A Merry Little Christmas

by Julia Williams

  ‘Oh well,’ said Cat. ‘I’m sure it will be fine.’

  ‘That’s what I keep telling myself,’ grinned Marianne.

  ‘What’s on the agenda this morning?’ said Noel, waking up with a yawn. He and Cat had sat up into the early hours dancing to Dire Straits and drinking far too much red wine. Cat could feel her head pounding. Oh God, to be twenty again and be able to get away with it.

  ‘Nothing, I don’t think. Ruby’s got a party at three, but apart from that we’re free agents.’

  ‘Good,’ said Noel, ‘I’ll go and get the Christmas tree.’

  ‘About time too,’ said Cat, ‘I thought we were getting it last weekend.’

  ‘Yeah, well you dragged me off to the hell that is Christmas shopping in Birmingham, remember,’ said Noel. ‘Besides, you know I like putting up the Christmas tree the week before.’

  Cat laughed, and rolled over to go back to sleep for a bit. Oh the joy of having older children and the possibility of lie ins.

  ‘Mum, Mum, Molly says she’s going to see Santa tonight,’ Ruby burst into their room in typically enthusiastic fashion.

  ‘Oh, where’s that then?’ said Cat, thinking, bang goes my lie in. Ruby’s enthusiastic outbursts left little room for relaxation. Once she’d gone out of the room, Cat would be so thoroughly woken up that she would have no chance of going back to sleep.

  ‘At her house. SANTA WROTE HER A LETTER FROM HIS WEBSITE. Can you believe it?’ Ruby was astounded. ‘Why hasn’t he written me a letter?’

  ‘No! That’s truly unbelievable,’ Cat agreed. ‘What did the letter say?’

  ‘It said to look out for him at midnight tonight, because he will be doing the rounds pre-Christmas and if she’s really really good, he’ll land on her roof.’

  ‘Is that so?’ said Cat. ‘And has she been really really good?’

  ‘Well. No,’ said Ruby. ‘That’s what’s strange. She’s drowned her brother’s goldfish, she left her good school shoes out in the rain and her bedroom is really untidy. She couldn’t have been more naughty.’

  ‘Funny that,’ said Cat glancing at Noel and trying to suppress a grin. ‘Perhaps Santa’s going to give her a week to make amends. LUCKILY, you haven’t been such a naughty girl, so Santa will be coming to see you next week.’

  ‘Oh, that’s it,’ said Ruby. ‘Can I ring Molly back?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Cat, collapsing into giggles as Ruby skipped out. ‘I take my hat off to Molly’s mum. That is a really really good invention.’

  Now thoroughly wide awake, she got up and went downstairs to make tea and toast, and think about tackling the decorations, which she’d got down from the attic the night before. Feeling a trifle weak, she let Paige and Ruby take over, and soon the house was looking wonkily festive.

  ‘Right, who’s coming to get the tree?’ Noel appeared dressed in all-weather gear.

  ‘We live in Shropshire, not the Arctic,’ said Cat. ‘I don’t think it’s even meant to snow today.’

  ‘Best be prepared,’ said Noel.

  Mel had wandered in, looking bored and restless. She was getting really big now. Noel left with the other three, leaving Cat on her own with Mel.

  ‘How are you feeling today?’ said Cat. ‘Any more Braxton Hicks?’

  It was a bit early – Mel had still over six weeks to go, but she had been complaining of quite strong contractions.

  ‘I’m fine,’ snapped Mel.

  ‘I only asked,’ protested Cat. ‘If it gets any worse, I really think we should ring the hospital.’

  ‘Mum, I have six weeks to go,’ said Mel. ‘Nothing is going to happen.’

  ‘I have done this myself, you know,’ said Cat. ‘And one thing I’ve learnt from having four babies is that nothing about childbirth is predictable. Ever.’

  Mel rolled her eyes, and made to leave the room, but Cat stopped her.

  ‘Look, maybe this isn’t the right time to talk about it, but Dad and I have been talking. You really don’t have to give the baby up. We’ll look after it for you, of course we will. We’d love to, and you can go on to uni and do all the things you want to. Please think about it.’

  ‘Oh for fuck’s sake,’ said Mel. ‘I don’t expect you to do the sackcloths and ashes routine. This is my screw-up, and I don’t want this baby. So whatever you say, I’m giving it up for adoption.’

  ‘Mel,’ pleaded Cat, ‘please think about this.’

  ‘I’ve thought about nothing else for the last six months,’ said Mel. ‘If you don’t stop going on at me I’m going to go and have the bloody thing in a gutter and give it away without you knowing anything about it.’

  ‘Mel,’ said Cat, ‘don’t be silly.’

  But Mel had got herself all worked up. ‘I’ve had enough. I’m leaving right now.’ And with that, she got up and walked out of the house.

  ‘Mel!’ said Cat, but there was no reply. Just a door slammed in her face and the familiar feeling of failure.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  ‘Hi, Karen, this is Mel’s mum, is she with you? She’s not? Right. Have you any idea where she might be? Okay, thanks.’ Cat put the phone down and said to Noel, ‘She’s not with Karen, and Karen has no idea where she might be.’

  ‘And you’ve tried her mobile?’

  ‘Not picking up,’ said Cat. ‘She’s been gone for hours, and it’s getting dark. And the silly girl went out without a coat. I think we should go and look for her.’

  ‘Where?’ said Noel.

  That was the problem of course, where to start.

  Cat’s phone rang.

  ‘Karen? Has Mel been in touch?’

  ‘No,’ said Karen, ‘but I’ve just remembered, she’s been really upset about Andy recently, and I know she’s tried to meet him in the hay barn in the farm where he works, but he won’t see her.’

  ‘Do you know which farm?’

  ‘No, sorry.’

  ‘Now what do we do?’ said Cat putting the phone down.

  ‘Didn’t Marianne mention Andy works for Dan and Pippa?’ Noel said.

  ‘Of course,’ said Cat, ‘I can’t believe I can have forgotten that. Come on, Noel, let’s get over there.’

  ‘Do you think we should ring first?’ said Noel.

  ‘Pippa’s got enough on her plate,’ said Cat. ‘We’ll just go over, look for Mel and come home.’

  The temperature had really plummeted in the afternoon, so Cat decided to bring blankets and a couple of fleeces. She was glad she had done, because there was a fierce wind blowing by the time they got up to Pippa’s. The farmhouse was in darkness when they arrived.

  ‘Pippa must still be at the hospital,’ said Cat. ‘Come on, let’s go round the back.’

  They entered the farmyard, feeling like thieves. A security light flared on and they heard barking from one of the dogs.

  ‘Mel, are you there?’ Cat called, feeling a little foolish.

  ‘Which one’s the hay barn?’ said Noel. ‘There are so many buildings here.’

  ‘Not this one,’ said Cat, opening a door and hearing loud lowing. ‘I think we’ve just found Pippa’s cows.’

  They explored all the buildings in the courtyard to no avail, and as they approached the one in the farthest corner, they heard a muffled moan.

  ‘Mel!’ Cat ran over to the barn door, pulled it open, and shone the torch she’d brought inside.

  ‘Mum!’ a pale and frightened looking Mel was leaning against a haystack, her face betraying her considerable discomfort. ‘My waters have broken. I think I’m in labour.’

  Shit. The baby was six weeks early.

  Cat got her mobile to ring 999. Damn. No signal.

  ‘Noel, can you get a signal on your phone?’ said Cat. ‘We need to call an ambulance.’

  ‘What? You’re joking,’ said Noel.

  ‘No, I’m not,’ said Cat. ‘Mel’s in labour. We need an ambulance fast.’

  ‘Shit,’ said Noel. ‘I can’t get a signal.’

  ‘Neither can
I,’ said Mel weakly. ‘I tried to call you.’

  She let out an ear-piercing shriek and Cat held her tightly.

  ‘Come on sweetheart, try and breathe through it,’ she said.

  The contraction subsided and Mel leant against her mother in relief.

  ‘Noel, go back to the lane and get the car,’ said Cat. ‘We’ll have to take her to hospital ourselves.’

  There was another bloodcurdling scream from Mel.

  ‘Blimey, did I make that much noise when I was in labour?’ said Cat.

  ‘You certainly did,’ said Noel. ‘Right, I’ll go and get the car.’

  ‘Too late,’ croaked Mel, ‘I can’t move. I think the baby’s coming.’

  Shit, shit, shit. Cat took a deep breath, ‘Well then,’ she said cheerfully, ‘I’ll have to deliver it, won’t I? Noel, go and get help.’

  Noel raced off, and Cat tried to get Mel more comfortable. She was shivering and clearly in a lot of pain. Thank God she’d brought warm clothes and a blanket.

  ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘see if we can hold that baby off for a while.’

  Another shriek from Mel made her realise that wasn’t an option, so she swiftly arranged things, so that Mel was at least not lying in straw.

  ‘Come on, Mel, pull your trousers off,’ she said, ‘otherwise the baby’s going nowhere.’

  ‘Mum!’ shrieked Mel. ‘This is so embarrassing.’

  ‘Welcome to the world of childbirth,’ said Cat. ‘Now come on. Squat down, you may find it helps, and lean on me hard when the next contraction comes.’

  With a supreme effort, Mel shouted, ‘I can feel it coming, I want to push, noooow!’

  ‘Bloody hell, Mel,’ said Cat, ‘I think they can hear you on the other side of Hope Christmas. Come on, you’re doing brilliantly.’

  Mel smiled weakly, and Cat said with sudden excitement, ‘I can see the head. One more push and you’ve done it.’

  Mel let out another deafening scream, and with that, Cat’s new grandchild shot into her waiting hands.

  ‘Oh Mel,’ Cat said, tears streaming down her face. ‘You’ve got a beautiful baby girl.’

  Tenderly she wrapped the baby in her coat, and passed her to Mel, who was also crying. ‘Oh Mum, I’m so sorry for everything.’

  ‘Nothing to be sorry about,’ said Cat, who was crying too. ‘Look at her, she’s perfect. I’ve been a rubbish mum. I’m sorry I wasn’t as supportive as I should have been.’

  ‘I have been a bit of a cow,’ said Mel.

  ‘Yes, you have,’ said Cat. ‘But it’s all right now. Everything’s all right now. What are you going to call her?’

  Mel smiled through her tears. ‘Louise,’ she said. ‘What else?’

  ‘Bloody hell, what’s going on?’ Pippa and Dan drove back into the farmyard with Lucy and the boys to see the floodlights blazing, two ambulances, and Mel Tinsall being escorted into one of them, while Cat, looking slightly stunned, was climbing into another, with a baby.

  ‘I’m so sorry about this,’ said Noel, coming over to them. ‘We didn’t have time to tell anyone, but Cat’s just delivered Mel’s baby in your barn.’

  ‘Crikey,’ said Pippa. ‘Is everything all right?’

  ‘I think so,’ said Noel, as they watched the ambulances depart. ‘I’m just off to the hospital now. Is Lucy okay?’

  ‘Much better, thanks,’ said Pippa. ‘Congratulations.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Noel, ‘I feel a bit punch drunk actually. I can’t quite take it in. I’m a granddad. Blimey.’

  ‘Do you want to come in?’ said Dan. ‘Have a drink on us?’

  ‘No, it’s okay,’ said Noel, ‘I’d better get off.’

  Dan and Pippa watched him go, and then got the children into the house.

  Lucy was still tired, so they put her to bed, and then Pippa cooked tea for them all while Dan sat in the lounge watching footie with the boys. It felt restful and normal, and though Dan had said nothing to her in the hospital, she began to hope that maybe he was going to change his mind, and they could start all over again, particularly when they sat round the dinner table, bickering and joking as if nothing had changed. And yet, so much had …

  But when they’d chased the boys off to bed, Dan got up to go.

  ‘Oh,’ said Pippa. ‘I thought you might want to stay.’

  ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ said Dan.

  Suddenly, Pippa knew what was coming, but still she couldn’t help herself from saying, ‘Don’t you? You’re here, with us. Where you belong.’

  ‘But that’s it,’ said Dan. ‘I’m sorry. What I said to you last time was unforgiveable. I know it wasn’t your fault that the programme made out that Lucy was the cause of us splitting up. But the trouble is, I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I was six months ago. I’m not sure I’m ever going to be the same again.’

  ‘But that’s okay,’ said Pippa. ‘We all have to adapt to you being different. Come on, we can get through this.’

  ‘Oh Pippa, my lovely gorgeous optimistic Pippa.’ Dan held her tightly and stroked her hair. ‘I want to, more than anything but at the moment I don’t think I can. I don’t feel I belong here anymore. Everything’s changed too much, and I don’t think we can ever go back to the way we were.’

  ‘Dan, please don’t say that,’ said Pippa, tears running down her cheeks. ‘We can work it out.’

  ‘No, sweetheart, this time I’m not sure we can,’ said Dan. ‘I’ll continue to support you in every way, and I’ll always be there for the boys and Lucy, but I think it’s over. I’m sorry.’

  He kissed her on the top of her head, and sadly picked up his coat and got up to go. Pippa didn’t stop him. What was the point? Besides, in her heart she knew he was right. They’d both spent the last six months fighting it, but something had died the day of the accident, and now she had to acknowledge Dan was right. It looked as though her marriage was over for good.

  She watched him drive out of the farmyard for the last time, and felt her heart break in two. It was over. Dan had left her, and life was never going to be the same.

  ‘Oh Pippa, I’m so sorry,’ said Marianne, giving Pippa a hug as she walked into the barn in the grounds of Hopesay Manor, where this year’s nativity was going to be held. ‘I’m really glad I asked you for Christmas now.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Pippa. ‘But even though my heart is breaking, weirdly I think it’s probably the right thing. That bloody accident changed everything. I’m not sure we could ever go back to being the way we were.’

  ‘What’s Dan going to do?’ said Marianne.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Pippa. ‘Stay with his parents for now, and then we need to think about the farm. I just want to get Christmas out of the way. And think about the future in January.’

  ‘Are you going to be okay?’ said Marianne.

  ‘You know me,’ said Pippa, ‘I’m always okay, and I intend to make this Christmas as special as I can for the kids. Now, come on, what do you need me to do?’

  ‘Pippa, you never cease to amaze me,’ said Marianne. ‘If you could help sort out the costumes, that would be fantastic. I’ve got to ring bloody Danielle Patterson. Ruth hasn’t turned up.’

  The next hour was spent in a flurry of activity, going over lines, making sure everyone knew what to do when, trying Danielle Patterson’s number for the millionth time, Marianne eventually got through to her.

  ‘Oh, sorry,’ said Danielle, ‘Ruth got invited to a party tonight, and can’t make it. Didn’t I say?’

  ‘No, you didn’t,’ said Marianne between gritted teeth. She turned her phone off and said, ‘Bugger, bugger, bugger! Now what are we going to do? We haven’t got a Mary.’

  Ruby put her hand up shyly.

  ‘Please Mrs North,’ she said, ‘I’ve learnt all Mary’s lines. Could I do it?’

  Marianne hugged her. ‘Of course you can, Ruby. Go on, quickly get changed out of your shepherd’s costume and get ready to be Mary.’

  As the
crowds started to file in, she saw Cat, Noel, and the rest of the family come in, with Mel proudly showing off the baby, which gave Marianne a sudden idea …

  The lights went out, and Steven walked to the front, looking nervous but assured as he sang the first few lines of The Angel Gabriel, before the lights came up on the cast in tableau around a kneeling Ruby, looking up at Toby Davies dressed as Gabriel.

  This year, Marianne had opted to tell the story as simply as possible, and to give it a contemporary feeling, chosen to depict Mary and Joseph as illegal immigrants. Much of the action took place silently, with a background of music and carols propelling the story on. She had managed to get her donkey in, and Michael had produced a couple of calves, so the scene when Mary and Joseph arrived at the inn, with Mary on the donkey, felt wonderfully authentic. Although Marianne was hoping against hope that none of the animals would disgrace themselves.

  Joseph helped Mary off the donkey, and they settled down in the hay as the rest of the cast sang Mary’s Boy Child.

  The narrator read, ‘And so Mary had her baby, and laid him in swaddling clothes and put him in a manger.’

  With the pièce de résistance, Marianne smiled at Mel, as she swiftly passed Louise to her little sister. Ruby held her new niece in her arms, and carefully put her in the crib. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as thirty pure little voices piped up with Away in a Manger.

  The shepherds and wise men duly came and adored the baby, but Marianne felt she would never top that moment.

  ‘That was wonderful,’ an emotional Cat flung her arms round Marianne at the end. ‘Thank you so much.’

  ‘My pleasure,’ said Marianne. ‘Thanks Mel, for letting us have your baby for five minutes. She is absolutely beautiful.’

  ‘Thank you, Marianne,’ said Mel shyly, holding the baby as if she’d been doing it forever.

  ‘What are you going to do about school?’ said Marianne.