Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 43
Rosie looked at it.
‘I saw a snowman on television. He did FLYING.’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie, crouching down next to her. ‘But did he do flying in the daytime or at night?’
Meridian thought for a moment.
‘NIGHT.’
‘Well there you go. I think he only goes flying at night-time.’
‘I’ll wait,’ said Meridian. ‘Can I go with him if he goes flying?’
‘Of course!’ said Rosie.
Meridian slipped her chilly little hand into Rosie’s warm one.
‘Shall we go and see your great-aunt?’
Meridian frowned.
‘Is she going to be scary? Shane says she’s scary and Kelly said she’s a witch who’s going to eat me.’
‘Ke-ll-ee!’ shouted Angie.
‘I never!’ shouted Kelly loudly without hearing what she was being accused of. ‘I never did!’
‘They get on beautifully,’ said Angie. ‘Normally.’
‘She’s not going to eat you,’ said Rosie. ‘She’s very nice.’ She remembered Lilian’s crusty exterior. ‘When you get to know her. Shall we take her some sweeties, then she might share them with you?’
Meridian’s face lit up as Rosie led her into the shop, Kelly and Shane immediately pushing and shoving their way in behind. All three fell silent when confronted with the bounty before them. Sunlight bounced off the icicles that had formed in the windows, and was reflected in the large glass jars that stretched to the ceiling full of every manner and colour of bright boiled sweets: pineapple cubes and sour apples and plums; lemon drops and cherry lips; kola cubes and livid orange suckers. On another shelf, the deep browns of the toffees – vanilla, mint, orange, dark, treacle, banana – blended with the soft penny caramels and the fudge; all Cornish, some with rum and raisin (despite Lilian’s express instructions), some with whisky or Baileys. Meridian’s attention was caught by the delicate raspberry pink and white of the coconut ice in a jar, and her little finger pointed at it longingly.
‘This. Is. Ace,’ breathed Shane, all his nine-year-old cool forgotten as he gazed around and around.
‘Yes, well, we’re not going to go nuts,’ said Rosie sternly, realising with a start that she sounded suddenly exactly like Lilian.
Desleigh had followed them in.
‘Oh my Gawd,’ she said. ‘Look at this, it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.’
‘It’s quite a successful business, actually,’ said Rosie, bristling a bit. She didn’t like people thinking it was just a hobby.
‘Can we have some, Mum? Please? I want to spend all my pocket money.’
‘Oh, you don’t have to pay here,’ said Desleigh. ‘Have whatever you like.’
Rosie bit her lip. Their profit levels weren’t quite up to being attacked by three small locusts. On the other hand, they had flown all this way.
‘Well, I don’t want to make you all sick,’ she said. ‘You can all try one thing every day, okay?’
‘Aww,’ said Desleigh, as if Rosie was being horribly mean. ‘Well, I’ll start with some of that fudge, thanks!’
Kelly chose what her mother had; Shane took a long time to decide but eventually plumped for a Wham bar, which Rosie approved of in terms of how quiet it would keep him, and Meridian kept holding up her finger towards the coconut ice. Rosie lifted her on to the counter.
‘Have you tried this before?’ she said. Meridian shook her head shyly. ‘Well,’ said Rosie, ‘I think you’re going to like it.’
Meridian obediently opened her mouth wide and Rosie broke off a piece and dropped it in. Meridian’s eyes popped open.
‘Ooh,’ she said. ‘That’s YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM.’
‘Me and Mummy chose the best thing, didn’t we, Mummy?’ said Kelly, who, Rosie had noticed, was roughly the same soft shape as her mother. ‘Yes, we did. We chose the best one.’
Meridian’s face started to crumple.
‘I’ll tell you a secret,’ whispered Rosie, popping a piece of coconut ice into her own mouth. ‘This is MY favourite.’
Meridian smiled and stuck out her tongue at her sister.
Angie fussed in, the bell tinging. ‘Okay, come on, come on, let’s go.’
She looked around at the shop.
‘Oh,’ she said, suddenly lost for words. She looked at Rosie.
‘Oh Rosie, it hasn’t changed… You’ve… It… I mean, was it like this when you found it?’
Rosie shook her head, remembering the enormous amount of work she’d needed to do to sort the place out.
‘Not exactly,’ she said tactfully.
‘It’s… it’s exactly how I remember it. Except I was looking at it from Kelly’s height then, I suppose.’ Her taut brown face suddenly seemed to sag a little.
‘What’s up, Mum?’ said Rosie.
‘Oh, nothing,’ said Angie. ‘I just miss your grandfather, that’s all.’ Her voice sounded choked. ‘Mind you, he hated it up here. Said it was too quiet. I don’t think he ever got over losing his brother. Never had a mum, either.’
‘I know,’ said Rosie. ‘Lilian told me all about it.’
‘So there weren’t a lot of happy memories for him up here. And Gordon, he was always a bit of a lad about town.’
She shook her head.
‘It’s amazing,’ she said. ‘Imagine you coming back here. Well well well, blood will out.’
Rosie nodded.
‘I suppose.’
‘Look at you, have you got an apron?’
‘I certainly do.’
Angie shook her head.
‘Ha. After all I tried to do to get you a proper education… qualified nurse, and you end up working in a shop!’
‘Running a shop!’ said Rosie, stung. ‘Cor, you’re going to get along with Stephen’s mum.’
Lilian had commandeered the major drawing room in the home, the one with the good coffee bar and some people trying to have a game of dominoes who complained bitterly when she moved them off.
‘Well, my entire family has flown over from Australia to be with me,’ she said loudly. ‘They’ve come right across the entire world because they care so much about me. Is your family coming today, Aggie? I’ll clear out immediately if they are.’
‘I saw a snowman on television. He did FLYING.’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie, crouching down next to her. ‘But did he do flying in the daytime or at night?’
Meridian thought for a moment.
‘NIGHT.’
‘Well there you go. I think he only goes flying at night-time.’
‘I’ll wait,’ said Meridian. ‘Can I go with him if he goes flying?’
‘Of course!’ said Rosie.
Meridian slipped her chilly little hand into Rosie’s warm one.
‘Shall we go and see your great-aunt?’
Meridian frowned.
‘Is she going to be scary? Shane says she’s scary and Kelly said she’s a witch who’s going to eat me.’
‘Ke-ll-ee!’ shouted Angie.
‘I never!’ shouted Kelly loudly without hearing what she was being accused of. ‘I never did!’
‘They get on beautifully,’ said Angie. ‘Normally.’
‘She’s not going to eat you,’ said Rosie. ‘She’s very nice.’ She remembered Lilian’s crusty exterior. ‘When you get to know her. Shall we take her some sweeties, then she might share them with you?’
Meridian’s face lit up as Rosie led her into the shop, Kelly and Shane immediately pushing and shoving their way in behind. All three fell silent when confronted with the bounty before them. Sunlight bounced off the icicles that had formed in the windows, and was reflected in the large glass jars that stretched to the ceiling full of every manner and colour of bright boiled sweets: pineapple cubes and sour apples and plums; lemon drops and cherry lips; kola cubes and livid orange suckers. On another shelf, the deep browns of the toffees – vanilla, mint, orange, dark, treacle, banana – blended with the soft penny caramels and the fudge; all Cornish, some with rum and raisin (despite Lilian’s express instructions), some with whisky or Baileys. Meridian’s attention was caught by the delicate raspberry pink and white of the coconut ice in a jar, and her little finger pointed at it longingly.
‘This. Is. Ace,’ breathed Shane, all his nine-year-old cool forgotten as he gazed around and around.
‘Yes, well, we’re not going to go nuts,’ said Rosie sternly, realising with a start that she sounded suddenly exactly like Lilian.
Desleigh had followed them in.
‘Oh my Gawd,’ she said. ‘Look at this, it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.’
‘It’s quite a successful business, actually,’ said Rosie, bristling a bit. She didn’t like people thinking it was just a hobby.
‘Can we have some, Mum? Please? I want to spend all my pocket money.’
‘Oh, you don’t have to pay here,’ said Desleigh. ‘Have whatever you like.’
Rosie bit her lip. Their profit levels weren’t quite up to being attacked by three small locusts. On the other hand, they had flown all this way.
‘Well, I don’t want to make you all sick,’ she said. ‘You can all try one thing every day, okay?’
‘Aww,’ said Desleigh, as if Rosie was being horribly mean. ‘Well, I’ll start with some of that fudge, thanks!’
Kelly chose what her mother had; Shane took a long time to decide but eventually plumped for a Wham bar, which Rosie approved of in terms of how quiet it would keep him, and Meridian kept holding up her finger towards the coconut ice. Rosie lifted her on to the counter.
‘Have you tried this before?’ she said. Meridian shook her head shyly. ‘Well,’ said Rosie, ‘I think you’re going to like it.’
Meridian obediently opened her mouth wide and Rosie broke off a piece and dropped it in. Meridian’s eyes popped open.
‘Ooh,’ she said. ‘That’s YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM.’
‘Me and Mummy chose the best thing, didn’t we, Mummy?’ said Kelly, who, Rosie had noticed, was roughly the same soft shape as her mother. ‘Yes, we did. We chose the best one.’
Meridian’s face started to crumple.
‘I’ll tell you a secret,’ whispered Rosie, popping a piece of coconut ice into her own mouth. ‘This is MY favourite.’
Meridian smiled and stuck out her tongue at her sister.
Angie fussed in, the bell tinging. ‘Okay, come on, come on, let’s go.’
She looked around at the shop.
‘Oh,’ she said, suddenly lost for words. She looked at Rosie.
‘Oh Rosie, it hasn’t changed… You’ve… It… I mean, was it like this when you found it?’
Rosie shook her head, remembering the enormous amount of work she’d needed to do to sort the place out.
‘Not exactly,’ she said tactfully.
‘It’s… it’s exactly how I remember it. Except I was looking at it from Kelly’s height then, I suppose.’ Her taut brown face suddenly seemed to sag a little.
‘What’s up, Mum?’ said Rosie.
‘Oh, nothing,’ said Angie. ‘I just miss your grandfather, that’s all.’ Her voice sounded choked. ‘Mind you, he hated it up here. Said it was too quiet. I don’t think he ever got over losing his brother. Never had a mum, either.’
‘I know,’ said Rosie. ‘Lilian told me all about it.’
‘So there weren’t a lot of happy memories for him up here. And Gordon, he was always a bit of a lad about town.’
She shook her head.
‘It’s amazing,’ she said. ‘Imagine you coming back here. Well well well, blood will out.’
Rosie nodded.
‘I suppose.’
‘Look at you, have you got an apron?’
‘I certainly do.’
Angie shook her head.
‘Ha. After all I tried to do to get you a proper education… qualified nurse, and you end up working in a shop!’
‘Running a shop!’ said Rosie, stung. ‘Cor, you’re going to get along with Stephen’s mum.’
Lilian had commandeered the major drawing room in the home, the one with the good coffee bar and some people trying to have a game of dominoes who complained bitterly when she moved them off.
‘Well, my entire family has flown over from Australia to be with me,’ she said loudly. ‘They’ve come right across the entire world because they care so much about me. Is your family coming today, Aggie? I’ll clear out immediately if they are.’
