Towers of Silence

Chapter Thirteen

“I’ve invited my mother again,” Ray said as he cleared the table.

“And?”

“I don’t know Raymundo, lottsa people, lottsa fuss. I don’t wanna be in the way,” Ray mimicked his mother’s martyr act.

“She wouldn’t miss it,” I said. “As long as she’s home for the Boxing Day races.”

“She made seventy pounds last Saturday.”

“Blimey.”

“Mind you, she only tells me when she wins. We’ll have to do turkey though.”

“You do the turkey and I’ll make a veggie alternative.”

“Just for you?”

“I suppose. Something luxurious that I’d never normally eat.”

He moved the salt and pepper and wiped the big pine table down.

“So you don’t mind?”

“I’m fine. It’s Laura you should check with.” The acid remarks and general disapproval that Nana Tello had once directed my way now seemed to be reserved for Laura. I couldn’t fathom it. She’d spent the last years wanting to see Ray fixed up, wanting the prospect of a ‘normal’ family for Tom and now it was on the horizon (well, not beyond the bounds of possibility) she was daggers drawn about it. “You can’t not invite your mother.” I added. “The secret is to have no expectations, or only realistic ones. No nice presents, no delicious meal, no relaxed hours in front of the telly or playing games. Think of Christmas as a chore to be got through.”

“Who rattled your cage?”

“I’m not rattled, just resigned.”

“Cynical.”

“Pragmatic. It’s for the children, who will have consumed enough chocolate by breakfast to sink the Titanic and who’ll then be hyperactive and feverish till bedtime.”

I wondered what sort of Christmas Stuart and his family would have? We hadn’t talked about it, silently acknowledging that we weren’t established enough to be a part of each other’s seasonal plans. Would he have his kids for Christmas or would his ex? Would he be on his own or off to visit other relatives? I ought to find out. With Ray and Laura off work and able to look after Maddie there might be a chance of doing something special, a night at a country inn in the Peak District; long walks and home cooking.

“What do you want for Christmas anyway?” I asked Ray.

“Oh,” he groaned and began to load the dishwasher. “You don’t need to bother. We could just give the children things.”

I didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed. “That’s the spirit.”

“Only…”

“You’ve got me something?”

He looked sheepish. “Get me a CD then.”

“Who?”

“Surprise me.”

“Okay.” What on earth had he got me? And why so soon. I was curious and I felt a hint of excitement. Maybe it was something good, something perfect for me. There I was, letting my expectations get the better of me.

The doorbell rang and I went to get it, Maddie and Tom came out of the playroom to see who it was. A shaky, giggly version of ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ came from outside. I opened the door to two small boys, both with close cropped hair and tatty clothes. The smaller was missing his front teeth.

“Wait there,” I said.

I gave them fifty pence each.

“Fifty pence!” Maddie observed, when they’d gone. “They weren’t very good. Can we go carol singing?”

Oh, please no. Trailing round knocking on doors with Maddie coming all over shy. I knew who’d end up doing the singing. “Maybe when you’re bigger.”

“You keep the money, don’t you?” she checked.

“Some people do it for charity, to help other people.”

She thought about this. “You could give half of it to charity”

“You could.”

“Look,” Tom interrupted to show me his wobbly tooth. “I ‘an do ‘is,” he spoke with his mouth open and one finger pulling said tooth forward to expose the hole in his gum.

“Gross,” said Maddie.

He turned to give her a better look.

She covered her eyes.

“I bet it’ll come out soon,” I told him, “and you can put it under your pillow.”

“For the tooth fairy.”

“Yep.”

He waggled it a bit more.

“Do you remember losing your first one?” I asked Maddie. “You walked around for weeks with it just hanging by a thread and you wouldn’t eat or brush your teeth or do anything that might bring it out.”

She grinned at me. “Mummy,” she looked serious again. “Who’s Noel?”

“Noel? Which Noel?”

“Is it Jesus? It’s on this card at school.”

“No-el,” I smiled. “It means Christmas, about the nativity when Jesus was born. Now, it’s nearly bedtime, you’ve got another half hour and then it’ll be time to get ready.”

They ambled back to play.

There was a scream and whispering from outside and then a ragged chorus of ‘Away In A Manger’ started up. The lads must have told their mates.