Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 59
‘Who are you?’
‘I’m Edward, Dad. Your son.’
‘I don’t have a son. I have a daughter called Dorothy. She’s very noisy.’
Rosie looked at Ida Delia. She couldn’t even imagine what she was going through. Dorothy was sitting very still, tears running down her face, one hand twisting a handkerchief in her lap. Ida Delia was huffing and fluffing and trying to draw as much attention to herself as possible.
Dorothy and Edward turned to look at each other in some surprise, and suddenly they appeared a lot alike: same eyes, same expression.
‘That means…’
Rosie steeled herself. Edward seemed so thoughtful and kind, and Dorothy could be very hard work indeed.
But to her astonishment, Dorothy was standing up, biting her lip. She looked at Edward.
‘I always… I always wanted a brother,’ she said. Then, Peter’s hand drifting off her shoulder, she moved to the bed.
‘Daddy?’ she said quaveringly, trying out a word she had never had cause to use since the day she’d learned to speak.
Henry struggled to focus. He seemed tired.
‘Dorothy?’ he said. ‘You… you are very big.’
Tears were streaming down her face.
‘We thought you were dead,’ she said. ‘They told Mum you were dead.’
Henry took her large curly head in his hands, and to Rosie’s astonishment, she gently laid it down on his chest, as though she had been longing to do that her entire life. Peter’s kind face twitched into a smile.
‘But…’ Edward’s face was a mess of tears and confusion; his entire well-ordered life coming apart. He turned to Doreen. ‘He… he knows all these people.’
Doreen could see it in his face.
‘Sssh,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry.’ She knew what he was afraid of.
Henry turned towards him again.
‘Edward,’ he said. ‘Thank God you’re here. I’m freezing’
‘Dad,’ said Edward, bursting into sobs and running to his other side. ‘Dad. You know it’s me.’
‘Of course it’s you,’ croaked Henry, smiling. ‘My darling Edward Bear. Of course it’s you.’
Finally everyone – including the local press photographer – was ushered out, except for Lilian, whom Henry had requested stay behind. Rosie stayed too, partly in case they needed anything, and partly from sheer nosiness. Lilian wanted to sit up on the bed, and Rosie helped her – she was so tiny, she took up hardly any space. And then she nestled into him as if she was moulded that way. At that point, Rosie decided she probably ought to leave, and went off to find some tea.
‘You died in the war,’ whispered Lilian.
‘So many people died in the war,’ said Henry, slowly. ‘I woke up in hospital. I remember. I remember you. You’re Lilian. You are REALLY old.’
‘I know,’ said Lilian. ‘So are you. Sssh. Tell me what happened. Do you remember?’
‘It’s so strange,’ said Henry. ‘I feel like I’ve been on a foggy road where everything is wrong. And then I got used to being on the foggy road, even though it was wrong, and I just ignored it being wrong, and then I got used to the foggy road and it was all right. But I know… after the thing, the blast, after… I woke up, and they said, “What’s your name?” and I suppose I meant to say “Henry Carr”.’
He said it again, rolling it round his mouth like it was a strange wine.
‘But I… I couldn’t say that.’
‘Didn’t you have dog tags?’ said Lilian. ‘Didn’t you wear something round your neck?’
‘I lost mine,’ said Henry, musing at how easily it was coming back to him. ‘I lost mine in the mess. I think I bet it at poker.’ He wheezed. ‘Ha, Lilian, listen to this, someone put up a bag of strawberry boilers.’
‘You love those,’ said Lilian, marvelling.
‘I know, I couldn’t resist. I said, I’ll stake my whole person on it, and everybody laughed, and I took off my tags and I really meant it. And I got a three of spades and a five of hearts.’
He was holding up his knotted hands as if he were playing the game again.
‘And Private Boyd, he was a portly little fellow… I don’t know where he even got those sweets, not in the hellhole we were in, I tell you. I wanted them so much and I got a bloody five and a three. And he took my dog tag and was just messing about with it, then he went to offer me a sweet, and…’
His hand started to shake.
‘And then we heard the sirens. The sirens. There were sirens. Where am I? Is this the army hospital?’
‘No, it’s another hospital,’ said Lilian, patiently, patting him.
‘Has there been another bomb?’
‘No, darling. You’re safe.’
‘I’m bloody freezing. I can’t wait to get back to my Lilian… Are you the nurse? You look a lot like her.’
‘Yes,’ said Lilian.
‘Except I lost her, you know. Like I lost my dog tag. By being an idiot. Such an idiot.’
His old shoulders started to shake. Lilian rang the bell for the nurse.
Rosie caught up with Moray and flung her arms around him.
‘It’s amazing! I mean, it’s just amazing!’
Moray didn’t look as delighted as she did.
‘I mean, to go through your whole life…’
‘Mmm,’ said Moray. ‘I don’t want to… I don’t want to be a total downer, Rosie, but his… I mean, his lungs. They aren’t good.’
‘But he’s talking! He sounds so clear. He knows where he is. It’s all come back to him.’
‘Yes,’ said Moray. ‘You know, there are lots of documented cases of this happening, just before… I mean… I don’t know, there may be another miracle in there for him. But I wouldn’t count on it.’
Rosie stopped suddenly, hearing the tone of his voice.
‘Really?’
‘I don’t know if you want to share it with Lilian or not, but… there’s a lot of fluid on his lungs. His body can’t really fight the infection… The consultant thinks it’s only a matter of time.’
Rosie clasped her hand to her mouth. Then she shook her head.
‘I’m Edward, Dad. Your son.’
‘I don’t have a son. I have a daughter called Dorothy. She’s very noisy.’
Rosie looked at Ida Delia. She couldn’t even imagine what she was going through. Dorothy was sitting very still, tears running down her face, one hand twisting a handkerchief in her lap. Ida Delia was huffing and fluffing and trying to draw as much attention to herself as possible.
Dorothy and Edward turned to look at each other in some surprise, and suddenly they appeared a lot alike: same eyes, same expression.
‘That means…’
Rosie steeled herself. Edward seemed so thoughtful and kind, and Dorothy could be very hard work indeed.
But to her astonishment, Dorothy was standing up, biting her lip. She looked at Edward.
‘I always… I always wanted a brother,’ she said. Then, Peter’s hand drifting off her shoulder, she moved to the bed.
‘Daddy?’ she said quaveringly, trying out a word she had never had cause to use since the day she’d learned to speak.
Henry struggled to focus. He seemed tired.
‘Dorothy?’ he said. ‘You… you are very big.’
Tears were streaming down her face.
‘We thought you were dead,’ she said. ‘They told Mum you were dead.’
Henry took her large curly head in his hands, and to Rosie’s astonishment, she gently laid it down on his chest, as though she had been longing to do that her entire life. Peter’s kind face twitched into a smile.
‘But…’ Edward’s face was a mess of tears and confusion; his entire well-ordered life coming apart. He turned to Doreen. ‘He… he knows all these people.’
Doreen could see it in his face.
‘Sssh,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry.’ She knew what he was afraid of.
Henry turned towards him again.
‘Edward,’ he said. ‘Thank God you’re here. I’m freezing’
‘Dad,’ said Edward, bursting into sobs and running to his other side. ‘Dad. You know it’s me.’
‘Of course it’s you,’ croaked Henry, smiling. ‘My darling Edward Bear. Of course it’s you.’
Finally everyone – including the local press photographer – was ushered out, except for Lilian, whom Henry had requested stay behind. Rosie stayed too, partly in case they needed anything, and partly from sheer nosiness. Lilian wanted to sit up on the bed, and Rosie helped her – she was so tiny, she took up hardly any space. And then she nestled into him as if she was moulded that way. At that point, Rosie decided she probably ought to leave, and went off to find some tea.
‘You died in the war,’ whispered Lilian.
‘So many people died in the war,’ said Henry, slowly. ‘I woke up in hospital. I remember. I remember you. You’re Lilian. You are REALLY old.’
‘I know,’ said Lilian. ‘So are you. Sssh. Tell me what happened. Do you remember?’
‘It’s so strange,’ said Henry. ‘I feel like I’ve been on a foggy road where everything is wrong. And then I got used to being on the foggy road, even though it was wrong, and I just ignored it being wrong, and then I got used to the foggy road and it was all right. But I know… after the thing, the blast, after… I woke up, and they said, “What’s your name?” and I suppose I meant to say “Henry Carr”.’
He said it again, rolling it round his mouth like it was a strange wine.
‘But I… I couldn’t say that.’
‘Didn’t you have dog tags?’ said Lilian. ‘Didn’t you wear something round your neck?’
‘I lost mine,’ said Henry, musing at how easily it was coming back to him. ‘I lost mine in the mess. I think I bet it at poker.’ He wheezed. ‘Ha, Lilian, listen to this, someone put up a bag of strawberry boilers.’
‘You love those,’ said Lilian, marvelling.
‘I know, I couldn’t resist. I said, I’ll stake my whole person on it, and everybody laughed, and I took off my tags and I really meant it. And I got a three of spades and a five of hearts.’
He was holding up his knotted hands as if he were playing the game again.
‘And Private Boyd, he was a portly little fellow… I don’t know where he even got those sweets, not in the hellhole we were in, I tell you. I wanted them so much and I got a bloody five and a three. And he took my dog tag and was just messing about with it, then he went to offer me a sweet, and…’
His hand started to shake.
‘And then we heard the sirens. The sirens. There were sirens. Where am I? Is this the army hospital?’
‘No, it’s another hospital,’ said Lilian, patiently, patting him.
‘Has there been another bomb?’
‘No, darling. You’re safe.’
‘I’m bloody freezing. I can’t wait to get back to my Lilian… Are you the nurse? You look a lot like her.’
‘Yes,’ said Lilian.
‘Except I lost her, you know. Like I lost my dog tag. By being an idiot. Such an idiot.’
His old shoulders started to shake. Lilian rang the bell for the nurse.
Rosie caught up with Moray and flung her arms around him.
‘It’s amazing! I mean, it’s just amazing!’
Moray didn’t look as delighted as she did.
‘I mean, to go through your whole life…’
‘Mmm,’ said Moray. ‘I don’t want to… I don’t want to be a total downer, Rosie, but his… I mean, his lungs. They aren’t good.’
‘But he’s talking! He sounds so clear. He knows where he is. It’s all come back to him.’
‘Yes,’ said Moray. ‘You know, there are lots of documented cases of this happening, just before… I mean… I don’t know, there may be another miracle in there for him. But I wouldn’t count on it.’
Rosie stopped suddenly, hearing the tone of his voice.
‘Really?’
‘I don’t know if you want to share it with Lilian or not, but… there’s a lot of fluid on his lungs. His body can’t really fight the infection… The consultant thinks it’s only a matter of time.’
Rosie clasped her hand to her mouth. Then she shook her head.
