Page 57 of Christmas at Hollybush Farm
We walk up the ramp.
‘Right … seats!’ I say, pulling the bales round. ‘Let’s get Twm Bach out of the cold.’ Llew puts down the cawl and we make benches from the bales along both sides of the lorry. It’s out of the wind and really quite cosy in there.
Evie arrives and sees what’s going on. ‘What can I do?’ she asks.
‘Can you bring Twm Bach in? He could do with warming up.’
‘On it,’ she says. She gathers him and leads him up the ramp, with Dad, and sits them in the back of the lorry, with blankets she’s knitted over their knees.
‘Let’s get some food going,’ I say, aware that people are following us with their phones as we create our makeshift, pop-up food lorry. ‘Tell people to bring their own mugs for cawl. They can eat the jacket potatoes out of the foil, like they have been doing. Let’s make a table from bales to serve on across here.’ I point towards the back of the lorry. ‘Leave enough room for us to get behind it.’
I put my phone on one of the little window ledges as we start to move bales. I reach for one at the same time as Llew. Our hands collide and I get that zip of excitement in my stomach. Our eyes meet and we hold each other’s gaze in the cattle lorry, with the gentle snow outside.
‘You really are something, Jem,’ he says, and I blush.
‘What? Just thinking on my feet!’ I brush off the compliment and we lift the bale together. Suddenly I hear my phone pinging like crazy. I reach for it.
‘You’re popular!’ says Llew.
I look at it and my eyes widen. ‘I left my phone on live from when I was at the farm, after shouting about the woman and her dogs! Has all of this been going out live!’ I gasp in horror.
Mae pulls out her phone, Llew and Owen too.
‘Yes you’re live streaming!’ says Mae. ‘Your camera’s still on.’
Bizarrely Mae and I wave at the camera, althoughI’m still hoping I’m not really on screen and it’s just my left ear.
‘It’s been seen by thousands! All cheering you on!’ says Mae.
‘You’ve got loads of followers! They’re all commenting on the jacket potatoes and wondering what’s in the cawl,’ says Llew, with a grin.
‘Everyone’s asking where we are, where the lorry is.’
‘They want to know, so tell them,’ says Llew. ‘Be you!’
I stare at him for a moment, then turn to my phone, pick it up and hold it to the lorry while I talk from behind the screen. ‘The cawl’s made with hogget, which is older lamb, carrots, leeks and stock. We’ve got jacket potatoes too.’
‘Come and see us!’ shouts Mae, behind me. ‘We’ll be here until we run out!’ She starts typing and posts the location.
We look at each other and high-five.
‘Let’s get serving!’ I say.
‘Leave the live stream on. People clearly like what they see,’ says Llew.
Thumbs-ups, waves and hearts come up on my screen.
‘Okay. First come, first served. Once we sell out, we’ll close. Who’s for cawl?’ I shout to the line forming at the bottom of the ramp. ‘Bring your own mugs!’
‘And jacket potatoes.’ Mae giggles.
‘I’ve brought Welsh cakes,’ says Myfanwy, arrivingout of puff in the lorry. ‘Sounds like I’ve missed all the excitement.’ I notice Dad make room for her to sit next to him on the bale.
And I see Mae look up and down the ramp, where Josh is standing. He gives her a discreet thumbs-up. ‘Jacket potato, with cheese?’ he calls.
‘On me,’ she says, reaching into her big handbag for a fork, which she passes to Myfanwy with a warm foil parcel to hand to him. ‘Thank you for the idea. Just remember to bring your fork back!’ She’s wearing a cheeky smile. ‘I borrowed them from a local café …’ He grins back, and I get the feeling that, in different circumstances, something might have developed between them.
‘I don’t think they’ll be missed. I’ll say they were never there.’ He opens the tin foil, letting out the steam, digs in his fork and lifts potato to his mouth, with buttery, stringy cheese. He chews and smiles at her, nodding.
