Page 30 of Meet Me In Central Park

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Christmas Eve morning was much busier in the shop than I’d thought it would be. I’d assumed everyone would have decorated their trees by that point, and that the call for Christmas ornaments would be over. But I hadn’t realised how many people bought them as gifts, and there was a lot of last-minute shopping going on. Dannie had been over the moon to be picked out as the winner of the Swarovski bauble, but it wasn’t that big of a surprise, considering he must have bought about 80 per cent of the tickets. Betty had the day off to spend with her family, and Aunt Dottie had already set off for Barbados with Brian for a week. She said she wanted to feel the sun on her skin, but I’d zoned out when she started talking about a natural saltwater spa, that was most effective if you bathed naked. It wasn’t the image of Christmas I wanted to keep in my head.

I’d agreed to go with Harry to the top of the Empire State Building after I closed up the shop for the day and Madison had headed off to see her fireman. Then we were going to meet the others at the Community Center, before spending Christmas Day at the deli. Rob had offered to cook for all of us, and I hadn’t needed much persuading. He was making Italian chicken and roast pork belly, so it wouldn’t be a traditional Christmas dinner, like the ones I’d had with my parents. It made it easier to accept, somehow, that I was celebrating Christmas at all without them there.

I was almost ready to close up the shop when the bell jangled, and a woman came in pushing another older lady in a wheelchair. I looked up and smiled, almost certain it was the bride I’d seen at the Rockefeller Center, the day Harry had shown me a New York Christmas.

‘I thought you’d be closed.’ She had a dusting of snow on her coat, which fell on to the shop floor as she bent down to tuck the blanket around the other woman’s legs.

‘I was just about to close up, but you’re more than welcome to look around. I don’t need to get away for twenty minutes or so.’ I’d sent Madison home half an hour early, because she’d been desperate to get ready for the party at the firehouse, and apparently no less than three hours would do. The customers had finally tailed off by that point, and I’d been tidying up and enjoying a bit of time to think about Mum and Dad. I tried to focus on the good times – the wonderful Christmas Eves we had shared – and not the fact that there would never be another one. I was getting better at it all the time. At least I’d thought I was.

‘Thanks so much. We’ve been meaning to come in here for three weeks, but we just haven’t been able to get around to it. We didn’t want to go home to Rock Springs without getting something for the tree next year, though. Did we, Mom?’

‘That’s right, honey.’

‘You’ve been visiting for three weeks?’ I looked at the younger woman again, not sure if I should say anything about the wedding, just in case it wasn’t her.

‘That’s right. Are you British?’ She smiled as I nodded. ‘I’ve always wanted to go to London. Is it true that you can tell if the King’s at home when he’s flying the flag over Buckingham Palace?’

‘I think so.’ I laughed. I’d never been quite sure if that was true or not, but her eyes lit up all the same.

‘Oh I always love meeting Brits, you’ve got the best accent! I’m Jessica’ – she stuck out her hand – ‘and this is my mom, Blanche.’

‘Great to meet you both. I’m Libby.’

‘See this one?’ Blanche looked up at me as she spoke, and I nodded. ‘Jessie should be in Europe on her honeymoon right now.’

‘Mom, don’t.’

‘I’m sorry…’ Thank God I hadn’t mentioned the wedding. If it was her at the Rockefeller Center, and the groom had already skipped out, then the last thing she needed was me mentioning the photos.

‘Don’t be, we’re having a wonderful time here.’ She didn’t look like a woman who’d been run out on. ‘Brad and I were originally planning to have a honeymoon in Europe, but Mom and Dad have never had the chance to visit New York before, so we decided to have the wedding here instead. Brad booked an adapted apartment on the Upper East Side, and I wouldn’t swap it for Europe. In fact, I wouldn’t have swapped these last three weeks for the world.’

Her mother reached up and laid her hand on Jessica’s. Her bones were visible through the skin, and I knew instantly why her daughter wouldn’t have swapped the time they had together for anything.

‘You know what? I think I saw you at the Rockefeller Center, having your wedding photos taken.’

‘Really?’ Jessica’s eyes lit up. ‘I thought I was going to be real shy when it came to it, having the photos taken like that in front of everyone. But I couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to capture every moment with Brad, and Mom and Dad.’ Jessica laughed. ‘The photographer almost had to lasso me, to get me out of there.’

‘You looked amazing. All of you.’ They exchanged a smile.

As painful as it would have been, I wished I’d known that the last time I saw my parents would be the last time. I had so much still to tell them, and now I never could. I knew it must have been really tough losing someone slowly, too, like Jessica was losing her mum. But they’d been given the chance to do things together – to say goodbye properly, to make memories, and capture them in a thousand photographs. I envied them that. ‘So, is there something in particular that you’re looking for, for your tree?’

‘It doesn’t necessarily have to be a tree decoration, we just want something to remind us of the trip.’

‘What about this?’ I took the last snow globe down from the shelf. The tree inside was decorated almost exactly like the one at the Rockefeller Center, and when I handed it to Jessica, it was obvious she saw the resemblance too.

‘It’s perfect. Don’t you think, Mom?’

‘It is, honey, just like every moment of this trip.’ Jessica handed over her credit card, but I shook my head.

‘Please, take it, it’s a gift.’

‘Oh, no, I couldn’t…’ Jessica shook her head, still holding out her card.

‘Please, it would mean a lot to me.’ I couldn’t buy my parents a Christmas present any more, but I could do this.

‘Thank you so much.’ Jessica slid the credit card back inside her purse and squeezed my hand. ‘Merry Christmas.’

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