‘Is that a good thing or a bad thing?’
‘Good. Definitely good.’ Jonas releases me, looking me up and down again. ‘Come on, Maisie Mack. Let’s get going. It’s freezing out here.’ He slips his hand into mine, our fingers entwining, one set cold, one set warm. ‘You can finally meet Tiff.’
‘Tiffany’s here?’ I have no problem keeping up with his new, longer strides in my eagerness to be reunited with my old friend, and butterflies take flight in my tummy when I spot her on the concourse, standing out from the crowd with her striking flame-red hair and freckles.
‘Tiff.’ Jonas leans in towards his girlfriend, kissing her on the cheek. ‘This is Maisie.’
‘It’s so good to finally meet you.’ Tiffany holds out a gloved hand, which I shake. ‘Jonas talks about you and Lily all the time. Seriously, he was like a little kid on Christmas morning when we drove up here.’ Tiffany releases my hand and holds a paper cup out towards me. ‘Tea, two sugars. Not too much milk but not stingy either.’ Tiffany nudges Jonas. ‘He knows you so well.’
Tiffany was Jonas’s girlfriend during his first year at uni. She was sweet and kind and she made Jonas smile more than I’ve ever seen him smile before or since. I was gutted when they broke up out of the blue during the summer, mainly for Jonas but also a little bit for myself as I’d loved hanging out with Tiffany whenever we got the chance, but my loyalty lay with Jonas and our friendship was culled as abruptly as their relationship had been. Maybe I’ll look her up on Facebook when I get back home, see where she ended up. Successful, no doubt, but I’m curious to see if she’s married, has kids, wants to catch up…
‘Let’s get out of here.’ Tiffany tucks one arm through Jonas’s and the other through mine and leads us towards the car park. ‘Lily’s desperate to meet up when she finishes work, but there’s time to drop your stuff off at your parents’ place first, if you’re quick.’
Was Tiffany always this bossy?
‘I didn’t think Mum was going to let me leave the house.’ I’m half-jogging along the garden path, just in case she’s changed her mind and decides to give chase so she can drag me back into the fold. Tina is due to arrive home any minute now and Mum can’t wait to have the whole family under the same roof again.
‘She’s missed you.’ Jonas flips the front passenger seat forward so I can climb into the back of Tiffany’s car. ‘And you’ve left it until the last minute to come home. Too loved-up with whatshisface?’
I think back over my first year of uni. Who was I seeing? Was it Neil or Zach? Both were totally forgettable and indistinguishable from the other.
‘Stop teasing the poor girl.’ Tiffany pokes Jonas in the ribs as he folds his larger frame into the car, and he yelps before going on the attack, making Tiffany squeal as he tickles her. It’s nice to see Jonas so happy and playful, even if I do start to feel a bit awkward sitting in the back seat while they frolic.
Jeez, I really have started to sound like my mother.
It’s getting dark already but the Christmas lights are managing to cheer up the bitterly cold evening. Children are bundled up in thick coats and woolly hats, skipping alongside their parents, faces lit up brighter than the Christmas trees. Santa is visiting tonight and their excitement is unmistakable. I remember how excited Annabelle used to get during the run-up to Christmas, how giddy she’d be by Christmas Eve. Now I have to bribe her to help me decorate the tree and she hasn’t touched her advent calendar since day two. I’d thought the magic of Christmas had passed for me, but there’s been an extra sprinkling this year and I’m planning to make the most of it.
‘You’re here.’ Lily bounds from behind the counter as we file into the florist’s, and she throws her arms around me. She smells earthy and sweet at the same time. ‘At last. I didn’t think you were coming. Too loved-up with Neil, eh?’
‘Too busy working, apparently.’ Jonas looks up at the ceiling and lowers his voice, but not so much that we can’t hear him. ‘As if we believe that.’
Tiffany nudges him with her elbow. ‘Leave Maisie alone. If she says she had to work, then she had to work.’
‘Nah.’ Lily shakes her head. ‘I’m not buying it. Take her scarf off and check for love bites.’
‘Don’t you dare.’ Tiffany grabs Jonas’s arm as he reaches out towards me. I knew I liked her.
‘I finish here in about ten minutes if you want to go and get the drinks in?’ Lily plucks a drooping flower from one of the buckets lining the shop as she heads back behind the counter. While Jonas and I spent the past few months away at university, Lily remained behind in Woodgate, postponing her studies and working at Daisy Chains full-time. Being a florist wasn’t what Lily wanted from life, but personal circumstances meant she’d had to put her education on hold. With her mum working full-time and her grandad needing more and more care, Lily had stayed behind to help look after Alfred and Karina, fitting in her shifts at the florist’s between child – and grandfather – care. It was a noble act and I knew how gutted she’d been to be left behind in September.
‘I’ll meet you over there when I’m done.’ Lily grabs a broom from behind the counter. ‘I’ll have a large voddie and coke if you’re offering.’
We head over to the Star, which is teeming with rowdy customers giddy with early Christmas Eve finishes from work, well-earned breaks from college, and too much booze. The juke box is blaring Steps’ ‘Tragedy’, with groups of customers joining in the actions and accidentally whacking their mates in the face as the place is so tightly packed. We squeeze in and shuffle over to the bar, where Jonas catches the attention of the barmaid in seconds (how could she miss that bleached-blond hair?) and orders our drinks. There aren’t any seats available – not even a deckchair or a wobbly stool – so we huddle in a tiny space by the door that leads out to the beer garden at the back. Despite the freezing temperatures, people are actually braving the elements and we’re hit with a blast of bitter air every time the door is swung open. Which is often, and explains why the space was available in the first place.
‘We should have gone to the Farthing.’ Holding his pint in one hand, Jonas tucks the other under his armpit in a bid to keep a little bit of him warm. ‘I’m sure Robert said they were putting on a buffet. Mind you, if Mum and Robert are there, we’re best off here, freezing our arses off. I’d forgotten how much Robert winds me up.’
‘Robert seems nice to me.’ Tiffany shivers as the door swings open, bringing in an Arctic gale. ‘And he said he likes your hair.’
‘He said I look like Billy Idol.’
Tiffany shrugs. ‘That’s a compliment in my book.’ She reaches up and kisses him on the cheek. ‘I happen to think Billy Idol is sexy as hell.’
‘Really?’ Jonas quirks an eyebrow and Tiffany tries to smile beguilingly up at him but her chattering teeth ruin the effect. ‘Come here.’ Holding out his leather jacket, he pulls his girlfriend towards his body, wrapping his coat around her. ‘Better?’
‘Much.’ Reaching up on tiptoe, Tiffany kisses Jonas. I feel a sharp pang of jealousy. Here I am, morphing into Frosty the Snowman and they’re wrapped up warm.
‘Hey, hey, keep it clean, guys.’ Lily emerges from the crowd, rubbing her hands together. ‘Jeez, it’s brass monkeys in here.’
I hold out the vodka and coke and she pounces on it, gulping half of it down in one. ‘Thanks. I needed that.’ She downs the rest of the drink and dumps the glass on a nearby shelf. ‘We could go back to mine in a bit, if you want? Grandad and Karina will be going to bed soon, and Mum’s on an early shift tomorrow so she won’t be far behind. We’ll go to the offy and grab some booze – it’ll be cheaper than buying drinks in here all night.’ She glances over her shoulder and pulls a face. ‘When did they start letting kids drink in here? That one looks about twelve.’
‘Lily-Bobs.’ Jonas shoots her a pitying look. ‘It isn’t that the customers are getting younger, it’s that we’re getting older.’
Lily groans. ‘Don’t say that. You’re ma
king me feel ancient.’
I want to bark out a laugh. Ancient? The girl is eighteen. Try being nearly forty and then you’ll start to feel you’re reaching your sell-by date.
‘Uh-oh.’ Lily has glanced behind us at the throng again. When she turns back, her eyes are wide. ‘Get me out of here, quick. Mal’s over there and I haven’t had a date in weeks. I’m starting to feel desperate enough to go there again.’
Lily’s house is in near-darkness when we arrive, with just the faint glow of the TV and the multi-coloured tree lights visible through the blinds in the living room. Steph is the only one still up, curled up on the sofa with a hot chocolate. She smiles as we troop into the living room, but the effort looks laboured. The adult me recognises the slump at the end of a hard day.
‘How’s Grandad after his fall this morning?’ Lily perches on the arm of the sofa and pulls her sleeves over her hands, as though she’s still cold from the Star, despite Tiffany cranking up the heater in the car on the drive back.
‘He’s fine, love.’ Steph pulls the hot chocolate closer to her body, wrapping her free hand around the mug. ‘Bit of bruising on his thigh, but he’s a tough cookie. He’s been in a bit of a mood, though. Nothing to do with the fall.’ Steph unfurls her legs so she can reach for the TV guide on the coffee table. ‘He was adamant he wanted to watch the Morecambe and Wise Christmas special this afternoon and couldn’t understand why it wasn’t on. He’d only got the wrong day, hadn’t he?’ She turns the page and taps the listing. ‘It isn’t on until tomorrow, so at least he hasn’t missed it. I wouldn’t mind, but he’s seen it a dozen times at least.’ Steph tosses the TV guide back down onto the table. ‘Anyone want a hot chocolate before EastEnders starts?’
‘We have booze.’ Lily nods at the bottles of lager Jonas has just dumped on the coffee table.
‘Would you like a glass of wine, Mrs Davis?’ Tiffany holds up one of the bottles she’s holding. I try to catch Lily’s eye. I don’t recall Tiffany being a suck-up, and I expect Lily to find her mum being referred to as ‘Mrs Davis’ as amusing as I do, but she doesn’t seem to have noticed and is flicking through the TV guide.
‘Thanks, but I’m going to enjoy my hot chocolate, get my Walford fix and then I’m off to bed.’ Steph covers her mouth to stifle a yawn. ‘Early start tomorrow, and I’m not just talking about work. I expect Karina will be up and raring to go before dawn. In fact, I think I’ll go up and watch EastEnders in bed. Leave you lot to enjoy yourselves.’
‘Don’t leave because of us.’ Tiffany looks stricken, and she shoves the bottle of wine back into the flimsy plastic bag on the coffee table.
‘I really am knackered.’ Steph isn’t able to catch the yawn in time to smother it with her hand. She laughs as she eases herself up from the sofa. ‘See? Have a good night, and merry Christmas for tomorrow.’
‘Maybe we should have stayed at the pub,’ Tiffany whispers once Steph has left the room.
‘Are you kidding?’ Lily slides down the arm of the sofa and lands with a thud on the seat her mum had been occupying a few seconds ago. ‘I’d have had icicles for nips if we’d stayed a minute longer.’
‘I’m sure Mal would have warmed you up.’ Jonas rubs his thighs until Tiffany nudges him with her elbow and gives him a minute shake of the head. He stops immediately, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, his gaze on the floor like a scolded child.
‘Don’t. It’s so embarrassing. Why did I ever go there?’ Grabbing a can of lager from the bag on the table, Lily opens it and takes a couple of long gulps, pausing to burp against the back of her hand before taking a third. ‘Shall we stick a video on?’
‘As long as it isn’t Four Weddings and a Funeral again.’ Jonas grabs a can from the bag and drops down onto the other end of the sofa, his foot resting on the coffee table until Tiffany taps his ankle with her hand. He removes it, shuffling into a more upright position.
‘Aww, I like Four Weddings.’ Tiffany lowers herself onto Jonas’s lap, even though there’s room between him and Lily. ‘And it’s way better than Trainspotting.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Jonas shifts his position so he can look Tiffany in the eye. ‘Say that again and I’ll tickle you to death.’
Tiffany bites her lip, her eyebrows rising as she maintains eye contact. ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral is way better than Trainspotting. No contest.’
There’s a split second where everything is still, then Jonas lunges, making Tiffany squeal as he burrows his wriggling fingers into her ribs.
‘Stop! Stop!’ Tiffany giggles as she squirms, legs kicking out and nearly taking out the coffee table. I wish they would stop. I look at Lily, but she’s smiling indulgently at the pair, so I take myself off to the kitchen, hoping they’ve packed it in by the time I return with a couple of glasses for the wine.
‘You make a cute couple.’ Four Weddings has been paused so Tiffany can nip to the loo, and Lily has shuffled along the sofa to rest her head on Jonas’s arm. ‘You definitely have long-term potential.’ She sits up suddenly, spilling lager down her front, which she wipes at absent-mindedly. ‘Talking of long-term, did you guys hear about Aaron Dean?’ She pauses dramatically, her lager-soaked hand held up in the air. ‘He’s going to be a daddy.’
‘He’s what?’ I try to sound shocked by the revelation, though I obviously know this already, having watched the little girl grow up into a young woman.
‘You heard me. He’s knocked up some girl and she’s keeping it.’ Lily gives me a reproachful look. ‘You missed your chance, babe.’
I tut and roll my eyes. ‘Does this mean you’re finally going to stop telling me I have a crush on him?’
Lily shrugs. ‘Looks like it. Which is a shame. It was fun.’
‘For you, maybe.’
Lily grins at me. ‘Isn’t that the most important thing?’ The living room door opens. I expect it to be Tiffany, back for another round of tickles. But it’s Alfred, bare-footed and wonky-pyjamaed.
‘Everything okay, Grandad?’ Lily’s tone has changed, softer now as she speaks to Alfred. His already wrinkled face becomes even more lined as he scowls.
‘I want to watch my programmes. Morecambe and Wise will be on any minute.’
‘It isn’t on until tomorrow afternoon, Grandad.’ Lily gets up and starts to guide Alfred back into the hallway. ‘Shall we get you back to bed? We need to sort your pyjamas out as well – you’ve buttoned them up wrong.’
Alfred scratches his balding head as he shuffles out of the room. ‘Have I?’
I can hear Lily’s soothing voice growing quieter in the hallway as she guides Alfred to the dining room next door, which had been converted into a ground-floor bedroom. By the time she returns, Tiffany is back and snogging the face off Jonas on the sofa.
‘I’m knackered.’ I stretch my hands high above my head and fake-yawn to demonstrate. ‘I’m going to get off, but I’ll see you all tomorrow, yeah?’
‘I’ll walk across with you.’
I’m about to protest, but Jonas is already slipping his arms through his leather jacket, and a few precious minutes alone with him would be nice. It’s freezing outside, even colder than the draughty corner of the Star, so I’m glad when Jonas holds out his arm for me to take and pulls me in close as we make our way along the path.
‘So, what do you think of Tiff? Do you like her?’
I should have been expecting the question, but I still feel unprepared. If you’d asked me yesterday what I thought of Tiffany, I’d have told you how lovely and sweet she was, and how surprised and gutted I’d been when the relationship ended, but right now my judgement feels off. Perhaps I’m just tired, or feeling off-kilter with the whole time-travel thing, or maybe I’m just out of practice with the tactile, touchy-feely aspects of a new relationship after being single for so long.
Jonas is still waiting for an answer, so I try to still my chattering teeth so I can smile at him.
‘She’s nice. I like her.’
Jus
t not as much as I did the first time round.
TWENTY-TWO
It’s the perfect Christmas Day. Lily, Karina and Alfred are the first to arrive, soon followed by Tina and Mabel, who are bleary-eyed and hungover and more than happy to lounge on the sofa watching telly while Mum brings them tea and bacon sandwiches. Jonas and Tiffany must have found a shop open on the way as they arrive with a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine for Mum, who says the gifts are lovely but they shouldn’t have. As predicted, she’s thrilled to have a full house to fuss over.
Tiffany and I help Mum in the kitchen while Dad, Jonas and Kurt play on the N64, ‘testing’ my brother’s new games. The others remain glued to their seats in front of the telly (Tina and Mabel because they can’t move without feeling pukey, Karina because she’s exhausted herself with the excitement of Christmas and is now crashing, and Alfred because he’s waiting for Morecambe and Wise). There isn’t room for us all to eat at the table, but Alfred is more than happy to remain in the armchair watching his long-awaited Christmas special, and Tina and Mabel are still incapable of movement. In the end, it’s just Mum, Dad, Jonas, Tiffany and I who sit at the table while the others pile into the living room. It feels cosy, even if Tiffany does start to irritate me with her over-the-top enthusiasm (yes, the food is lovely, and I agree that the crockery is very festive, but there is no way the jokes in the crackers were that funny).
Once we’ve eaten, Mum says we should forget about the washing-up for now and we all bundle up in coats and hats and head round to the Farthing for a ‘quick drink’, which turns into several drinks, a sing-along where we all join hands and sway along to Cliff’s ‘Mistletoe and Wine’, and a feast of turkey sandwiches, sherry trifle and mince pies, even though we were fit to burst when we left the house. There are more crackers with terrible jokes, more singing and merriment. I don’t want the day to end but Karina has already fallen asleep in the corner and Alfred’s grumpiness has gone up several notches, to the point where he’s threatened to remove the landlord’s head from his neck with his walking stick if he hears one more Christmas song from the jukebox.
The 12 Christmases of You & Me Page 14
