Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 44
Aggie sniffed and made a remark about some people being very much in love with themselves and pride coming before a fall and some such, but Lilian stood her ground, completely unabashed, and when Rosie turned up with them all in the Land Rover, she stood as if welcoming them to her charming home, gracious as a queen.
‘Angela,’ she said, opening her arms. ‘Oh my, what are you doing to your skin? Is that what it’s like in Australia? You look like leatherette.’
Desleigh’s eyes popped open, and Rosie’s hand flew to her mouth, but Angie only said, ‘Oh, Lil, it’s called having a lovely tan. Shut up and come here.’
The two women embraced.
‘You’re a lot less fat,’ said Lilian.
‘I know,’ said Angie. ‘It’s zumba. I’m great at it.’
‘I don’t know what that means,’ said Lilian. ‘But well done.’
‘You look amazing,’ said Angie. ‘You don’t look like you need to be in a home at all.’
Lilian preened.
‘I know,’ she said in a stage whisper. ‘I wanted to make things easy for Rosie.’
This was such an outrageous lie that Rosie nearly coughed up the last tiny bit of coconut ice Meridian had insisted on sharing with her.
‘Well, that was very kind of you,’ said Angie.
Pip came forward, looking cheery and a bit confused. Stephen’s moleskin trousers were far too long for him and he’d had to roll them up at the bottom. He was wearing them with espadrilles.
‘The only thing about being in here,’ said Lilian carefully, ‘is that you have trouble keeping up with fashion.’
‘Hi,’ said Pip, who in truth barely remembered Lilian; just Christmases of Rosie rolling about because she’d eaten so much caramel she thought she was going to explode, and the time he was sick after too many rainbow drops.
‘And who are these little people?’
Shane had dived behind his DS again. Rosie would have grabbed it off him, but neither Pip nor Desleigh seemed to be paying much attention. Rosie pushed Kelly forward, but Kelly clung to her mother.
‘Hello,’ said Meridian, going up to Lilian and holding out her hand very formally. ‘I’m Spiderman.’
Lilian smiled and shook her hand carefully.
‘Spiderman, it is very nice to meet you.’
She looked at Meridian closely.
‘Now, I think I can guess something about you,’ she said. ‘Shall we see?’
‘She’s a witch,’ Kelly whispered loudly behind Desleigh.
‘Do you,’ said Lilian, ‘like to eat coconut ice?’
Meridian’s eyes widened immediately and she nodded her head, in awe of the old lady’s powers.
‘Yes!’ she whispered.
‘I have some more inside,’ said Lilian, ushering them in out of the cold.
‘You haven’t!’ said Rosie. ‘I told Cathryn to watch out for contraband. You have to eat the food they give you here.’
‘You’d have to get up pretty early in the morning to catch me out,’ said Lilian gaily, as Rosie kissed her soft white cheek. ‘Oh,’ she said suddenly, touching it. ‘You know, it is wonderful to see you all.’
‘I know,’ said Rosie. ‘Also, can you come to dinner tonight?’
‘This is a very late invitation.’
Rosie rolled her eyes.
‘Why, what else is in your diary?’
‘Don’t be a smart alec. It’s ballroom dancing tonight, so there, and I want to see what the new man is like at a foxtrot.’
‘Fine, don’t come.’
‘Is it the Red Lion?’
‘No, Hetty’s invited us up.’
‘Oh yes,’ said Lilian. ‘I’d completely forgotten.’
‘She invited you already?’
‘Of course,’ said Lilian. ‘To make conversation with if she gets bored.’
‘Oh, I thought it might be something like that,’ said Rosie. ‘Well, are you coming?’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ said Lilian.
‘Good stuff.’
‘I’m sure Angie and Hetty will get on brilliantly… What does Pineapple mean? It’s written all over her top.’
‘Ssh!’
‘And isn’t it a bit cold to be showing off your navel?’
Pip had taken the children out to play and Rosie busied herself making coffee whilst Angie and Lilian caught up with distant cousins and people Rosie couldn’t remember or had never heard of. It was amazing how many of them were dead. She guessed that was just what happened when you got this old. She half listened, and smiled at Desleigh, who scooped three spoonfuls of sugar into her coffee and tried to get closer to the fire.
‘So, what do you think of our Rosie’s Stephen, then?’ said Lilian finally.
‘Be quiet, Lilian,’ said Rosie.
‘OOH!’ said Angie.
‘See,’ said Rosie.
‘How on earth did she find someone like that,’ said Angie, full of delight. ‘Do you think they’ll get married?’
Rosie put her head in her hands.
‘MU-UM! You can’t… You just have to shut up about it.’
‘Oh come on, look at him… Loaded, posh…’
‘I don’t care about that,’ said Rosie. ‘Well, because he isn’t loaded; he has totally negative money and is skinter than me. And being posh is no fun, believe me. I like him for what’s underneath it all,’ she went on.
‘… and hot like a fox.’ continued Angie.
‘Yes, hot like a fox,’ said Rosie. ‘Okay, that one I’ll give you.’
‘How did you get him again?’ mused Angie.
‘Oh, she hunted him into the ground,’ said Lilian. ‘Rather like a fox, in fact.’
‘I did NOT!’ said Rosie.
‘Well, how did you meet him? You’ve been very cagey about it.’
Rosie pinched her lips together.
‘Well. I was his…’
Angie grabbed her arm.
‘You weren’t his nurse?’
Rosie flushed pink.
‘I was. I mean, I was helping out.’
‘That is SO wrong,’ said Angie, delighted.
‘It wasn’t like that,’ said Rosie.
‘Angela,’ she said, opening her arms. ‘Oh my, what are you doing to your skin? Is that what it’s like in Australia? You look like leatherette.’
Desleigh’s eyes popped open, and Rosie’s hand flew to her mouth, but Angie only said, ‘Oh, Lil, it’s called having a lovely tan. Shut up and come here.’
The two women embraced.
‘You’re a lot less fat,’ said Lilian.
‘I know,’ said Angie. ‘It’s zumba. I’m great at it.’
‘I don’t know what that means,’ said Lilian. ‘But well done.’
‘You look amazing,’ said Angie. ‘You don’t look like you need to be in a home at all.’
Lilian preened.
‘I know,’ she said in a stage whisper. ‘I wanted to make things easy for Rosie.’
This was such an outrageous lie that Rosie nearly coughed up the last tiny bit of coconut ice Meridian had insisted on sharing with her.
‘Well, that was very kind of you,’ said Angie.
Pip came forward, looking cheery and a bit confused. Stephen’s moleskin trousers were far too long for him and he’d had to roll them up at the bottom. He was wearing them with espadrilles.
‘The only thing about being in here,’ said Lilian carefully, ‘is that you have trouble keeping up with fashion.’
‘Hi,’ said Pip, who in truth barely remembered Lilian; just Christmases of Rosie rolling about because she’d eaten so much caramel she thought she was going to explode, and the time he was sick after too many rainbow drops.
‘And who are these little people?’
Shane had dived behind his DS again. Rosie would have grabbed it off him, but neither Pip nor Desleigh seemed to be paying much attention. Rosie pushed Kelly forward, but Kelly clung to her mother.
‘Hello,’ said Meridian, going up to Lilian and holding out her hand very formally. ‘I’m Spiderman.’
Lilian smiled and shook her hand carefully.
‘Spiderman, it is very nice to meet you.’
She looked at Meridian closely.
‘Now, I think I can guess something about you,’ she said. ‘Shall we see?’
‘She’s a witch,’ Kelly whispered loudly behind Desleigh.
‘Do you,’ said Lilian, ‘like to eat coconut ice?’
Meridian’s eyes widened immediately and she nodded her head, in awe of the old lady’s powers.
‘Yes!’ she whispered.
‘I have some more inside,’ said Lilian, ushering them in out of the cold.
‘You haven’t!’ said Rosie. ‘I told Cathryn to watch out for contraband. You have to eat the food they give you here.’
‘You’d have to get up pretty early in the morning to catch me out,’ said Lilian gaily, as Rosie kissed her soft white cheek. ‘Oh,’ she said suddenly, touching it. ‘You know, it is wonderful to see you all.’
‘I know,’ said Rosie. ‘Also, can you come to dinner tonight?’
‘This is a very late invitation.’
Rosie rolled her eyes.
‘Why, what else is in your diary?’
‘Don’t be a smart alec. It’s ballroom dancing tonight, so there, and I want to see what the new man is like at a foxtrot.’
‘Fine, don’t come.’
‘Is it the Red Lion?’
‘No, Hetty’s invited us up.’
‘Oh yes,’ said Lilian. ‘I’d completely forgotten.’
‘She invited you already?’
‘Of course,’ said Lilian. ‘To make conversation with if she gets bored.’
‘Oh, I thought it might be something like that,’ said Rosie. ‘Well, are you coming?’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ said Lilian.
‘Good stuff.’
‘I’m sure Angie and Hetty will get on brilliantly… What does Pineapple mean? It’s written all over her top.’
‘Ssh!’
‘And isn’t it a bit cold to be showing off your navel?’
Pip had taken the children out to play and Rosie busied herself making coffee whilst Angie and Lilian caught up with distant cousins and people Rosie couldn’t remember or had never heard of. It was amazing how many of them were dead. She guessed that was just what happened when you got this old. She half listened, and smiled at Desleigh, who scooped three spoonfuls of sugar into her coffee and tried to get closer to the fire.
‘So, what do you think of our Rosie’s Stephen, then?’ said Lilian finally.
‘Be quiet, Lilian,’ said Rosie.
‘OOH!’ said Angie.
‘See,’ said Rosie.
‘How on earth did she find someone like that,’ said Angie, full of delight. ‘Do you think they’ll get married?’
Rosie put her head in her hands.
‘MU-UM! You can’t… You just have to shut up about it.’
‘Oh come on, look at him… Loaded, posh…’
‘I don’t care about that,’ said Rosie. ‘Well, because he isn’t loaded; he has totally negative money and is skinter than me. And being posh is no fun, believe me. I like him for what’s underneath it all,’ she went on.
‘… and hot like a fox.’ continued Angie.
‘Yes, hot like a fox,’ said Rosie. ‘Okay, that one I’ll give you.’
‘How did you get him again?’ mused Angie.
‘Oh, she hunted him into the ground,’ said Lilian. ‘Rather like a fox, in fact.’
‘I did NOT!’ said Rosie.
‘Well, how did you meet him? You’ve been very cagey about it.’
Rosie pinched her lips together.
‘Well. I was his…’
Angie grabbed her arm.
‘You weren’t his nurse?’
Rosie flushed pink.
‘I was. I mean, I was helping out.’
‘That is SO wrong,’ said Angie, delighted.
‘It wasn’t like that,’ said Rosie.
