‘It gets happier in the end,’ Carmen was saying to the children as Skylar led Blair to the kitchen. ‘It’s fine! It all ends up fine.’
‘But Tiny Tim is dead and they’re in a graveyard,’ explained Pippa.
‘With a MONSTER,’ wobbled Phoebe.
‘It’s all lovely and happy at the end, I promise,’ said Carmen desperately.
‘You’re developing quite the knack for terrifying children,’ said Sofia over her shoulder, following Skylar and Blair through to the kitchen, where the delicious aroma of lasagne, as well as the freshly heated blinis, made everything seem amazing. Carmen stood up to follow them.
‘Auntie Carmen,’ said Pippa, ‘I think it would be the best thing if you came to watch the end of the film with us.’
‘What?’ said Carmen.
‘So Phoebe isn’t tramat-at-ised.’
‘I’m not traumata-taised!’ came a wailing voice.
Carmen sighed.
‘Maybe I’ll just grab a glass of Champagne to take—’
‘No – now!’
‘So,’ she could hear Skylar saying, as they sat round the comfortable kitchen table, ‘I try and follow a very spiritual path myself? But I’m always doubting myself, you know? I just wondered if you could give me any advice.’
Carmen would have snorted, seeing as she didn’t think Skylar had doubted herself for a second in her life, plus she could see Blair settling back with the look on his face of a man who absolutely just adored being asked for advice, and inwardly sighed.
A little paw grabbed hers and she looked down at the wide brown eyes of Phoebe’s, so like hers.
‘Are you sure the baby frog doesn’t die?’ came the little voice.
‘I absolutely promise,’ said Carmen, and grabbed Phoebe and sat down with the little one on her lap, and Pippa and Jack on either side.
In fact, though, she had forgotten how good and serious Michael Caine was in it and how funny Gonzo and the rat were, and she laughed in an over-the-top way every time the rat fell over to show Phoebe it was all right and there was nothing to be scared of.
And then, as the look of fear came over Scrooge’s eyes and he decided to change his terrible ways – how the screen erupted with songs and skating and penguins for some reason, and every Muppet danced for joy.
And Phoebe leaned closer and closer to the screen till Carmen had to haul her back, as the entire parade sang a song around the houses, got to the house of the frog and the pig – Carmen could feel the worried intake of breath in the little body – flung open the door with his gigantic turkey, and there was Tiny Tim, hopping about on his little froggie legs, and Phoebe cheered and just about exploded with joy, and all four of them laughed and gathered together and, when Carmen intoned ‘God bless us, every one!’ along with the film, they stared at her in disbelief that she knew it.
‘It’s a very famous story,’ she said. ‘Lots of different ways to tell it. You’re going to love them all.’
‘I want to watch it again,’ pronounced Phoebe. ‘Right now.’
‘We’re not allowed too much television,’ said Pippa. ‘It’s bad for your chi.’
‘It’s Christmas,’ protested Carmen, pointing to the smart advent calendar where Pippa had, with great ceremony, thrown back a door that very morning. There was no chocolate in the calendar. ‘I think it will be okay.’
‘Yayyy!’
Finally getting back in the kitchen, Carmen found the mood was sombre.
‘Because the thing with me is,’ Skylar was saying sincerely, her blue eyes saucer-round, ‘that people really underestimate me? Because they don’t think I look like an academic person? And I have to put up with that kind of discrimination, like every day.’
‘Yes, I see how that must be terrible for you,’ Blair was saying in a voice that sounded suspiciously like he was trying to pretend to be a doctor on television.
Carmen shot Sofia a ‘what the fuck?’ look. Her sister just looked a bit disappointed. Oh well.
‘They’re watching the film again,’ said Carmen to Sofia.
