by Anne Bone
The rest of the evening was passed in a mood of fun and laughter. For Marty it was a delight in hearing and seeing Beth enjoying dressing the tree and helping put up the decorations which Molly brought out from the back of the hall cupboard. Marty had listened while Beth told him about the visit from Des and how she had made up her mind that somehow she was going to start a campaign to find her children. Although Marty had his doubts as to how she was going to do this, he did not voice them. It was just so great to see his lovely girl with a sparkle back in her eyes again.
When the tree was dressed and the small coloured lights were switched on, Beth sat on the settee beside Marty as they watched them glimmer and twinkle in the dark room. ‘This is the first Christmas tree I have ever had.’ She now hardly spoke about Cairn View, although tonight she felt like sharing some of her previous memories. She recounted how Christmas had not been celebrated in her childhood home. Oh, some years there was an attempt to mark the day, except that Fred was more partial to celebrating Hogmanay and New Year. The year when Stevie was in the house, she had managed to get hold of a few bits and pieces which she had wrapped up for him, but the house had remained as dismal as ever.
Now, as she sat on this sofa wrapped in the arms of the man she loved, gazing at the twinkling lights of this fir tree, in a house where for the first time in her life she felt safe and loved, she was able to thank whoever it was who watched over her for this. Never in her dreams could she have wished or expected this to have happened.
The following day was Christmas Eve and Marty was bracing himself for one of the busiest days of the year at the salon. He had to start work an hour earlier and although he was still due to finish at five that evening, he knew he would be working flat out trying to ensure that all of his customers were happy with their hairstyles over the holiday period.
He had left Beth in bed. She had seemed to sleep deeply last night and did not even notice when his alarm had rung out this morning. Molly dished up his porridge, thick enough to stick to his ribs, something which would give him the energy to sustain him for his long busy day. He and Molly were in cahoots and excited about the plans they had managed to hatch for Beth’s big surprise. They had been amazed that she appeared to still have no inkling of the plans that had been made. Marty was really excited and hoped that the Christmas he and Molly had planned for her would, in some small way, compensate for her many disappointments of not finding the children.
Molly could hardly contain herself during the rest of the day. She kept busy sending Beth down to the butchers to collect the piece of beef and the goose she had ordered from him. No sooner was Beth back from this errand than Molly packed her off on another; she seemed to spend the entire day up and down the road collecting and carrying messages. This gave Molly the opportunity to make up the bed in what had been Beth’s room and tidy to ensure that it was lovely and cosy and ready for the mystery guest.
Molly had planned a lovely supper for them and insisted that as it was Christmas the dining room was going to be used. Although there was central heating, the coal fire was lit in both of the unused front rooms, and what with the lovely smells which were permeating from the kitchen the house seemed different. Molly reflected it felt more like a family house again.
Beth knew that Marty was going to be later than usual tonight and was very busy helping Molly in the kitchen she did not hear him open the front door. He appeared in the kitchen holding his hand out, ‘Come on you, I want to give you your first Christmas present.’
She took his hand and he took her along the passageway towards the sitting room. ‘Now,’ he told her, ‘close your eyes.’ She did as she was bid and felt herself being guided into the sitting room. ‘Now you can open them.’
She could hardly believe her eyes. ‘Jason!’ she squealed and threw herself across the room where she and her younger brother hugged each other tightly. ’I don’t believe it,’ she said, ‘what on earth are you doing here?’
‘I’m here for Christmas,’ he told her, his face completely lit up with the joy of seeing his sister.
She turned, Molly and Marty were standing beside each other laughing and congratulating each other on how successfully their secret plan had been executed. ‘I think you two have some explaining to do,’ she laughingly told them. ‘But, however you managed it, thank you both from the bottom of my heart.’ She kissed both of them before returning to her younger brother to hug him yet again.
During the evening she heard how Jason had come to be spending Christmas with them. It seemed that Mr and Mrs Bellows were also in on the secret plans, and it appeared they were turning out to be more than good neighbours. Jason had recently moved to the farm and was living with them.
Marty and Molly left the siblings to catch up on things while they washed and dried the supper dishes. Jason, sitting beside his sister on the sofa in front of the glowing coal fire, updated her on the latest goings on at Cairn View.
Fred was, according to Jason, subdued to say the least; he was still reeling from the police investigations. He had been charged with some minor offences, but knew that the investigations were not yet complete and as soon as there was more evidence that he had accepted money from this couple in exchange for his grandchildren then he was likely to be charged with further more serious offences. He had soon found out that any mates he thought he had down at the Coach and Horses had deserted him. In fact, he had been on the receiving end of a great deal of abuse from some people. He had taken to staying at home. Jason described how it was like having two statues sitting either side of the range, as Doris’s behaviour had not changed.
Fred and Doris, however, still rowed and the focus of the rows was now blaming each other for everything that had happened. Jason laughed when he recounted how after all of their years of avoiding having the authorities involved with them they had got the full works. David was the focus of much of the attention as, being the youngest boy at thirteen and considered to be at risk from the lack of parental guidance, there was a danger that he would end up being taken into care. It seems this meant that not only had there been police officers nosing around the house, but now social workers and people from the Education Department too. Instead of fighting his corner, as he would have done before, Fred had given up and now just mumbled his resentment under his breath, as he slouched around the house.
Jason had managed to negotiate a good deal for himself. He was not sixteen for another six months, but had become a regular visitor to Hillside Farm. Mr and Mrs Bellows had taken a shine to him and, realising that things were at rock bottom at Cairn View, Mr Bellows had taken a walk up to the croft and suggested to Fred that Jason came and bided with them. Fred had nodded his head and told Mr Bellows that he would be glad to see the back of him, although he hoped he would not be expecting Fred to provide any money for his keep. Mr Bellows had had no expectations along that line. He had not mentioned to Fred that Jason was going to work for his keep, and he would ensure that it would be over his dead body that the lad handed over any money to his lazy good-for-nothing excuse of a parent.
So Jason had moved along the track a couple of weeks ago and loved every minute of his life at Hillside Farm. He was deeply grateful to the Bellows, whose own two adult daughters had left home several years ago, and now Mrs Bellows seemed to take great joy at being in a position to look after a young person again. Although working on the farm would not have been his first choice of a job, it was not too bad and Mr Bellows was teaching him a great deal about looking after the farm animals, something he found he had a great affinity for.
As far as their brother Ted was concerned, Ted’s whereabouts were unknown. The last time Jason had seen him he was hanging around with some real nasty looking guys. They were from Aberdeen and as far as he knew Ted had gone to stay with them.
When Mrs Bellows had telephoned Marty to tell him the news that Jason was coming to live with them, the plan had been hatched and Jason had been only too delighted to be part of a surprise for his lovel
y sister whom he missed very much.
He watched her now and realised that Beth was beautiful. Her blonde hair gleamed, it was still short but shone and was styled into a bob which acted as the frame for her elfin face. Her skin was clear and free from the grimy dirt which had been ingrained into every pore. She smelt of cleanliness and freshness and more than anything she radiated from the love that was being showered on her, not just by Marty but from his aunt as well. Jason felt an overwhelming desire to bury his head into his sister’s lap and howl, howl for the terrible things that had happened to his sister, his joy that she had been rescued and now, through those events, he had also been rescued. They had much to be thankful for.
That night beneath the thick flannelette sheets and thick-feathered eiderdown, the wind and sleet battering against the window, Beth and Marty came together to consummate their love for each other. Marty had made sure that this time their expression of love for each other was not going to result in another child. Marty wept as he held his lovely girl in his arms. He could not believe the depth of emotion he felt for this woman. And woman she now was, no longer the girl he had known when he had taken her virginity. Now she was most definitely a woman, her small body had rounded and had lost its childlike features and in its place were the curves of a sexy young woman.
Beth felt that she had climbed another mountain; she was ready to give herself wholeheartedly to this man. It was almost as though their previous lovemaking, even though it had produced her beloved Stevie, had been non-existent. She felt more able to respond and to give and bask in the passion of what she received. It was a most wonderful way to celebrate the holiday.
Christmas morning brought with it further surprises for Beth. Marty was acting like an over-excited puppy, jumping around teasing both her and his aunt. Jason ate his breakfast with a great big grin on his face, enjoying the playful and relaxed atmosphere of Harbour View, it was very different from the dismal black smelly cloud of previous Christmas mornings spent at Cairn View.
Marty could hardly wait for breakfast to be over and to get everyone through to the front sitting room to open their presents. He finally persuaded Molly to leave the dishes, which she did, drying her hands on her apron as he steered her through the house to sit in front of the Christmas tree with all its colourful parcels circled underneath it.
‘I’ll be Santa,’ he announced. He then began to read out the names on the parcels and pass them to their owners. Beth was delighted with her presents, a lovely thick woollen jumper from Molly, a box of sweet smelling bath salts from Jason and a lovely bottle of French perfume from Marty. She could not have been more pleased. However, after everyone had thanked each other for their gifts, Marty called for hush. They all looked at him awaiting the reason for this request. He went over to Beth and before she knew what was happening he was kneeling before her.
‘Beth Menzie, I just hope I have got this right, but will you marry me?’ He reached over to her hand and placed a small velvet box into the outstretched palm.
Beth was speechless. She looked from him to the small box which he then took back from her to open. In it was a ring with a small diamond solitaire. ‘Oh my God!’ she squeaked. ‘Marty it’s wonderful.’
‘Well, will you’? he asked impatiently.
‘Of course I will.’ Suddenly, she found that she was laughing and crying at the same time. Marty took the small ring out of its case and placed it on her finger before kissing her soundly on the lips to seal the bargain.
Molly and Jason jumped up from their seats to hug and congratulate the couple. If Molly had doubts that they were too young for marriage, they were put to one side for today. For today, she would join with her beloved nephew in celebrating that he had chosen to spend his life with this lovely wee lassie.
Beth thought she was walking on air, she kept glancing down at her hand as evidence that she had not dreamed that this had happened. During the rest of the day the happy mood continued and, to Jason’s question about when would the wedding be, they began to talk and consider when this could be planned for.
Molly was caught up in the excitement and agreed with the couple that, given they were already living over the brush and that if they were intent on getting wed, it should be soon. She was not really bothered about the local gossip of allowing her nephew to live with his girlfriend, but if Beth was intent on launching this campaign she was thinking of doing, it may well be better if she was a married woman.
It had been worrying her that the public still thought that unmarried mothers were fast girls and she did not want Beth to be subjected to any nasty comments. She hoped that being a married woman may just nip any of those thoughts in the bud.
The day was prefect; well, almost perfect, the only thing that was missing which would make it perfect would be if there were two little people playing with their toys in front of the fire. When Marty proposed a toast at the end of eating their massive dinner, everyone sent their silent thoughts to those two missing family members.
Beth was determined though that she was not going to allow her mood to dip at all today, no, she would bask in the delight that not only was she an engaged person, but her darling brother was here to share in her delight. It had been the best Christmas ever.
Jason was staying until after New Year, this allowed him and Beth too enjoy spending time together. Marty had to return to work the day after Boxing Day so this left plenty of time for the two siblings to enjoy each other’s company.
Jason and Beth decided with some sibling unconscious agreement that they would not spend the precious time they had discussing their despicable parents. They both knew that by doing so would bring Doris and Fred into their present life, and did not want them to invade and contaminate their joy of being together. They silently agreed to avoid speaking about the events which led to them being where they were.
Beth took him up to the town, where they wandered around the shops looking at all of the goods offered in the sales. Molly had insisted that Beth start looking for an outfit to wear on her wedding day. They had decided that the wedding would take place in the Registry Office in St Nicholas House. It would be a very small affair and the few guests who would be invited would return to Harbour View for a small reception.
Beth agreed with Marty that there was no reason to delay setting a date, so he would get on and apply for the licence. The date was set for Friday 28th January year?. Marty arranged to get the time off from work which would give them an opportunity for a long weekend away, one of the many wedding presents they received from Molly, who had booked them into a smart hotel in Edinburgh.
Molly put her misgivings about the marriage to one side and launched herself into organising the event. If her nephew was going to wed then, even if it was going to be a small affair, he would do it in style.
Hogmanay was a rather quiet affair, the old tradition of first footing was dying out and where once there would have been a continual steam of people knocking at the door of Harbour View to take in a good dram, now the stream was more of a trickle. The immediate neighbours still knocked after the bells, and a few of Molly’s old friends made their way along the road knowing that Molly’s broth would warm them as well as absorbing and soaking up the many drams they would consume.
If Jason had not been staying then the young couple may have gone up to the town to enjoy the revelry with young people their own age. But they could not leave Jason and Marty was delighted when a few of his mates arrived in the early hours to toast him and Beth’s future. The lights of Harbour View shone into the first sign of dawn. Molly had gone to bed sometime around three in the morning, leaving the youngsters to continue playing their pop records and, after yanking the furniture around, they were able to clear a space to let their hair down and jig and dance around. Molly did not think that you could call the movements they were making dancing, dancing was something a lot more skillful than this gyrating and swaying of bodies.
The young ones suffered for their partying the following
morning, although Jason was not supposed to be drinking alcohol he had partaken in drinking a few beers, which meant that he was also suffering.
It was Beth who thought she had the sorest of heads; she was not used to alcohol or dancing the night away. It was, she realised, the first time she had let her hair down and behaved as a young teenager, rather than having to be a mother or housekeeper. Although she enjoyed it, she would not be repeating the experience for a long time if it meant another headache like she was enduring right now.
Two days after New Year, Jason left to return to the farm. Beth and he walked across Victoria Bridge noticing that the Dee had large lumps of ice floating their way down to join the sea.
‘Seeing all that ice, makes me blimmin’ glad I am not going back to Cairn View. At least Hillside Farm is lovely and warm,’ Jason shuddered.
‘I know, I too am pleased that you are not going back to that hovel. At least I don’t have to keep worrying about you.’ Beth caught his arm and linked hers through his.
The two did not need words to recall their memories of cold freezing mornings at Cairn View, when they had to start their day by scraping the ice off the inside of the bedroom windows before they could look out to see what sort of day it was going to be.
