Christmas Eve
Carmen didn’t know what to do with herself. Her legs kept pacing and even when she sat down and tried to be calm for a second they stood up and were off again. Her hands were twitchy, fiddling with her bracelet or neck of her blouse and she was hot, too, the bloody house was boiling.
Maybe I should turn the heating down, no, stay here, stop fussing, relax.
As if reading her mind Rosina told her exactly the same. ‘Mum, for the love of all things holy, please sit down. You’re stressing me out now. Pacing won’t get them here sooner and you’ll be exhausted by the time they are.’
Carmen nodded as Rosina patted the sofa, indicating she should go and sit. ‘You’re right. I’m just so nervous and excited all at once and I’m already shattered. It took forever to get to sleep but in the end I must have conked out from the sheer shock of it all. Then I woke up at dawn and I swear it was like my earliest memories of Christmas Eve, you know, when you think,It’s here!and dive out of bed. That was me this morning.’
Carmen sat next to Rosina and twiddled her fingers, giving the pent-up energy a point of release. Rosina glanced out of the lounge window. She was also keeping an eye out for the granddad she was about to meet. ‘I have to admit I was the same and I’m so glad we were all here last night to tell you the news. I thought Leo was going to go mad from the exertion of holding it all in.’
Carmen smiled at the memory. Of a Christmas Eve Eve surprise she would never forget.
* * *
Carmen had sensed something was up at the party. Every time she looked at her daughters, they were locked in a whispered conversation that abruptly ended when they realised she was watching. At first she’d presumed they were discussing a surprise, maybe presenting her with a bunch of flowers or putting last-minute plans together for her Christmas present so she’d ignored them and concentrated on the magician who was entertaining the guests.
It wasn’t until all the presents had been distributed and everyone started heading home with full stomachs and not all of them able to tread a straight line, that she really started to be suspicious. The family had helped with the tidy-up and as she gave orders and made sure the café was left spic and span, kept her eye on her girls. Leonora looked nervous while Violetta seemed to be a bit giddy which resulted in Rosina giving her a stare, not quite a glare, more of a ‘calm down’ look.
They had all walked back to Appleton, Darcy clinging on to her hand, loving the adventure of being up late and on the private footpath in the dark. Bern and Lou had lit the way with torches while Max and Tilly used theirs to make scary faces that made Ella and Lola scream. Behind her, the three witches ofMacbethcontinued whispering spells and Carmen knew without a doubt that something was up. This perplexed her because after the last few days she’d hoped they’d learned their lesson about keeping secrets so could only hope this one, whatever it was, wasn’t a shocker.
Please, Santa, let it be a nice one.
They’d only just taken off their coats and hooked them on the hall stand when she was ushered into the lounge by the witches and the others headed to the kitchen to make hot chocolate. Violetta stoked the fire while Rosina took a seat on an armchair. Leonora took Carmen’s hand, her cheeks rosy-red from the cold and the sudden burst of heat as they entered the house.
The pressure was too much for Carmen. ‘Okay, what’s going on? You three have been acting suspicious all night so come on, out with it. What have you done this time?’
Leonora didn’t have to be asked twice. ‘Don’t worry, Mum… I promise we’ve been good but, we do have a very,verybig surprise so you might want to sit down.’
Carmen looked from one to the other and was mildly reassured by the look of sheer excitement on all of their faces that it was something nice but still, she remained cautious. ‘No, it’s okay, I think I’ll stand.’
Rosina sucked in a breath so hard Carmen saw her straighten and Violetta had clasped her hands together and was jiggling on the spot, just like Darcy did when she was giddy. Then when she returned her gaze to Leonora, she saw that her eyes sparkled with tears.
‘Mum, I have the best news… it’s a bit of a long story but quite by chance, yesterday I found your dad. I met him. I met Geordie, our granddad Geordie.’
It took a moment to process what Leonora had said, and then what it meant and in the seconds before Carmen burst into tears, she managed three words that took her tearful girls and herself by surprise. ‘Thank you, Santa.’
* * *
Carmen looked at the clock. It was almost ten and they would be here soon and still it didn’t seem real and if she’d prayed once that it wasn’t a dream and she wouldn’t wake up, she’d prayed a hundred times since they told her.
When Violetta came into the room, red hair flowing down the back of a violet, crushed velvet dress, she reminded Carmen of one of the paintings on the art deco biscuit tins down at the gift shop and even that thought made her wonder if she was going mad from nerves.
‘Right, the kids are all waiting in the kitchen with strict instructions to stay there until we call them in. Don’t want the poor man overwhelmed when he gets there and I swear Darcy has compiled a dossier of questions for him. He doesn’t stand a chance.’
Another flurry of anxiety caused Carmen to question her own decisions. ‘Do you think I did the right thing though, not talking to him last night? I was too emotional and I’d have only cried through the whole call… but maybe it would’ve broken the ice because I bet he’s as nervous as I am.’
‘Mum, stop overthinking it. You were a mess last night and it was late too. Leo said he totally understood and he was very emotional too, when she told him you wanted to see him today. It was a lot for you both to take in. And anyway, it’s too late to start worrying now because they’re here. I can see a car coming up the drive.’
At that very moment Leonora rushed in. ‘They’re here, oh my God, I think I’m going to wee. Come on, Mum… are you going to answer the door, or shall I?’
‘Flipping heck, Leo. Get hysterical why don’t you. We’re trying to keep Mum calm here and you’re like a bottle of bloody Lucozade.’
Violetta was laughing at her sister as Rosina stood and put a protective arm around her mum and gave her a gentle squeeze. ‘So, what d’you want to do?’
Carmen knew exactly what she wanted. The last time she’d seen her dad, fifty-two long years before, was as he walked out the door and closed it behind him. She’d spent so long wishing he would come home, that one day she would open the door and he’d be there on the step. ‘I’ll go to the door. It’s fine, Rosina, I’ll be okay.’
The doorbell ringing prompted her legs into action and once again they were on the move, heading into the hall, almost running, on little six-year-old legs, chubby fists reaching for the handle and as she pulled open the door, the years fell away. And there he was.
