Page 76 of We Three Kings

‘So this is why there’s a crowd,’ Sandy explains. ‘Christmas Eve is traditionally when we all gather round and help get things ready for the big day before we all come back here tomorrow.’

‘Well, please let me help,’ I volunteer. ‘My Christmases are not normally this busy.’

‘Really?’ Sandy asks me, surprised. ‘What about your family? Tell us about yourself, love. Leo’s not said much.’

I sense everyone’s eyes upon me. I guess I better make this good. ‘Oh, I’m an only child. It’s just me and my mum and dad.’

‘Only the three of you?’ Leo asks, curiously. ‘What about extended family?’

I stop, realising I’ve never disclosed this much to Leo. ‘My mum was an only child too, her parents died when she was in her teens so she went into care and that’s where she met my dad.’

They all stop for a moment to take that in. It’s working class with a bit of a sad slant to it but my parents rose above, found each other and worked hard to prove people wrong. When I came along, I was a prized possession that they were determined to push through life. They gave me all the opportunities they never had; I wouldn’t be surprised if half the people on that cruise know my name. It’s probably why it’s sometimes hard to extricate myself from them because I want them to know constantly how much I love them. I see Leo’s head tilt to the side to take that in, no one quite knowing how to respond.

‘The biggest problem is that we’d have turkey for weeks after though,’ I say, trying to joke and break the tension.

Sandy comes over and puts her hands to my shoulders, her eyes expressing some misted emotion. ‘Well, my love…I am so happy you’re here. You can have my best peeler,’ she tells me.

‘Charming,’ Leo mutters. ‘And where are we sleeping?’

‘Well, Claire’s bunking in with Gabby. But we’ve got your uncle and aunt in and Nana in the big room so I hope you don’t mind but you’re in the study on the airbeds but they’re good airbeds,’ she reassures me. ‘Like proper camping ones. Ray’s moved the filing cabinet and I bought new duvets.’

‘Single airbeds, mind…’ Gabby adds. ‘Because, you know, you two arejustmates,’ she jokes over the top of her mug, taking a sip. I see Leo put his middle finger up at hersecretly.

‘Leo, less of that, young man…’ his mum scolds him and I can’t help but laugh.

Claire comes over and sits next to me, a paper bag in her hands. ‘Mum, fetch me a bowl of hot water, will you? Fresh out of kettle.’ She turns to me and gestures for me to put my hand on the table. ‘Right you, let’s get you fixed.’ She takes out all sorts of boxes from the bag including antiseptic, cotton wool, painkillers and for some reason, a giant marker. She puts a hand to my forehead. ‘You’re warm but not feverish. That’ll be your body trying to fight summat.’ She peels back the plaster and I feel everyone leaning forward to get close. They all wince to see it except Claire, and I look her in the eye. ‘This is nothing, love. Fella came in the pharmacy the other day and pulled down his trousers in the consultation room to show me something growing on his knob.’

‘Anyone we know?’ Sandy asks curiously.

‘Yeah, it were the old vicar at St Thomas’s…’ she says.

Sandy puts a hand to her mouth in shock. ‘Really?’

‘Of course not, Mother. Some young lad who’d dipped his wick into too many lasses and no, I’m not telling you his name, because that’s confidential.’

Sandy shakes her head while Leo and Gabby laugh. Claire washes it with hot water and antiseptic, dabbing away at it. ‘You’ve kept it clean but it’s looking a bit angry. Your shots up to date? Tetanus and that?’

I nod. ‘What about…rabies?’

She smiles. ‘Were the fox foreign?’

‘I didn’t ask him,’ I say, trying to laugh off my worry.

‘Last case of rabies in this country were in the seventies, and even then it was in a dog from overseas. I think you’re safe, but I’d follow up with blood tests if you get any weird symptoms. This you?’ she asks, holding up a box of antibiotics. The box has my name and address on it. She reads my quizzical expression. ‘Your “mate” here gave me the info. Three times a day beforefood please. This is a precaution in case there’s any deeper infection. I am going to draw a circle round it now to track it. If the redness goes beyond the circle,’ she says, taking the lid off the Sharpie, ‘then we might need to get you into A&E for some IV drugs.’

Leo puts a hand to his sister’s shoulder. ‘And there were me thinking you just counted out old ladies’ blood pressure meds,’ he jests.

‘I do that too.’

‘Thank you,’ I say. ‘I must pay you back for the prescription.’

‘Don’t be silly. Think of it as my Christmas gift to you. I got you the good painkillers too.’

I reach over to hug her, which takes her aback but that seems to be the running theme of these last few days where I’m overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness. ‘Now then,’ she says, her head still perched on my shoulder. ‘Time to get the photo albums out before we peel the veg. Gabs, get the ones when he had the mullet. Mum, get another set of brews on.’

TWENTY-SEVEN

‘And do you remember the time Leo nicked my car when he were fourteen and drove it round all the country lanes with his mate. What was your mate’s name? The potato one…’ Leo’s Nana says.

---