by Kitty Wilson
Looking up, she followed his gaze to see his mother, a man she assumed was his father and Nisha, Hema and Anuja lined up along the side of the road next to her own family.
‘Oh, that’s lovely. Did you not know they were coming?’
‘No, no I didn’t. They didn’t say a word.’
And although Kam didn’t look overjoyed to have his family descend, Pippa couldn’t help but think their families looked pretty good together.
Chapter Forty-seven
Kam was exhausted. He had never realised walking through a small village wearing a tail and carrying a giant fork would be so draining. Now he was scooting about the field trying to find his parents and sisters. He’d catch a glimpse of them and then, poof, they would disappear again. It was as if they and Pippa’s family were playing a game of hide and seek and chase all rolled into one without letting him know he was It.
Besides which, since when had his mum and Pippa’s mum become such good friends? That in itself was odd. Surely there was only a limited amount of bonding one could do over a cake stall.
Eventually he tracked them down in one of the marquees at the end of the field which was serving cream teas, and his father – always fond of his mum’s sweet treats – looked pretty happy as he rammed a scone topped with jam and a mountainous looking pile of clotted cream into his mouth.
‘Hello, boy, these are good. I can see why Cornwall holds some appeal.’
‘Ah it’s more than a bit of clotted cream that’s keeping Kam here,’ teased Hema who was instantly rewarded with an evil look, the like of which only an older brother can deliver.
‘It’s great to see you, a huge surprise. How long are you here for?’ Kam was surprised with how genuine he sounded. They were actually really messing with his plans.
‘Just until Saturday night. We wanted to come and see the carnival. Jan told us how much work you and Pippa have put into it, so we couldn’t miss that. We’ll stay for the It’s-a-Knockout tournament and the fireworks and then Dad is going to drive us home.’
‘That seems silly. Why don’t you stay an extra night and head back on the Sunday?’
‘No, no, no! This is what we will do, but you are a good boy for asking. Anyway, talking of Pippa…’ Kam hadn’t realised they had been although it was a subject he could happily chat about for hours, much to Ben’s annoyance. ‘Where is that darling girl?’
‘Um, I think she has just dashed off to check on a friend.’ It felt odd calling Marion a friend but it was easier than explaining any further. He felt bad for not going with her but Pippa had insisted he went to find his family and that she would be fine checking in on Marion by herself.
The ice that had seemed to build up between him and Pippa over the last few weeks seemed to be thawing again, and he was pleased about it. It had knocked him for six when she hadn’t mentioned his letter at all over the last half term, such behaviour seeming so out of character. She was normally a woman who dealt with things head on and he appreciated that about her. Coy was not a quality he ever thought he could ascribe to Pippa, but then he supposed one lived and learnt. He was hoping that now the thaw had begun they may be able to get their friendship back on track. His feelings may be unrequited but he still missed her company, her easy-going friendship and the silly midnight texting.
He was hoping that, over the course of the next few days, when they would be sort of socialising together without the responsibilities of being at work hanging over their heads, and maybe with a little help from Roger’s famed hooch, they may be able to rekindle the friendship and get things back to where they were before they had slept together. He’d just have to try not to look all puppy dog eyes at her and not to mind too much when she did eventually meet someone she wanted a relationship with. Although no matter how noble he wanted to be about it, there was still a real sting when he considered that possibility.
As much as he loved his family, he hoped they weren’t going to throw a spanner in the works, and scare Pippa off even more than she was already. The fact that his mother and sisters clearly adored her would have been great if she cared about him as much as he did her, but now that the situation had changed it could be added pressure that they did not need. Argghhh!
Chapter Forty-eight
The big day had arrived and as Pippa walked to her mum’s house she was really beginning to doubt the wisdom of what she had agreed to. Doubting the wisdom was a bit of an understatement: she was absolutely terrified. Her feet were so cold they were practically ice-blocks. Somehow, in a matter of a few days, the whole village had got involved and what had seemed like a wild, impractical and unworkable plan now was actually happening. And she was the one in the middle of it, forced to do embarrassing stuff that would no doubt be giggled about for years.
It was no secret that Pippa wasn’t easily embarrassed and was pretty game for most things, but this… this was off the scale. She recognised that doing embarrassing stuff meant that Kam would understand how deeply she felt, and she didn’t mind doing it for that very reason. She did mind, however, the fact that now she felt pressured into acting the twit because the whole village were expecting it.
Even Rosy had taken the time to let her know that she thought it a sweet idea and that her initial reservations, only caused by professional concerns, were put to one side as time had shown how perfectly matched Pippa and Kam were.
It seemed that the only person who wasn’t involved was Marion and that was because she was absent. When Pippa had called at her house after the carnival, she had been met with silence. No lights were on and no sounds were heard. She began to worry even more than she had. Marion would never schedule time away from Feast Week unless it was an emergency and, as the end of term approached, the woman had been looking increasingly frazzled.
Pippa had knocked one last time, when Marion’s neighbour popped out and confided that Marion had hightailed it with both boys the minute term had ended, to head off to somewhere hot – Morocco, the neighbour thought – and to stay with an old university friend.
She had also confided that Richard had not appeared to be accompanying them.
With nothing else for Pippa to do, she had returned back to the field and giggled and gossiped with Kam’s sisters until the evening was well and truly over. In snatched bits of conversation, held whenever they sent Kam off to fetch something for them, a drink, popcorn, candy floss etc., Pippa had managed to glean that Jan had been in touch with Kam’s mum regularly since they had last visited, and the two of them had been concocting a slowly-slowly plan to get their children together romantically. With things not moving as quickly as they had hoped and with Jan letting Geeta know about the Feast Week plan, they had resolved to come down and see how things unfolded.
Geeta had also wanted her husband to see how Kam was a respected member of the local community and that leaving the family business wasn’t the most heinous crime imagined, that their son had focus, purpose and respect, although Dev took some persuading that a scaly tail and long coloured hair was the way to do it.
Although it was comic to watch Kam with his parents (both seemed determined to quick fire questions at him without waiting for answers), she could see Kam was getting a bit stressed. Having his family here may not have been part of his plan, but it meant that Pippa got to spend more time with Nisha, Hema and Anuja, which meant a lot of cackling. Later, when Polly had deigned to join them, looking like she perhaps shouldn’t have been let loose in the cider tent with her friends, Pippa had invited all three of them to become more involved in the crazy plan that had been hatched. It would appear that whilst some women spend their lives yearning to be bridesmaids or astronauts, Nisha, Hema and Anuja had always wanted to be the Middlesbrough version of Destiny’s Child, which worked out rather well.
Now the day itself had dawned. Pippa let herself into her mum’s house, her yellow spandex workout gear in a bag as instructed. She couldn’t believe she was going ahead with this, or that she had been the one stupid enough to sugge
st it.
She opened the door and heard even more noise than usual pouring out from all the rooms. Polly was in the living room with Nisha, Hema and Anuja practising a dance routine. Tatters was also taking part and showing great dance potential, skittering about like a gazelle. The kitchen was a-whirr with the sound of Jan’s sewing machine and the ever-present smell of baking biscuits.
‘Alright, Mum?’ Pippa leant down and popped a kiss on the top of her mum’s head as she whirred her way at speed through a swathe of red material.
‘Yep, good to see, you love. Now, you did bring that yellow thing, the old workout thing of mine you seem so fond of, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, it’s in this bag here. How are they doing?’ She jerked her head towards the living room door and the sounds of giggling and music.
‘Yep, all seems under control. They’re certainly quick learners. Polly is pretty impressed. They’ve been here for ages, but I think they’ve got it down pat now. I’ve just whisked some biscuits in the oven for them. Now, more importantly, I found a solution to cutting up that old yellow thing. When we discussed it, I could see on your face that you really, really didn’t want to.’
‘Not really, it’s irreplaceable. I know you think it should have seen the bin some time ago, but I love it. I don’t know how or when or from where we could get another one… but I guess I was prepared to sacrifice it in the name of love. Oh shit, not love. Don’t get excited, not love. Um… in the name of romance and potential, then I was prepared to let you hack at it with scissors, although I would have probably just had to wait in the other room so not to witness the act of carnage myself.’
‘Well, no hacking required any more. Look, if you pop it on then I can just slide this over the top.’ Jan pulled the red fabric from her machine and Pippa saw that her mum had made some kind of coloured sleeve, and that piled next to her were more bits of something fashioned out of the red fabric. ‘What are you waiting for, spit spot, chip chop!’
As Pippa came back into the room, once again top to toe in yellow, she reflected that this outfit had had more outings this summer than it had over the past twenty odd years combined! Her mother whirled around her with superhero swiftness, leaving speed trails behind her as she moved, the air punctuated only by the odd ‘Uuch!’ from Pippa as pins accidentally pricked her. Taking a deep breath, Jan eventually stood back and admired her handiwork.
‘Do you know what? It looks fab. I think we’ve cracked it. I know it’s not good to be proud of one’s own handwork, but you know what, love? Your mum is a flipping genius.’
‘Hold on, don’t let her look yet. I found it. I found it!’ Pete ran into the kitchen with a jester’s cap held aloft in his hands, also red and yellow complete with multiple fronds and jingling bells. ‘Now she can look.’ He plonked the cap on her head and pulled it down a little more roughly than was perhaps necessary. Then he too took a step back to admire his work, nodding with satisfaction and sharing we’ve-smashed-it looks with his mum.
‘Come on, then. Let’s get you in front of the mirror.’ They nudged her into the living room where there was a huge wooden-framed mirror hanging on the wall, surrounded by pictures of the Parkin family, giggling and growing up over the decades.
As Pippa, Pete and Jan entered the room, Polly stopped the music, and she and Kam’s three slightly sweaty sisters let out a little cheer and clapped.
‘Oh, you look great.’
‘I’m sooo happy. I can’t believe this is really happening,’ Hema added.
‘You’re not alone.’ Pippa quipped back.
What was she thinking?
There reflecting back at her, in bright red and yellow glory, she was dressed like a medieval fool for all the world to see. It had definitely made more sense when it was at the idea’s stage as she had chatted with Lynne and Lottie about how she felt like a fool. She took a deep breath, letting it ripple out slowly over her lip as she stared at herself. She supposed if nothing else, and if it all went horribly wrong, there would not be a single person who didn’t agree that she had given it her all.
Chapter Forty-nine
Kam wasn’t sure what was happening in the world but there was definitely something off kilter. His parents turning up without announcing themselves, whilst odd, could easily be explained: they were just convinced that whatever they did they were the parents so they would always be right. But the fact that his sisters just kept disappearing made no sense at all. One of the biggest joys in their lives was to gang up on him and make him do stupid stuff, but this time they were just – poof! – gone. And he didn’t know where. When he asked, they became coy and either his mother or father would jump in and change the subject. If he didn’t know them all so well, then he probably wouldn’t be worried, but he did know them. He knew them better than anyone else, and that was why he was concerned.
Ben had also been a bit weird, calling him last night to say that he’d definitely be coming to Penmenna’s Feast Week finale, the It’s-a-Knockout tournament and fireworks. Kam didn’t remember inviting him, and it was most out of character for Ben to put his hand in his pocket to cover the expenses of an additional member of staff, especially to come half way across the county to a village he didn’t really have any links to. It occurred to him his friend might still be trying to sleep with Nisha, but he had received such short shrift last time that Ben couldn’t possibly think he was still in with a chance.
There was very definitely something going on. And now, as he was walking to the school field where the competition would be held, dotted with marquees serving typically Cornish refreshments mainly based around cider and clotted cream (Cornwall clearly hadn’t gotten to grips with clean eating yet), people were smiling at him. Penmenna had always been friendly, and it was impossible to walk down any street without people smiling and stopping to chat, but today they were not merely smiling but beaming and he wasn’t sure he liked it. It was a bit too much. He really hoped nothing had happened that would mean that he wouldn’t be working in the school next year. In a community like this everyone seemed to know what was happening before the people involved did.
As he entered the field through the big gate, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The cream teas and light refreshment marquee was still there and, standing on tiptoes, he saw that thankfully, the bar was as well. But between him and these two things was a giant obstacle course. There were huge inflatables and what appeared to be a water wall and a giant slip and slide.
‘Come on, come on.’ His mum bustled him in, not willing to wait for him to take in all the sights and sounds, but nudging him in the opposite direction to the bar. Not what he had planned.
At one end of the field there was a small wooden stage, and he saw Mickey from the pub, a couple of teenagers and a man in early mediaeval dress tuning guitars and checking amps. There was a drum kit currently unmanned, and Mickey’s friend, Andrew, was standing on the edge of the little stage, banging a tambourine against his legs, his eyes closed as he concentrated on counting. Ethel was there with him, in a lace blouse that Kam expected Pippa would have given her eye teeth for, a musical case of some sort down by the side of her with Flynn sat guarding it as she counted with Andrew, bringing her arm down with force on every number. Kam’s curiosity was piqued; this looked like it could be quite entertaining.
He scanned the field looking for Pippa or her family, or indeed his own mysteriously vanished sisters. He couldn’t see anyone, although there was a shape frantically scurrying around the back of the refreshments tent that looked like it could be the silhouette of Pippa’s brother, Pete.
‘Mum, could you stop pushing me quite so forcefully. I’d like to look around, maybe go and grab a beer before all the fun starts.’
‘I need to get you in pla—’
‘Let him go get a drink, Geeta. He might well need it.’ It was most unusual for his father to be the voice of reason.
Whilst neither thing either parent had said made much sense to him, at least now his m
other was pulling on him, rather than pushing, and in the correct direction.
He saw Lottie scurry past and he called out to her.
‘Hi, Kam,’ she waved, waved and grinned far too much for it to be normal. ‘See you in a bit. I’m just helping the teams get ready. It’s gonna blow your mind!’
‘They have four teams of four…’ His dad launched into an explanation of how the tournament would proceed and Kam didn’t have the heart to tell him that he knew. He had been over it with Pippa, who always swore that this was the second best part of Feast Week after the Sea Shanties. ‘…and then when those first four teams have completed to the course, it’s opened up to the rest of the public and everyone can have a turn.’
‘So, let me get this straight, the first four teams sort of demonstrate how to follow the course,’ Geeta stated as if talking to a small child.
‘Yes, indeed.’ His father replied.
‘And this year the teams are the Parkin family representing their garage, a team from the local church, a team from the TV—’
‘I think it’s the guy from Green-Fingered and Gorgeous and a couple of his friends, one of which used to be on the news.’
‘Oh okay, and then the final team represent the Young Farmers, is that right?’
If it wasn’t so frustrating, this exchange between his parents would be mildly amusing. Did they think he didn’t know how this worked? They suddenly seemed to be founts of local knowledge despite living over four hundred miles away and his father not having visited Cornwall since a family holiday over ten years ago. They were certainly determined to make sure he understood It’s-a-Knockout though. A half smile played on his lips as he heard them out. Ben suddenly appeared from nowhere and, with a smirk, handed Kam a drink. His parents apparently having no time for niceties merely bowed their heads at his friend before continuing their lecture.
