Christopher was on the till early on the Friday with only two days to go to Christmas Day. Charlotte had confirmed that her parents were delighted to have Christopher for Christmas dinner. Christopher needed inspiration to obtain Christmas presents for Charlotte and her parents and he was working full shifts today and Christmas Eve. It was not panic stations but close to it, as Christopher pondered on present selection and opportunity to make it happen. The weather was not helping much. Mild and grey, there was no forecast of a white Christmas as usual, the talk was of the warmest ever Christmas on record. Christopher would normally do all his shopping on the internet but time had run out on that option which only added to his anxiety as he would have to get it sorted the traditional way.
In the end Christopher failed to get inspiration and found the issue was interfering with his concentration to attend to the busy lines at his till. He opted to broach his dilemma with his supervisor at break time. Linda was mature and wise, being accustomed to scheduling the everyday issues to keep the tills working to full capacity as well as running her large family. She came up with the brilliant idea of choosing items from the store’s own luxury Christmas range that he could select in the building and avail himself of the employee fifteen per cent discount. That lunchtime Christopher found a very large seasonal flower arrangement in a presentation box a yard high and a woolly hat and scarf matched set for Charlotte’s mum and dad. Charlotte’s gift leapt out at him when he saw a silver bracelet with yuletide crystal charms in individual red velvet pouches imported specially from Austria. He decided on expensive gift wrap with lots of ribbons and bows as a final touch. The bill was serious but he told himself he had the employee discount to soften the blow.
Christmas Day came around sunny and indeed very mild for the time of year. Christopher had been to the barber’s shop and tidied up his mop of dark hair and then waxed it. He looked much more mature with his hair combed back to show his impressive brow, normally concealed by a floppy fringe. He wore his favourite black jeans and best button-down shirt in raspberry with white dots that gave him a Christmassy look. He put on the sensible blue woollen coat his parents had bought for him to take to University and set it off with a mid-blue scarf with snowmen cartoon motifs illustrated by Raymond Briggs. Finally he put the huge present containing the flowers, the medium one with the hat and scarf combination and the small one for Charlotte in the most impressive carrier bag he could find and set off on the short walk to Charlotte’s house.
Christopher walked up the short path to the front door and, feeling strangely nervous, pressed the doorbell. Charlotte saw Christopher’s silhouette against the brightness of early afternoon sky through the reeded glass panels set in the top half of the door as she approached to answer the bell. Christopher could see festive lights through the glass and he heard Charlotte’s muted voice calling to her parents that she would get the door. He noted a frisson of nerves and pushed it down in some frustration with himself. He saw her approaching figure hustling to obstruct the lights to the door and then it opened to reveal Charlotte beaming widely in a soft red cashmere sweater and fitted black slacks.
Charlotte loved the Christmas celebrations and the way that they had lifted the human spirit at the darkest time of year over all the generations she had seen. Over many centuries she had seen the winter solstice festivities adapt to the culture of the times and she enjoyed the symbols of very long ago like the decorated Christmas tree as well as the Christian religious icons and then Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol right through to the music and films of a modern Christmas. Christmas represented the joy of human existence and for Charlotte affirmed why this race of humans on planet Earth were worthy of all the work over the ages from her and her Gayan friends. Charlotte had taken care with her hair and appearance for the special day. Her hair was glossy and golden, fixed back with a red ribbon to match her scarlet lips. Her eyes were bright and cheeks in the pink from the cheery warmth of the house and the Buck’s Fizz since breakfast.
Charlotte opened the door and paused, “Why, Christopher, you look so different today.” And he did. She thought he looked as smart as an Italian film star. He was handsome with the new haircut and it showed he had gained a clear complexion and strong features in the past few months. “Oh, I love the scarf, Chris, and are those presents for us?” she cried delightedly.
When Charlotte had opened the door, Christopher was thunderstruck. She was more beautiful and delightful than ever in her festive colours. He could not speak for the rumbling in his ears and hoped he did not look ridiculous, frozen speechless in time. Charlotte saw none of this; he just looked cool standing there quietly with a quirky smile on his lips. Fortunately Charlotte started talking to cover his silence and then gave him a quick hug and hustled him inside.
Charlotte showed Christopher into the living room and he deposited his presents on the floor beside him. Charlotte’s mother and father came in and welcomed him with a cheery “Merry Christmas.” Charlotte’s father poured a Fino sherry from a fine-looking bottle for Christopher. He took a sip. It was remarkably good for a drink that he would not consider buying normally but that fitted well with the moment. Charlotte’s mother was looking a little flustered and muttered a report on dinner progress with worries about the turkey being too brown and maybe dry. Charlotte told her not to worry, it would be fine as always. Christopher was carried away in the bustle of their preparations and he was sure he was in for a very fine meal indeed. Charlotte’s father poured four more sherries and they all paused to open their presents.
Charlotte’s mother started with the big long box, splendid in gold paper and bows. Once the wrap was partly removed the impressive bouquet could be seen through the clear plastic window. It was indeed breathtaking and Charlotte’s mother did just that, before kissing Christopher on the cheek. She waited while the others attended their presents with the distracted look of a lady with new flowers that needed arranging in fresh water before some catastrophe set in and they wilted away. Charlotte’s father opened his present and declared that he would never be cold again with his new hat and scarf. Charlotte then turned to her smallest present and struggled to remove the various ribbons entangling it. She opened the box and looked bemused by the contents until she worked out that it was a silver bracelet with charms in individual velvet bags for her to open and attach. The contents were a mixture of crystals and Christmas-themed charms: tree, snowflake, snowman and similar. It took a while for Charlotte to assemble the bracelet, then she offered her wrist and the bracelet to Christopher to attach. He fiddled with it briefly and then fitted the clasp to one of the links. Charlotte flipped it around in the lights of the nearby Christmas tree and thanked Christopher profusely, “It’s really beautiful, Chris.” He was delighted and relieved as she showed it off to her mother. It did look good. Charlotte then broke off and dived under the tree to produce a flat box in red paper. ‘Christopher’ was on the label. She handed it over to him and he opened the box. Inside was a navy woollen dressing gown. “Just what I need,” Christopher said gallantly. He did need one and would never have gotten round to it on his own.
The afternoon passed in a long rosy glow of food, drink and conversation. Charlotte’s mother produced the perfectly cooked turkey dinner despite repeated protestations about it being overly brown and dry. The orange sauce would solve any dryness issues thought Christopher in his matter-of-fact, scientific way but even he realised that this was not just an objective assessment; it was about the effort to attain the perfect presentation for the culinary culmination of the year. Charlotte’s family philosophy was clearly to purchase any food or drink item that may be requested by any putative guest over the holidays. This resulted in a surfeit of comestibles they all now realised were in excess of their pooled abilities to consume over the extended holiday period. Darkness fell and into the evening they moved back to the lounge for an uplifting viewing of the latest animated Disney version of A Christmas Carol with its spectacular sp
ecial effects. Beyond that they indulged in several rounds of charades accompanied by waves of savoury snacks and sweetmeats.
Eventually it dawned on the whole family that time had passed them by and Christopher reluctantly volunteered it was time to leave. It had been a wonderful day and he professed his many thanks for being so well cared for. Charlotte’s parents busied themselves in the kitchen as Charlotte escorted Christopher to the door. “It’s been a very lovely Christmas, Chris. So pleased you came to share it with us.”
“I had a fantastic time, Charlotte. Please thank your mum and dad over again for me,” he replied and hugged her tightly, enjoying the firmness of her body through her soft sweater against his thick coat and scarf. He sensed the heady aroma of winter spices and her perfume and did not want to let her go.
“Chris, I shall pop if you hold me any tighter after all that food,” she laughed and they broke apart.
Christopher was mock crestfallen. “All right then, I guess I shall have to set off into the cold, starry, starry night,” He said before setting off for the gate. The night was indeed still and very cold, the stars hanging like decorations in their splendour. Charlotte looked up and in the southern sky the constellation of Orion pointed past the bright orange star Aldebaran in the Hyades to her home in the Seven Sisters star cluster. She stared into the bright smear also known as the Pleiades and could discern the tight cluster of several of the brightest stars that thronged the night skies of her home world she knew so well. She had a moment’s sadness about missing the holidays back on Gaya. There they had several annual festivals but somehow they lacked the joyous confusion of religious and natural themes that inspired the people so much here on Earth at Christmas.
Charlotte looked down again and Christopher had turned to wave overhead back to her. The spirits and the day with Charlotte raised him lighter on his feet despite the fact he had eaten just about everything possible in the festive celebration. As he turned to walk away Charlotte was pretty sure she saw him actually skip a step as he headed for home. She watched him walking away under the stars, enjoying the moment, for it would soon be time to leave family again and return to university.
FOURTEEN
Saturday 11th February was Daniel’s birthday. He was already a popular figure at Jesus, remarkably cool and easy-going for a fresher where so many of his peers were seeking to establish their identity outside their school and family lives for the first time. He was both a raconteur and good listener with a stream of anecdotes way in advance of his apparent years. Beyond that his athletic prowess was a welcome upgrade to the soccer and rowing clubs seeking to replace the talents that had graduated and left Jesus College the previous summer. The rugby club were scouting for him to join them too but he only had so much time. Very early starts midweek for rowing training on the Cam downstream from Magdalene Bridge could be accommodated with football training and league games on weekend afternoons but a third team sport would not have fitted in. Medics were famous for their busy work and social lives; it served them well for their future career demands.
Daniel had been persuaded to join in with the football club captain and two other friends to celebrate their birthdays that all fell in the same two-week period in February. The football club captain was in his third year and had the contacts to book the medieval hall in college for the party; sharing the costs four ways softened the financial blow to their student budgets. They had hired the standard Jesus College disco company and arranged for the college to run the bar so there was no charge for staffing that. Starting the party at nine o’clock was the final touch; no need to provide food as guests would already have eaten and would arrive already in good spirits. Partygoers would pay for their own drinks.
Daniel and the other three hosts had helped clear the room from an earlier dinner and installed the disco on the raised dais at one end. The bar was set up on linen-covered trestles at the opposite corner close to the entrance doors. Tilted kegs of beer attended by black-suited college staff awaited their drinkers at one end with wine and spirits for sale at the other. In truth, the hall, with panelled walls rising through white plaster, portraits and stained-glass windows up to arches and vaulted roof in black, did not feel much like a party venue to begin with but, once installed, the disco light show did a great job raking the white walls and chandeliers with vivid colour and the black roof high above leant an airy aspect like a night sky soaring over the joyful celebration.
Daniel and his three fellow hosts deserved a drink as they bustled round the hall making preparations. Fortunately, one of the bar staff was on hand to serve out pints of golden Green King ale in traditional mugs to the deserving workers so they were in good humour when all was done for the nine o’clock start time. Just a few people arrived early and there was that deflating hiatus as they and the room were all dressed up but with no atmosphere until everyone arrived, so the disco was playing low volume and the few drinkers there were chatting more like a group in a pub than a student birthday party.
One hour later, Joe and Charlotte were arriving at Jesus College after a twenty-minute walk from Queens’ College. They had been first on Daniel’s list of invitees though he was the only one who knew why. They were playing the supposed couple at a party where few people would recognise them. Queens’ College was at the opposite end of the cluster of old colleges along the River Cam from Jesus, so they were likely to be the only guests from Queens’. There was little chance for relationships to form between the student bodies of these two colleges, being as far apart as they were. This gave Joe and Charlotte the chance for a great night out mainly in their own company within the party atmosphere kindly provided by Daniel. They showed their invitations at Jesus Porters’ Lodge and were guided on to the hall, where the music volume had increased, and as they stepped through the door the room was now crowded. The lighting was impressive after all, dim enough to remove lingering inhibitions, bright enough to recognise friends if camouflaged by wild colours and shapes. The early party noise was impressive; everyone was talking at once at full volume to be heard above the hubbub.
Joe and Charlotte walked straight into Daniel who had stationed himself by the door to greet his guests. Daniel was dressed for the party rather than the weather. Blue long-sleeved top, sleeves rolled to the elbow, white chinos and plain new sneakers in dark blue with white soles to enhance his athletic look, in harmony with his close-cropped hair and neat moustache–goatee combination. They only had a brief moment to take this in before Joe was engulfed in a Daniel bear hug. “Hey, look you guys!” he addressed the small group of footballers he had been talking with, “It’s the Queens’ guy who got me sent off for scrapping in our last league game. No hard feelings, hey?”
Joe was still wrapped in Daniel’s welcome hug and whispered, “Very good Al, very funny,” in his ear then declaring to the wider audience, “Had to come to prove no hard feelings – who won that game anyway?!”
“And don’t tell me this lovely lady is with you, Joe?” Daniel continued to play to his gallery, standing back to admire Charlotte who struck a couple of poses under his admiring gaze. Joe and Charlotte were in student standard jeans and shirts, Charlotte had somehow lost her jacket already and made the student gear look spectacular in patent heels, jeans fitting like a second skin. “You better hang on to her tight tonight, man, just look at all these hounds droolin’,” and then Charlotte also had to submit to the big Daniel hug.
“Never knew you felt that way after aaaaaall this time,” she joked into his ear.
“Let me get you guys a drink?” Daniel parted from Charlotte and ushered Joe and her through to the bar set up in the corner. “Beer’s good tonight, Joe?” he inquired and Joe nodded assent. “Charlotte, what’s your fancy?”
Charlotte thought a second then plumped for the Sauvignon Blanc. The three of them formed a little huddle, the upwelling of noise and milling of people protecting them in the eye of their little storm of party exuberance. “
OK for you both to come tonight?” Daniel asked sotto voce.
“Looking forward to it, Daniel,” Charlotte replied. “We don’t get much chance to go out together and get properly relaxed, do we, Joe?”
Joe shrugged and smiled, “Wouldn’t miss your birthday celebrations, Daniel. Like Charlotte says, it’s really good to get away and the only person we know here is you!”
“All good then,” declared Daniel. “Enjoy yourselves and we can talk business another time… ”
A short line of three girls danced past, the lead one, a redhead, knocked Daniel’s elbow, “Hi Daniel,” she piped up.
“Oh hi, er hi,” Daniel replied as she had already moved along, towing the second girl who also smiled and said “Hi.” The third girl broke free and stood facing Daniel. A blonde waif, almost silvery, all the more still and stationary as the lights played wildly across her slight frame. They were unsure whether they actually spoke a greeting but their eyes locked together for a long moment. Joe and Charlotte looked meaningfully at each other behind Alron’s turned back. The moment was starting to draw out when she raised her hand slightly in greeting or farewell, or both, to Daniel and started to move on. Daniel raised his hand slightly in accord then let it slip back again. She moved on into the crowd.
Daniel turned back, “Who was that girl?” he asked Joe and Charlotte, slightly dazed.
“Beats us, Daniel. I believe this is your party… ” Joe said.
“Come on Joe – let’s take a look around,” Charlotte pulled Joe into the crowd. “Looks like our Daniel felt the thunderbolt just now,” she observed.
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