Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 63
‘Oh Tina,’ said Rosie, and all of a sudden it came flooding out.
Tina put the ‘back in 5 minutes,’ sign on the door, and made them both a large cup of tea.
‘He’s just… he said he doesn’t want to get married, that I’m bugging him, that it’s all… Tina, I think it’s all off!’
Tina furtively twisted her own engagement ring.
‘Oh no, it’s not.’
‘I think so… I mentioned going to Australia, maybe, with my mum, and he didn’t even care! Didn’t even think about it. I don’t even… He’s just gone to London. I think when Angie goes away in a couple of days, he’s going to move back to Peak House… and I’ll be all by myself! For ever!’
‘I think we’re going to need more tea,’ said Tina. ‘Oh God, Rosie. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.’
‘Me too,’ bubbled Rosie. ‘I loved him so much, Tina, so much. But now I don’t see there’s any point in staying here after all.’
‘But you like it here, don’t you?’
‘I fell in love with it,’ said Rosie. ‘With the town, with the people, with Stephen, with the shop, with everything.’ She swallowed. ‘But I don’t think it loves me back.’
‘But what about Lilian?’
‘I think she thinks I should go. Spend time with my family,’ said Rosie.
Meridian came up to Rosie, still with her robot helmet on.
‘Don’t cry, Auntie Rosie,’ she said, clumsily trying to dry her tears. ‘Was Kelly mean to you?’
‘No,’ said Rosie. ‘You guys are never mean to me.’
‘Kelly is mean to me,’ said Meridian. She cuddled Rosie tight. ‘Would you like to come to my house and have a sleepover?’
Rosie smiled.
‘Sometime.’
‘We can watch Finding Nemo. I like Nemo. Or James Bond.’
‘You’re not allowed to watch James Bond.’
‘I. AM. JAMES. BOND.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Tina. ‘Well. You know I grew up here, right?’
Rosie nodded.
‘I’ve known Stephen Lakeman all my life, okay?’
Rosie nodded again.
‘I’ve seen him with loads of girlfriends, half of them looking like total supermodels.’
‘Not helping.’
‘But I swear I’ve never… I’ve never seen him as smitten with anyone in my life as he is with you. I’ve never seen him live with someone, I’ve never seen him light up with someone like he does with you, and I swear no one else ever got to meet his mother.’
‘Hmm.’
‘I think you’re mad. I think he does love you, and you’re just getting your knickers in a twist because it’s not moving as fast as you’d like it to. He’s just been in a big accident!’
‘I know,’ said Rosie. ‘But it’s more than that. You know what he’s like. He can be so grudging, so sullen.’
‘Are you sure?’ said Tina. ‘Are you sure it’s not just you picking faults?’
‘Well, if it’s that,’ said Rosie, ‘then that’s just as bad, isn’t it? What would we be like in ten years?’
Tina shrugged.
‘Oh, I could see you two in ten years.’
‘Really?’ said Rosie, curious.
‘Oh yes. You’ll get nice and plump.’
‘Well, thanks a BUNCH.’
‘Oh, don’t be daft, kids do that to you.’
‘You had twins and you look all right.’
‘I had the twins at twenty-four,’ said Tina. ‘Anyway, shush, do you want to hear this or not?’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie grudgingly. ‘Can you do another version where I’m really really slender and elegant?’
‘But he loves your gorgeous bosom and all of that. Trust me, if he wanted a stick, he had plenty of those London models after him.’
‘Yes, again, thank you,’ said Rosie.
‘So, anyway. And he’ll still be rangy and lean and gorgeous.’
‘Great,’ said Rosie. ‘This just gets better and better.’
‘And he’ll go out striding the hills with the boys – for sure you’ll have boys, you’re the type.’
‘Mmm,’ said Rosie.
‘And you’ll cook something yummy for when they come in all ruddy-cheeked and starving and it’ll be lovely.’
There was a pause.
‘Are you sure,’ said Rosie eventually, ‘that you haven’t just mixed up my imaginary future with a gravy advert you saw on television?’
Tina thought for a moment.
‘I think I did, didn’t I?’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie.
‘Well, there’s no reason it can’t happen.’
‘What, gravy adverts come true?’
‘Mine’s going to,’ said Tina.
There was no arguing with that.
Rosie opened the shop up again and tried to get distracted by the sheer number of customers piling in and out wishing them a happy Christmas and leaving gifts and cards for Lilian. They passed on the news again and again. People were stunned and fascinated; one or two of the older ones remembered Henry’s parents, and the devastation they had lived with for the rest of their lives.
‘All those losses,’ said old Mrs Bell, picking up her favourite Parma violets for her visiting grandchildren, who hated them and found them sickly, but who in later life would love the smell because it would make them remember their old grandmother who had always been so kind to them. ‘That war blew a hole through the village, you know.’
‘Lilian always said.’
‘Well, I was born during the war, so I don’t remember it, but even as a girl you could feel it. The pain on people’s faces when they watched us playing. It’s hard to grow up in a home where a mother has lost a son,’ she observed. ‘Some of them hated even letting their boys get married.’
‘I hadn’t even really thought about his mum and dad,’ said Tina. ‘God.’ She shivered again.
‘It must have just been a mix-up,’ went on Mrs Bell. ‘Got shipped back to Halifax, found himself a job, built a new life. Just like that.’
‘Imagine,’ said Rosie, deep in thought.
Tina put the ‘back in 5 minutes,’ sign on the door, and made them both a large cup of tea.
‘He’s just… he said he doesn’t want to get married, that I’m bugging him, that it’s all… Tina, I think it’s all off!’
Tina furtively twisted her own engagement ring.
‘Oh no, it’s not.’
‘I think so… I mentioned going to Australia, maybe, with my mum, and he didn’t even care! Didn’t even think about it. I don’t even… He’s just gone to London. I think when Angie goes away in a couple of days, he’s going to move back to Peak House… and I’ll be all by myself! For ever!’
‘I think we’re going to need more tea,’ said Tina. ‘Oh God, Rosie. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.’
‘Me too,’ bubbled Rosie. ‘I loved him so much, Tina, so much. But now I don’t see there’s any point in staying here after all.’
‘But you like it here, don’t you?’
‘I fell in love with it,’ said Rosie. ‘With the town, with the people, with Stephen, with the shop, with everything.’ She swallowed. ‘But I don’t think it loves me back.’
‘But what about Lilian?’
‘I think she thinks I should go. Spend time with my family,’ said Rosie.
Meridian came up to Rosie, still with her robot helmet on.
‘Don’t cry, Auntie Rosie,’ she said, clumsily trying to dry her tears. ‘Was Kelly mean to you?’
‘No,’ said Rosie. ‘You guys are never mean to me.’
‘Kelly is mean to me,’ said Meridian. She cuddled Rosie tight. ‘Would you like to come to my house and have a sleepover?’
Rosie smiled.
‘Sometime.’
‘We can watch Finding Nemo. I like Nemo. Or James Bond.’
‘You’re not allowed to watch James Bond.’
‘I. AM. JAMES. BOND.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Tina. ‘Well. You know I grew up here, right?’
Rosie nodded.
‘I’ve known Stephen Lakeman all my life, okay?’
Rosie nodded again.
‘I’ve seen him with loads of girlfriends, half of them looking like total supermodels.’
‘Not helping.’
‘But I swear I’ve never… I’ve never seen him as smitten with anyone in my life as he is with you. I’ve never seen him live with someone, I’ve never seen him light up with someone like he does with you, and I swear no one else ever got to meet his mother.’
‘Hmm.’
‘I think you’re mad. I think he does love you, and you’re just getting your knickers in a twist because it’s not moving as fast as you’d like it to. He’s just been in a big accident!’
‘I know,’ said Rosie. ‘But it’s more than that. You know what he’s like. He can be so grudging, so sullen.’
‘Are you sure?’ said Tina. ‘Are you sure it’s not just you picking faults?’
‘Well, if it’s that,’ said Rosie, ‘then that’s just as bad, isn’t it? What would we be like in ten years?’
Tina shrugged.
‘Oh, I could see you two in ten years.’
‘Really?’ said Rosie, curious.
‘Oh yes. You’ll get nice and plump.’
‘Well, thanks a BUNCH.’
‘Oh, don’t be daft, kids do that to you.’
‘You had twins and you look all right.’
‘I had the twins at twenty-four,’ said Tina. ‘Anyway, shush, do you want to hear this or not?’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie grudgingly. ‘Can you do another version where I’m really really slender and elegant?’
‘But he loves your gorgeous bosom and all of that. Trust me, if he wanted a stick, he had plenty of those London models after him.’
‘Yes, again, thank you,’ said Rosie.
‘So, anyway. And he’ll still be rangy and lean and gorgeous.’
‘Great,’ said Rosie. ‘This just gets better and better.’
‘And he’ll go out striding the hills with the boys – for sure you’ll have boys, you’re the type.’
‘Mmm,’ said Rosie.
‘And you’ll cook something yummy for when they come in all ruddy-cheeked and starving and it’ll be lovely.’
There was a pause.
‘Are you sure,’ said Rosie eventually, ‘that you haven’t just mixed up my imaginary future with a gravy advert you saw on television?’
Tina thought for a moment.
‘I think I did, didn’t I?’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie.
‘Well, there’s no reason it can’t happen.’
‘What, gravy adverts come true?’
‘Mine’s going to,’ said Tina.
There was no arguing with that.
Rosie opened the shop up again and tried to get distracted by the sheer number of customers piling in and out wishing them a happy Christmas and leaving gifts and cards for Lilian. They passed on the news again and again. People were stunned and fascinated; one or two of the older ones remembered Henry’s parents, and the devastation they had lived with for the rest of their lives.
‘All those losses,’ said old Mrs Bell, picking up her favourite Parma violets for her visiting grandchildren, who hated them and found them sickly, but who in later life would love the smell because it would make them remember their old grandmother who had always been so kind to them. ‘That war blew a hole through the village, you know.’
‘Lilian always said.’
‘Well, I was born during the war, so I don’t remember it, but even as a girl you could feel it. The pain on people’s faces when they watched us playing. It’s hard to grow up in a home where a mother has lost a son,’ she observed. ‘Some of them hated even letting their boys get married.’
‘I hadn’t even really thought about his mum and dad,’ said Tina. ‘God.’ She shivered again.
‘It must have just been a mix-up,’ went on Mrs Bell. ‘Got shipped back to Halifax, found himself a job, built a new life. Just like that.’
‘Imagine,’ said Rosie, deep in thought.
