took a slurp of tea then turned to Titch. ‘Dare I ask if you have names for the puppies yet?’ She smiled inwardly, thinking if Jacob were here, he would be squeezing his buttocks tightly together in dreadful anticipation.

  ‘Well, as they were born during the storm, we were thinking maybe Banger and Flash – ooh, that’s a bit like Bangers and Mash.’ Titch couldn’t keep a straight face. ‘We then thought that maybe we should follow the Duchess and give them lengthy pedigree names too.’

  ‘Despite Hot being from unknown heritage though, of course,’ Rosa laughed.

  ‘And I know how much it will wind Jacob up.’ Titch took a huge bite of her bacon roll.

  ‘Remember they are stuck with these names forever, the poor little mites,’ Rosa warned her. Sara nodded in agreement as she motioned a group of three construction workers who had just walked in, to a window seat.

  ‘But then we thought, me and Ritch, that since we’re not pedigree or fancy ourselves, our furry offspring should not be given posh names.’ She pointed down to the pushchair and then made the noise of a fanfare while pretending to blow a fake trumpet. ‘I would like to introduce you to Mr Sav Eloy, and the tinier little cutie is Mr Chip Olata, Mr Chips for short. So, please meet Saveloy and Mr Chips. What do you reckon?’

  ‘I reckon that you should tell Jacob when he’s sitting down, but it’s bloody genius, and so apt, dear friend.’ Rosa stood up. Sara was shaking with laughter as she took the food order behind them. All the sudden commotion caused Theo to start crying and the puppies to poke their little heads up in their tiny carrying crate, much to Hot’s delight who started to bark loudly at his infants.

  Titch put her hand to her head. ‘It will all be OK,’ she reassured herself positively. ‘Here.’ She handed Rosa a fiver for her breakfast, which Rosa promptly gave back.

  ‘I’ll get that.’

  ‘Thanks, Rose. Could you just put the rest of that roll in a bag for me – and get Hot’s lead too. I will take them all to the shop now. I’ll get Theo fed and back to Mum, put the sausages out in your back yard for five minutes and then be a dutiful shop assistant from eight-thirty, as always.’ She took a huge noisy breath.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Rosa’s voice was caring as she gently stroked the puppies through the bars of their little carry crate.

  ‘The only thing I’m sure of, mate, is that I must be slightly crazy.’

  Ros
a was just helping Titch out of the café with her laden pushchair, when Nate appeared in the doorway.

  ‘Hey Rosa.’

  ‘Hi. What brings you down to our neck of the woods again?’

  ‘Your pretty face, of course.’

  ‘Hah, flattery will get you nowhere. I’m a married woman.’

  Nate grinned. ‘I’ve moved into a mate’s house, South Cliffs end.’ He pointed loosely up the beach. ‘I’m looking for some work actually, if you know of any?’

  ‘So, you’re not at Sea and Save any more then?’

  ‘Let’s get in the warm, shall we?’ Nate ushered Rosa inside and shut the door behind them. ‘So, do you know of any work?’

  ‘Nothing here now, but…’ For some reason Rosa was slightly captivated by this man. ‘I’ve been harping on about painting the front of the Corner Shop for ages. It needs doing properly as I just did it roughly when I moved in and I want it to be in the best condition when I pass it on. Painting is probably not your thing at all, but–’

  ‘No, no, that’s perfect,’ Nate said immediately, allowing Rosa to fully understand what the expression ‘biting your hand off’ meant. He was obviously desperate for a job. ‘I can start sanding it down tomorrow, if that suits.’ He paused. ‘I mean, it makes sense before any more bad weather comes in during the winter. And I’d really like to help you out, Rosa, especially after you helped with the gulls, for nothing and all that. Do you have paint?’

  ‘I do, actually, in the back shed, and Ritchie has got some ladders that will reach. I had budgeted just £250: is that OK?’

  ‘Cash?’

  ‘Yes, cash.’

  Nate kissed her on the cheek. ‘It’s a deal.’ He then added cheekily, ‘You couldn’t just sub me a tenner, could you, so I can get some breakfast?’ Then on seeing somebody about to open the café door, he darted to the toilet.

  ‘Rosa, just the lady.’ The friendly, ruddy face of Pete from Sea & Save lit up with a huge smile on seeing her. ‘We are done here now – bit proud of our efforts, though I say it myself. We saved at least one hundred birds, we did – all safe, well and back in their natural environments again.’

  He followed Rosa as she made her way back behind the counter.

  ‘That’s truly amazing. Well done you,’ she said. ‘What can I get you? On the house, obviously.’

  ‘That’s very kind, luvvie, but Anthea, that’s my wife, she’s in the car and it’s market day in Polhampton so I’m not going to stop. I just wondered if I could give you this for the counter.’ He held up a green plastic charity box with the now familiar Sea & Save logo on it. ‘We’re hoping that we could fill it quite quickly now the residents know how we’ve helped clean up their beach. Would you mind having it on your counter?’

  ‘No, of course not. And do you know what? I will put all my tips in there too from now on.’

  ‘And mine,’ Sara shouted through.

  ‘Aw, you’re a pair of lovely ladies, you are. There’s a number on the back if it gets full, but we usually come around and empty them every couple of months anyway. Right, better get out there before my beloved starts moaning.’

  As soon as the door shut behind Pete, Nate appeared from the toilet.

  ‘You were a long time,’ Rosa said.

  Nate made a face and rubbed his tummy. ‘Bit of an upset.’

  ‘Oh dear. Better make sure you’re not up the top of that ladder when you get caught short, won’t you?’ Laughing at her own wit, Rosa joined Sara in the kitchen.

  ‘Nice idea to do this for the charity,’ Sara said.

  ‘Yes. I’ve always supported the lifeboats, especially after they rescued me and Hot, but this is just as important.’ Rosa thought for a moment, then exclaimed, ‘That’s it! Genius!’

  ‘What is?’ Sara looked baffled.

  Rosa was completely animated. ‘This has just given me the best idea of how I can pass the shop on fairly and in a way that would have made great-grandfather Ned and great-grandmother Queenie proud. Yesss!’

  CHAPTER 16

  Rosa did a double-take at the front of her mother’s home as she walked up the hill towards the Lobster Pot: she had never seen Seaspray Cottage looking so colourful. Rosa had promised Jacob that she would take Ugly, Pongo and the Duchess on the beach this morning while he and Raff decorated the pub for Halloween.

  With so much going on with the café and the shop, preparing Halloween decorations and goodies for the half-term influx of visitors, she had surprised herself with how well she was coping despite Josh being away. She hadn’t even needed to go and see Alec for a counselling-type chat. Technology enabled her and Josh to message, talk and see each other every day, so she could feel his warmth through the screen. Sub-consciously heeding Mary’s suggestion that Josh should come back after the fireworks, Rosa had suggested to her husband that it made more sense and would save money if he just worked through and came back when the contract was over.

  Mary was dead right about Rosa not wanting to go to an airport and fly on her own for the very first time. It all seemed a bit daunting. Josh had, of course, totally understood and promised that in the New Year they would go on their much talked-about belated honeymoon to somewhere special, like the Maldives. Where, in his words, they could ‘endlessly fornicate in complete peace, quiet and paradise’. Rosa looked forward to that idea. With no Hot, shop, café or external forces to side-track them, it could be a time of blissful coitus.

  Hot pulled on his lead towards the direction of Mary’s front door. The woman opened it wearing her old green dressing gown, and yawning.

  ‘It’s not like you not to be up and dressed, Mother,’ Rosa said. ‘Are you all right?’

  Without saying a word, Mary beckoned them into the kitchen and put the kettle on. Merlin screeched and tore upstairs. Hot had the sense not to follow but to plonk himself down beside the fire, though not before sneakily hoovering up the little bit of wet cat food that was left in his arch enemy’s bowl. From the top of the stairs, Merlin heard the bowl rattling on the tiled kitchen floor and he hissed, his tail puffing up with outrage.

  ‘I’ve just got up, because I was up all night carving that pumpkin and decorating the window,’ Mary explained.

  ‘But it’s not Halloween for a week.’

  ‘I know, but I’m all set for trick-and-treating now, although the kids sometimes get a bit scared, as when they see my long black hair, they think I could be a witch.’ Mary fetched down two mugs. ‘I’m doing a tarot reading and maybe a séance at midnight on the actual night, if you fancy joining us? Colette from the shop is coming and Edie Rogers, so far.’

  ‘I’ll let you know. The boys are doing a special Halloween menu with live music, so I said, if they need me, I may help them clear up afterwards.’

  ‘OK, duck. Well, I expect they will be busy as the Ship probably isn’t doing anything special this year.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘Sheila’s got cancer. Quite aggressive, so Edie tells me. She still does her cleaning down there and you know how she loves to talk.’

  ‘Oh no. As much as no love is lost between us, that’s awful. I didn’t think Sheila looked very well when I saw her after the storm. Poor Luke.’

  ‘Yes, and Tom. That’s her other son. I don’t think you met him when you first came down.’

  ‘I remember her mentioning him.’

  ‘They moved up to Bristol, him and his wife Martha and their kids, a while back. He changed his job, I think.’

  ‘Luke hasn’t been down since last Christmas,’ Rosa stated.

  Mary put her left hand to her heart and placed her right index finger clumsily on Rosa’s lips. ‘Take care, child. For bonds that are woven in sadness are stronger than the ties of joy and pleasure.’

  ‘Mother!’ Rosa pushed Mary’s hand away.

  Mary quickly turned and started pouring boiling water on top of the tea bags. ‘You have got time for a drink, haven’t you, Rosa?’

  Hearing about Sheila made Rosa
suddenly aware that she was always just ‘popping in’ to her mum’s and never spending quality time with her. Especially as they still had so many lost years to catch up on. She pulled her phone out of her bag.

  ‘Yes, of course, I’d love a cuppa. I will text Jacob now to say I’ll be with him in an hour. What is Halloween all about, anyway? I’ve always just thought of it as a lot of commercial rubbish if I’m honest.’

  Mary looked horrified. ‘Let me tell you all about it.’ As Rosa settled back into her chair and took a sip of tea, her mother went on: ‘Today, yes, Halloween, is celebrated all around the world with sweets, costumes and trick-or-treaters, but all this began as a celebration for the dead to return to the living world and reconnect with their families.’

  ‘Oh, so that is the spooky connotation then?’

  ‘Well, if you want to look at talking to your loved ones as that, then I guess so, but having that gift, I see it as a beautiful thing.’ Putting some sugar into her tea, Mary sat comfortably at the kitchen table and went on, ‘Halloween is the night preceding All Hallows Day, which is November the first. This date has long been considered one of the most magical nights of the year – a night on which the “wall” that separates the living from the dead is at its thinnest.’

  ‘Wow, why didn’t I know this already? It all makes sense now with the ghosts and the ghouls.’ Rosa listened, entranced. ‘Go on.’

  ‘So, this night was usually a celebration of being in touch with the spiritual world and many would experience heightened sensitivity around this time.’

  ‘So, what does a carved pumpkin stand for then?’

  ‘Well, a folklore tale states that the jack-o-lantern was originally supposed to help lost souls find their way home. It got its name from an Irish folk tale about a prankster named Jack. Jack was a known troublemaker who was stuck between the world of the living and that of the dead. Legend states that Jack tricked the devil into the trunk of a tree by carving the image of a cross in the tree’s trunk. His mischievous ways denied him access to heaven – and the devil was so enraged by being tricked that Jack was also denied access to hell. So he remained a lost soul trapped between two worlds. In Ireland, people would carve turnips and pumpkins and place candles inside on All Hallows Eve to help guide Jack’s spirit back home.’