Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 62
Cathryn swallowed.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
‘You are doing wonderful things up there,’ said Edward. ‘Don’t stop, please.’
Cathryn bit her lip.
‘Are they letting you take him home?’
Edward shook his head.
‘No. Too risky to move him, they said. And he seems comfortable here, so maybe it’s best…’
At that moment, his daughters and Ian, unusually smartly dressed, appeared to say their goodbyes. They looked embarrassed, worried that they would get it wrong. Edward wished he could tell them that there was no right or wrong with what they were doing; everyone was equally awkward. He smiled at them instead.
‘I must go,’ he said.
‘Of course,’ said Cathryn. ‘Oh, and Edward… if it helps. None of us ever really know our parents.’
Edward paused for a moment.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘I think it does.’
Edward found, once in the room, that he couldn’t say what he wanted to say. He wished suddenly that he’d written it down. But the reality of his father in front of him was so odd and strange that he couldn’t get the words out. Something about seeing Mum again… but did he believe that? Oh, he wanted to. And that would be enough.
He sat down. Henry had an oxygen mask on and struggled to take it off. Edward helped him. Henry sounded very choky, and as if he couldn’t find the words, so Edward put it back on again and felt too hot in the stuffy space.
‘So,’ he said. He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m… I’m just going to change your will, okay? To add something in Dorothy’s favour? I’m sorry, I know this is awkward.’
Henry nodded.
‘That’s fine,’ he managed to rasp. ‘You are good to share.’
Edward smiled and patted Henry’s hand. He’d had power of attorney for four years now, and wanted to do what was right.
‘So I’m going to do that and come right back, okay?’
‘Yes, son. That’s grand.’
They sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. Edward got up to go.
‘Um,’ he started quickly. ‘You’ve been a good dad.’
Henry blinked several times.
‘You… you were a good son,’ he croaked. And that was that.
Lilian didn’t say anything; she simply took off her coat. She saw at once that he recognised her dress; saw how pleased he was to see it again, to simply have an awareness of where he was, in his own skin. She smiled. A friendly nurse helped her up on to the bed and checked Henry’s morphine levels.
Lilian took out the bag of caramels and carefully removed his mask. She put the bag under his nose so he could smell them, and then took a tiny piece that had separated from the rest and put it in his mouth. Then, very slowly, another. And Henry took hold of her hand, and squeezed it until he couldn’t squeeze any more, and then when he could not squeeze, she held him. And when there was no Henry left to hold any more, she kissed him gently on the forehead, and wished her boy good night.
Chapter Eighteen
Christmas Eve was a ridiculously busy day in the shop. Tina had been quite right, everyone went crazy at the end of the year. There wasn’t a large box of chocolates unsold; children bought boxes of travel sweets for their mums and dads because they liked the pictures on them; stocking fillers flew off the shelves, candy canes by the score, Turkish delight and marzipan fruit for after dinner; soft marshmallows for hot chocolate in cold fingers, chews for watching the telly, and of course selection boxes. Everyone had a selection box. Big, small and anywhere in between.
Anton came in, looking timid.
‘Anton!’ said Rosie, amazed. He must have lost even more weight. ‘Look at you!’ His little wife next to him beamed with pride.
‘I know,’ said Anton.
‘I don’t think you’re the fattest man in Lipton any more! I reckon Dr Hye is fatter than you!’
Anton beamed.
‘Well done,’ said Rosie to his wife.
‘Oh no, he had to want to do it,’ she said. ‘Plus, after the accident, the food delivery companies didn’t want to come out here so much. So he couldn’t get all those secret deliveries.’
Rosie thought about this.
‘Well,’ she said finally, ‘it’s nice to know that out of something so awful, some good could come.’
‘And I got a job!’ said Anton.
‘No way! Wonderful!’
‘I’ve been Santa Claus!’ said Anton. ‘At the shopping centre in Carningford.’
‘Wonderful! What a perfect job for you, you’re so nice to everyone.’
Anton flushed.
‘Of course, it means I have to keep a BIT of a tummy.’
‘Not at all,’ said Rosie heartily. ‘Next year you can play an elf. Now what would you like? Small bags only.’
Anton’s wife winked at her.
‘I would like… just the one lollipop,’ said Anton. ‘As a treat.’
Rosie looked at him.
‘Truly?’
‘Yes,’ said Anton stoically. ‘I have changed. Thanks to you.’
‘Could you say that more loudly when there are more people around to hear you?’ said Rosie, handing him his lollipop. ‘And not just a good robot.’
‘Can robot have lollipop now?’ came a robot voice from down near her feet.
‘No.’
Moray called to tell her Henry had died at just after three o’clock. Rosie looked at Tina and swallowed hard; it seemed ridiculous to feel so upset, she had hardly known him. But then, of course, it was Lilian she was sad for.
‘Who was with him?’ said Tina.
‘Lilian,’ said Rosie. ‘Oh, I’m so glad. Although poor Edward.’
‘I think Edward made his peace,’ said Tina with the wise look of someone who’d gathered all the town gossip from Jake’s nights out at the Red Lion.
‘I think he did too,’ said Rosie, thoughtful. ‘Oh dear, though. What about Lilian? To have got back the love of her life… for a week.’
‘Better to spend a week with someone you love than a lifetime with someone you don’t,’ said Tina. She was only speculating, and was therefore entirely surprised to see Rosie collapse in tears in front of her.
‘What? What is it? What have I said?’
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
‘You are doing wonderful things up there,’ said Edward. ‘Don’t stop, please.’
Cathryn bit her lip.
‘Are they letting you take him home?’
Edward shook his head.
‘No. Too risky to move him, they said. And he seems comfortable here, so maybe it’s best…’
At that moment, his daughters and Ian, unusually smartly dressed, appeared to say their goodbyes. They looked embarrassed, worried that they would get it wrong. Edward wished he could tell them that there was no right or wrong with what they were doing; everyone was equally awkward. He smiled at them instead.
‘I must go,’ he said.
‘Of course,’ said Cathryn. ‘Oh, and Edward… if it helps. None of us ever really know our parents.’
Edward paused for a moment.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘I think it does.’
Edward found, once in the room, that he couldn’t say what he wanted to say. He wished suddenly that he’d written it down. But the reality of his father in front of him was so odd and strange that he couldn’t get the words out. Something about seeing Mum again… but did he believe that? Oh, he wanted to. And that would be enough.
He sat down. Henry had an oxygen mask on and struggled to take it off. Edward helped him. Henry sounded very choky, and as if he couldn’t find the words, so Edward put it back on again and felt too hot in the stuffy space.
‘So,’ he said. He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m… I’m just going to change your will, okay? To add something in Dorothy’s favour? I’m sorry, I know this is awkward.’
Henry nodded.
‘That’s fine,’ he managed to rasp. ‘You are good to share.’
Edward smiled and patted Henry’s hand. He’d had power of attorney for four years now, and wanted to do what was right.
‘So I’m going to do that and come right back, okay?’
‘Yes, son. That’s grand.’
They sat in silence, neither knowing what to say. Edward got up to go.
‘Um,’ he started quickly. ‘You’ve been a good dad.’
Henry blinked several times.
‘You… you were a good son,’ he croaked. And that was that.
Lilian didn’t say anything; she simply took off her coat. She saw at once that he recognised her dress; saw how pleased he was to see it again, to simply have an awareness of where he was, in his own skin. She smiled. A friendly nurse helped her up on to the bed and checked Henry’s morphine levels.
Lilian took out the bag of caramels and carefully removed his mask. She put the bag under his nose so he could smell them, and then took a tiny piece that had separated from the rest and put it in his mouth. Then, very slowly, another. And Henry took hold of her hand, and squeezed it until he couldn’t squeeze any more, and then when he could not squeeze, she held him. And when there was no Henry left to hold any more, she kissed him gently on the forehead, and wished her boy good night.
Chapter Eighteen
Christmas Eve was a ridiculously busy day in the shop. Tina had been quite right, everyone went crazy at the end of the year. There wasn’t a large box of chocolates unsold; children bought boxes of travel sweets for their mums and dads because they liked the pictures on them; stocking fillers flew off the shelves, candy canes by the score, Turkish delight and marzipan fruit for after dinner; soft marshmallows for hot chocolate in cold fingers, chews for watching the telly, and of course selection boxes. Everyone had a selection box. Big, small and anywhere in between.
Anton came in, looking timid.
‘Anton!’ said Rosie, amazed. He must have lost even more weight. ‘Look at you!’ His little wife next to him beamed with pride.
‘I know,’ said Anton.
‘I don’t think you’re the fattest man in Lipton any more! I reckon Dr Hye is fatter than you!’
Anton beamed.
‘Well done,’ said Rosie to his wife.
‘Oh no, he had to want to do it,’ she said. ‘Plus, after the accident, the food delivery companies didn’t want to come out here so much. So he couldn’t get all those secret deliveries.’
Rosie thought about this.
‘Well,’ she said finally, ‘it’s nice to know that out of something so awful, some good could come.’
‘And I got a job!’ said Anton.
‘No way! Wonderful!’
‘I’ve been Santa Claus!’ said Anton. ‘At the shopping centre in Carningford.’
‘Wonderful! What a perfect job for you, you’re so nice to everyone.’
Anton flushed.
‘Of course, it means I have to keep a BIT of a tummy.’
‘Not at all,’ said Rosie heartily. ‘Next year you can play an elf. Now what would you like? Small bags only.’
Anton’s wife winked at her.
‘I would like… just the one lollipop,’ said Anton. ‘As a treat.’
Rosie looked at him.
‘Truly?’
‘Yes,’ said Anton stoically. ‘I have changed. Thanks to you.’
‘Could you say that more loudly when there are more people around to hear you?’ said Rosie, handing him his lollipop. ‘And not just a good robot.’
‘Can robot have lollipop now?’ came a robot voice from down near her feet.
‘No.’
Moray called to tell her Henry had died at just after three o’clock. Rosie looked at Tina and swallowed hard; it seemed ridiculous to feel so upset, she had hardly known him. But then, of course, it was Lilian she was sad for.
‘Who was with him?’ said Tina.
‘Lilian,’ said Rosie. ‘Oh, I’m so glad. Although poor Edward.’
‘I think Edward made his peace,’ said Tina with the wise look of someone who’d gathered all the town gossip from Jake’s nights out at the Red Lion.
‘I think he did too,’ said Rosie, thoughtful. ‘Oh dear, though. What about Lilian? To have got back the love of her life… for a week.’
‘Better to spend a week with someone you love than a lifetime with someone you don’t,’ said Tina. She was only speculating, and was therefore entirely surprised to see Rosie collapse in tears in front of her.
‘What? What is it? What have I said?’
