Coming Home for Christmas (11 page)

‘I suppose I am, but it’s a bit wearing looking after my lot, holding down a job, and minding the parents and Uncle Leo. Being single has a lot going for it.’

‘Oh!’ murmured Alison. She felt Olivia had thrown a barb. She often told Alison that she had a charmed life, but no one had
begged
Olivia to get married and have children or
to stay at home in Port Ross, that was
her
choice, thought Alison resentfully. If Olivia knew how things
really
were with Alison right now, she might not be so quick to whinge to
her.

‘Ah, don’t mind me,’ Olivia said, a bit shamefaced, after a few moments of silence. ‘I’ve just been worrying about the party, wanting to be sure it will turn out
OK. I’m really glad you’re here, it takes the pressure off.’

‘It’s only a party, and it’s only family. If things go wrong, they go wrong, and nothing’s going to go wrong, I’m sure – and if it does we’ll sort
it,’ Alison said reassuringly, realizing that her older sister had been under a lot of pressure.

‘I know we will.’ Olivia smiled at her. ‘Frig it, whatever happens, let’s enjoy it, we’re lucky to have Mam and Dad still with us to celebrate.’

Two minutes later they turned a bend and came on to the coast road. ‘Oh, look at the sea. Isn’t it fabulous?’ Alison rolled down her window and inhaled deep lungfuls of salty
air. The waves were tumultuous, grey-green whitecaps crashing against the shore. ‘Oh, it’s good to be home,’ she exclaimed, as some of the stresses and strains of the past few
weeks seemed to lift and float away far out to sea. JJ was right: she should rest and relax and go back to New York ready for action in the New Year.

‘I’ve an idea,’ she said impulsively as they drove through the village towards their parents’ house. ‘Why don’t I stay in the car, and when you go inside
I’ll ring and pretend I’m in New York – but you pick up because my Irish number will come up on Mam’s caller ID. And then I’ll knock on the door.’

‘
Brilliant
idea!’ Olivia enthused, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Her sister looked tired, and the lines around her mouth and eyes had deepened, Alison noted with a dart of dismay. The first telltale signs of middle age were making their appearance. There was
a smattering of alarming grey hairs in her sister’s chestnut bob, and dark circles under her eyes.

Olivia was forty now, incredible as it was, Alison reminded herself as they drove through the quiet fishing village where they’d grown up. Two women in rain macs walked into the
butcher’s, and an elderly man struggled to let his umbrella down before entering Nolan’s to get his paper. A couple sat in the small coffee shop having breakfast. Otherwise, the street
was deserted on that wet, windy Saturday morning. They passed the road that led to the pier where fishing boats rocked up and down on the waves and seagulls hawked and squawked, circling a small
trawler that was unloading its catch. A green fishing net, caught against a bollard, flapped in the wind. The rigging in the masts of the boats jangled, making its own music, and the wood in the
trawlers creaked and groaned as they rocked against the quay. It was the sound of home, thought Alison, as memories came flooding back,

The house looked as she always remembered it: an ivy-clad dormer bungalow with neatly clipped privet, a weeping willow in the centre of the garden and polyanthus and pansies in the well-tended
flowerbeds under the windows making a defiantly colourful stand against the gloomy backdrop of bad weather.

Two cars sat on the tarmacadamed drive, and she knew the maroon Passat behind her parents’ Volkswagen was her brother-in-law’s. Olivia parked on the street. ‘Give me two
minutes and then ring,’ she grinned, getting out of the car. Alison watched her hurry up the drive, the wind blowing her hood off her head. She was dying to see her parents, longing for their
hugs. She waited the two minutes and rang the number.

‘Hello?’ Olivia pretended innocence.

‘Hi,’ murmured Alison.

‘Oh!
Alison
, you’d think we planned it! We were just going to sing “Happy Birthday” to Mam. Hold on until I give her the phone and you can join in. I’ll put
you on speaker.’ Olivia played her part to perfection, with just the right amount of surprise. Alison could hear the chatter of the children in the background.

‘Hello, pet, you’re up early,’ her mother said, the speaker giving a tinny effect to the call.

‘I set my clock. I wanted to wish you happy birthday, Mam.’

‘Aren’t you the darling,’ her mother said, and Alison just knew she had tears in her eyes.

‘Let’s all sing,’ Olivia commanded.

There was a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday to you,’ and Alison joined in with gusto, glad no one was walking along the road to see her singing her head off into a cell phone.

‘I wish I was there with you all.’ Alison injected a note of sadness in her tone when it was over. She was even better at this acting lark than Olivia, she thought smugly.

‘I wish you were here too. Isn’t there
any
chance of you getting home this Christmas?’ Esther asked plaintively.

‘Not a hope with the way things are going. But look, Mam, have a great day and enjoy your meal tonight with the family. And raise a glass for me,’ she added poignantly, for good
measure.

‘I will, pet, I will, but it won’t be the same without you. Say hello to your father.’ Esther was definitely teary at this stage, and Alison began to feel a bit mean.

‘Hello, Dad, it sounds like a madhouse there.’

‘It is a bit,’ her father said mildly. ‘How are you?’

‘Great, great. Looking forward to a lie-in seeing as I don’t have to get up today,’ – that wasn’t a lie: she
was
longing for sleep, she thought as the
weariness of jet lag hit her in a wave of tiredness.

‘You enjoy it and take it easy, you work too hard,’ her father declared.

Not any more
, she was tempted to say, but she held it back, she wasn’t going to spoil her mother’s birthday with her tale of gloom and doom. ‘Not a bit of it, Dad. Have
a good day today. God bless,’ she said, suddenly anxious to be inside with them.

‘Bye, love,’ he said.

‘Bye, everyone, and happy birthday, Mam,’ said Alison and heard a chorus of goodbyes before she hung up. She tucked her phone in her bag and got out of the car, racing up the path as
quick as she could, filled with eager anticipation. She took a deep breath and scrambled for her keys in her cavernous bag. The set of keys to her parents’ house was on her keyring. She found
them and slid the key in the lock, and gently opened the door. She stood in the hall and inhaled the familiar scent of home. A vase of winter roses stood on the hall table and the scent from a
fragrance diffuser with long, narrow, scented sticks mingled with the smell of wax polish and baking. She could hear the buzz of conversation and excited children’s chatter in the
kitchen.

Alison pushed open the door. Her mother was sitting at the table in her dressing gown, surrounded by her three grandchildren, who were helping her to unwrap presents. She looked pale and older
than Alison remembered, she thought with a shock. That flu had taken its toll. Her father had his back to her as he reached into the fridge for milk. Olivia smiled, and Michael, her brother-in-law,
winked.

‘Happy Birthday, Mam,’ said Alison quietly, as a lump the size of a golf ball rose in her throat.

Esther looked up, stunned. ‘Alison! Oh, Alison darling,’ she exclaimed joyously, jumping up from her chair and, arms outstretched, she gathered her daughter to enfold her in the most
welcome hug Alison had ever had in her life. Then it was her father’s turn, and she leaned her head against his shoulder and felt safe and protected like she used to when she was a little
girl. Here, in the fortification of her childhood home, it didn’t seem to matter that she was jobless and had lost most of what she’d worked for. Here were security and love, and a
sense that everything would be all right.

‘Auntie Alison, Auntie Alison.’ It was the twins’ turn next to launch themselves at her. Ellie stood back, unsure. It was eighteen months since Alison had seen her, and she
couldn’t get over the size of her.

‘Well, aren’t you the little rip, pretending to ring me from America?’ Her mother was laughing and crying at the same time.

‘Good, wasn’t it?’ Alison smirked, kissing Esther again over the top of her nieces’ heads.

‘How long are you staying? I’ll have to air your room. I can’t believe you’re here.’ Her mother was in a tizzy.

‘Calm down, Mam,’ Olivia interjected. ‘I’ll sort the room later. Alison’s staying with me tonight. She can come home tomorrow.’

‘When do you go back, I suppose it’s a flying visit?’ Esther sighed, holding Alison’s hand tightly.

‘Actually I’m not going back until after Christmas—’

‘You’re here for Christmas?’ Esther was gobsmacked. ‘Why, what’s wrong?’

Olivia’s jaw dropped.

Alison stood there as they all looked at her, astonished. It would be so easy to tell them she was jobless and on the skids and just get it out of the way, it would be a huge relief, she thought
wearily. But how could she do it on her mother’s birthday and ruin the lovely surprise she’d just given her? How selfish would that be? And then she’d have to endure all the
questions, and word would leak out to the neighbours and relations, and she just couldn’t bear the thought of their pity and, in the case of two of her cousins who weren’t great fans of
hers, their smug delight at her fall. No, this wasn’t the time or the place to make her revelation.

‘Nothing’s wrong,’ she said calmly, privately marvelling at her mother’s astuteness. ‘I just wanted to come home for Christmas. It’s been a while.’

‘Hurray!!’ Kate yelled, punching the air.

‘That’s great news altogether,’ her father exclaimed.

‘I had leave to take, so when I was coming home for the pa— to see you,’ she corrected herself hastily when Olivia flashed her a look of consternation, ‘I decided
I’d take it. I haven’t been home for Christmas in ages.’ She was turning into the most accomplished liar, she acknowledged wryly.

‘This is the best birthday present I could ever have had.’ Esther had tears running down her cheeks.

‘Don’t cry, Mam, stop.’ Alison threw her eyes up to heaven and glanced over at Olivia, who seemed just as stunned at the news. Esther wiped her eyes.

‘Why are you crying, Gran? Are you very sad?’ Ellie threw her little arms around her grandmother.

‘I’m crying because I’m happy. I’m the luckiest woman in the world to have all my family around me on my birthday.’

‘And we’re having a Chinese tonight in the restaurant. We’re getting dressed up,’ Lia informed Alison. ‘Will you be coming?’

‘I certainly will.’ Alison hugged her, marvelling at how pretty she was with her blond hair tied in two pigtails and her fringe feathering her big blue eyes.

‘Brill,’ said her niece. ‘Can I have some lipstick?’

‘If your Mam lets you.’ Alison nodded.

‘Can I, Mam? Can I?’ Lia demanded.

‘Cam, I?’ said Ellie, tugging at Alison’s arm.

Alison looked at Olivia for confirmation. ‘Go on, this once,’ she said.

‘Cool,’ said Lia with satisfaction. She loved when her aunt was home. Alison had brilliant high heels and let them use her make-up to dress up.

‘I hope they give us that big round table with the thing in the middle that makes the food go around.’ Kate draped an arm around her grandmother’s shoulder as she sat down at
the table again.

‘That’s the one I asked for,’ Olivia said, giving Alison the tiniest wink as she filled the kettle and switched it on to make the tea.

‘Did you bring us some presents?’ Ellie fixed her aunt with a blue-eyed stare.

‘Ellie! That’s rude,’ hissed Lia.

‘Yes, Ellie, you don’t ask people for presents,’ Olivia said sternly.

‘Sorry.’ Ellie’s lip wobbled.

‘Of course I have presents for you, darling.’ Alison knelt down beside her and put her arm around her. ‘I’ve Hershey bars in my bag for you as well. Can I give them
one?’ She cocked an eye at her sister as the children’s eyes lit up at this unexpected treat.

‘Oh go on,’ sighed Olivia. ‘Chocolate bars for breakfast! What next?’

‘It
is
a very special occasion,’ Kate pointed out earnestly.

‘I can’t argue with that.’ Olivia smiled, amused in spite of herself.

‘Give me your coat, Alison,’ her brother-in-law said after she’d distributed the eagerly received bars, ‘and sit down and take the weight off your feet.’

‘I will,’ Alison said gratefully, shrugging out of her coat and loosening her scarf and handing them to him. He hung them in the small hall between the kitchen and utility room. She
walked around the table to where Olivia was standing and stood beside her sister. ‘Are we giving Mam our prezzie now or, or . . .’ She’d been about to say ‘at the
party’ but had managed to stop herself before blurting it out. Alison was beginning to understand the pressure Olivia had spoken of earlier of everything going OK for the party and not
letting the cat out of the bag. She’d nearly let it slip and she was only home ten minutes. ‘Or will we wait until the meal tonight?’ she amended.

‘Ah, you can’t do that,’ protested Esther. ‘That would be cruel to make me wait until tonight, wouldn’t it, girls?’ she appealed to her grandchildren.

‘Patience is a virtue,’ Lia said primly, in exactly the same tone as her mother would use.

‘Lia Hammond!’ Esther spluttered.

‘Only joking, Gran.’ Lia exploded into the most infectious giggle.

‘I agree with Lia. It will give you something to look forward to,’ Liam teased, knowing how his wife was like a child where presents were concerned and was always trying to find out
what he’d bought her for Christmas and birthdays. This year he’d given her a weekend away at a luxury hotel and spa. His wife
adored
such treats.

‘Don’t be such a meanie, you. Come on, girls; don’t keep your poor old mother in suspense,’ Esther begged.

‘If you guess what it is, we’ll give it to you.’ Olivia grinned at her.

‘Ah no! Don’t do that to me.’ Esther groaned.