I think about my two godsons and wonder when Christmas became a restrained affair, when you stop running down the stairs to rip the paper off your gifts and become more obsessed by the drinking element of the day.
Mum canters into the room to hear Dad clapping.
‘How’s that turkey looking, Suse?’ Nan asks her.
‘Not bad, I think,’ she says, grabbing her hand. They’ve always been close, the two of them, allies and friends. Nan will always be the one person who welcomed Mum into a family when she had none. ‘Here, this one’s for you, Babs,’ she says, handing over a gift basket.
Nan shrugs her shoulders and does a little dance sitting down. ‘Is this what I think it is?’ she asks.
Mum and Dad nod. I do love that for all the money the company brings us, Nan always asks for the same thing. It’s a hamper from Fortnum & Mason so she can be like the Queen. Jams, tea and shortbread. It’s all she ever wants. I smile to see her so overjoyed.
‘Earl Grey? You going posh on me?’ she tells my dad.
‘You were always posh, Mum.’
‘Never. Thank you, darlings. What’s that you got, Suse?’ she asks as Mum unwraps her presents.
Mum beams up at me. I’ve bought her some antique pearl drop earrings in a little box.
‘Josie, these are lovely,’ Mum tells me.
‘I thought they’d look good for that TV debate thing you’re doing?’
‘They are perfect.’ She blows me a kiss and moves on to a small gift wrapped in tissue paper. She opens it, a grin creeping across her face. ‘It’s a tea towel.’
Dad and I look at each other curiously. He’d better not have got Mum a tea towel, she’ll object to the underlying message of that. And whereas Nan doesn’t mind getting tea bags for Christmas, Mum likes to be spoilt. A bit of jewellery, a city break, a pair of nice Jimmy Choos. I hope there’s something that goes with the tea towel, Dad.
Mum is smiling, though. She holds it up. ‘It’s Prince. A Prince tea towel.’
‘You love Prince,’ I tell Mum. ‘Well done, Dad.’
‘It’s from Cameron.’
I pause for a moment. That’s great, but how does he know that Mum likes Prince?
‘When he was here to fix the Wi-Fi that time, Prince came on the radio and we had a conversation and a dance.’
‘You danced with Cameron?’ I ask, mystified.
‘Just a little disco moment,’ she replies.
‘I was there too. He knew all the words,’ Dad says. ‘That’s a sweet gift.’
‘Hold up,’ Nan suddenly says. ‘Who in the tits is Cameron?’
I laugh to hear her swearing, sitting there watching us all.
‘He’s Josie’s new friend.’
‘Ooooooh,’ she says mockingly. ‘This is new information, why haven’t I heard about this yet?’ she asks, punching me in the arm.
I shake my head. I know why. It’s because even though I like him – I like him a lot – it’s still built on lies. Is it a relationship? A friendship? A love affair? I have no idea and given what I’ve recently heard about Mike, it just feels too tumultuous to sort in my own head. ‘He’s a nice guy I’ve met recently.’
‘He’s like Josie, but a fella,’ Dad contributes. ‘They’re into the same stuff, I like him. He’s a good guy.’
‘Well, that’s not enough information for me. Is he on Instagram, can I follow him?’ Nan asks.
‘No,’ I say and she sticks her tongue out at me. ‘It’s just… complicated.’
