Pastures New

by Margaret Thornton

  ‘She’s not as bad as she was. The last time I spoke to her on the phone she said how much she was missing us all.’

  ‘Well, we’ll make them very welcome. They’d better have our bedroom, and we’ll share with the children. We really could do with a bigger house, Sam, then we’d have a guest room …’

  ‘All in good time, love,’ he said. ‘We had to find somewhere quite quickly, you know, and this will do for us for a while.’

  Val imagined the same sort of conversation going on in households all over the country. Which parents do we see on Christmas Day this year? Yours or mine? And what about Auntie Ethel? We can’t leave her on her own … What shall we buy for your mother? We bought her a cashmere scarf last year and I don’t think she liked the colour … We must think of something different for the menfolk; not socks and hankies again …

  Val found it all exciting, though. She loved to see the first Christmas trees appearing in front windows, in shops and in the town square, the coloured lights along the Stray shining out into the darkness and the shop windows with tempting gifts for youngsters and for those who were older. The window at Walker and Wyatt’s was as attractive as any in the town, and Val was happy to be sharing in this new venture.

  Cissie and Walter were also discussing whose turn it was this year.

  ‘We were with your parents last year, Walter,’ she told him. ‘Don’t you remember the remark my mother made about the stuffing? Was it homemade, indeed!’

  ‘No, I can’t say I do,’ replied Walter, ‘but I agree that it’s your parents’ turn this year.’

  Cissie grimaced. ‘I shall have to lend a hand in the kitchen or else Mam will play at being a martyr. And I bet her stuffing will be out of a packet an’ all!’

  Walter laughed. ‘What a palaver it all is! Why don’t we all go out to a restaurant and let somebody else do the cooking?’

  ‘Because Christmas is the time for families to be together, or so they say,’ replied Cissie. ‘You stay at home and cook an enormous meal: turkey and sprouts and pudding, and there’s crackers and fancy hats, and the queen’s speech, then the men fall asleep in front of the telly and the women do the washing-up. Nobody ever thinks of going out on Christmas Day. The restaurants are closed, anyroad. Janice and Phil wouldn’t dream of opening on Christmas Day.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose so,’ said Walter, ‘and I reckon that’s the way it’ll always be. Frayed tempers and screaming kids, and you wish everybody’d clear off home and leave you alone. But it’s all jolly good fun, isn’t it?’ Walter raised his eyebrows and looked heavenwards.

  ‘Of course it is,’ said Cissie. ‘The kids enjoy it an’ I suppose that’s all that matters. It’s Holly’s birthday an’ all. Can you believe she’ll be four this year? Paul will be reminding us that it’s Jesus’s birthday on Christmas Day. He’s a shepherd this year, our Paul …’

  As Cissie had said, Grundy’s was closed for the Christmas period. They reopened for a couple of days and evenings midweek before closing again for the New Year period. There were plenty of hotels and bars in the vicinity where folks could do their merry-making. Families such as theirs with children to consider usually celebrated the coming of the new year more quietly in their own homes.

  And so it was with Janice and Phil. On New Year’s Eve, however, they were pleased to have Val and Sam with them to enjoy supper together and to see in the new year.

  Sam’s parents had travelled from Halifax on the last day of the old year, and said they would be willing to babysit if Val and Sam wanted to go out. So they were able to accept their friends’ invitation to join them for a quiet celebration.

  ‘So how was your Christmas?’ Val asked Janice and Phil when they were all seated round the fire with a glass of sherry. ‘I expect you would be glad of the rest when the restaurant closed?’

  ‘We certainly were. We had a quiet Christmas Day on our own, as we did last year, then we went to see Phil’s parents on Boxing Day. My dad and Norma came on Wednesday and stayed overnight. We opened as usual on Thursday, and they had a good day looking round the shops and the gardens before they drove back. It was good to see them again.’

  ‘And what about Ian? Is he here helping out as usual?’

  ‘Yes, he’s a great help,’ replied Phil. ‘He’s getting very proficient at his job. He came almost as soon as the college finished and he’ll go back the middle of next week.’

  ‘Of course, we are not the only attraction,’ said Janice with a smile. ‘Sophie has been helping here as well and they’ve spent most of their spare time together. They’re out tonight with a group of Sophie’s old school friends and their boyfriends.’

  ‘So it’s all on again with Sophie?’ asked Val.

  ‘Very much so,’ replied Janice. ‘They split up for a while – she had someone at college and Ian was friendly with Alison, that girl from Blackpool that I told you about. But it didn’t last very long. We didn’t ask any questions – Ian’s quite secretive about his private life! But I rather think she was too hot to handle. We like Sophie, don’t we, Phil? They seem right together, somehow.’

  ‘Yes, she’s a nice lass,’ said Phil, ‘but I keep telling you, Janice, it’s too soon for them to make up their minds. They’re very young, and Sophie has another year and a half to do at college.’

  ‘And I keep telling you, Phil, that I was very sure when I met you that you were the one I wanted.’

  ‘And you finally caught me, didn’t you?’ Phil laughed. ‘Only joking, love! I was pretty sure as well about you. I would be pleased if Ian and Sophie stayed together but we’ll just have to wait and see.’

  ‘It was the same with Val and me,’ said Sam. ‘We knew, didn’t we, love?’

  Val nodded happily. ‘I was worried about what Sam’s family would say, though, with me being just an office girl. But they finally accepted me, didn’t they, Sam?’

  ‘I should say so! Nobody knows better than I do what a tyrant my mother can be. But Val’s got round her. She even offered to babysit tonight.’

  ‘Only when they’re both tucked up in bed,’ added Val. ‘I can’t imagine Beatrice changing a nappy.’

  ‘Beatrice, is that what you call her?’ asked Janice.

  ‘Good heavens, no! I wouldn’t dare. I never knew what to call her, but I call her Gran now we’ve got the children.’

  ‘And how is Cissie?’ asked Janice. ‘Have you seen her lately?’

  ‘Yes, we called to see them just before Christmas when we took the presents to everyone. She and Walter seem very happy together after their little crisis.’

  Val had never been one to gossip, but she had told Janice about the reappearance of Jack Broadbent and the trauma it had caused Cissie.

  ‘Yes, I always thought she changed her mind very quickly about Walter,’ said Janice. ‘I hadn’t realized it had gone so far with that Jack fellow she met.’

  ‘She didn’t want to be the odd one out,’ said Val. ‘I’d met Sam and you’d met Phil … and then Jack came along and I suppose Cissie just got carried away. She’s rather insecure, you know. She was really upset at first about us moving here and I know she’d love to be with us tonight.’

  ‘Let’s ring her, then,’ said Janice, ‘and wish them a happy new year. Do you think they’ll be at home?’

  ‘I should imagine so,’ said Val. ‘It’s worth a try, isn’t it?’

  ‘We’ll have our supper first,’ said Janice. ‘It’s all ready, then we’ll give them a ring.’

  Val helped Janice to bring in the food from the kitchen. Fresh salmon sandwiches, vol-au-vents – one of Janice’s specialities – and the inevitable Christmas cake. This was Janice’s version – a lighter cake with glacé cherries, stem ginger, pineapple and golden syrup – a change from the usual darker fruit cake. They dined with plates on their knees around the fire, and after coffee and mints and another glass of sherry it was half-past eleven.

  ‘We’ll ring before midnight,’ said Janice. ‘They may well have friends roun
d, like we have.’

  The telephone was in the living room, and when Janice had dialled it was Cissie who answered. The others could hear her cry of delight.

  ‘Janice! Oh, how lovely to hear from you …’

  ‘Val and Sam are with us. We wish you were here, too.’

  ‘Oh, so do I! We’ve got our parents here, Walter’s and mine, just imagine that!’ Cissie lowered her voice. ‘Actually, it’s all going well. The season of goodwill an’ all that. Walter and me were both only children, you know, so it’s all up to us. Thanks for the pressies; Holly loved her diamond tiara! And Paul’s enjoying his new Enid Blyton book; he can read quite a bit on his own now. They’ll both be sending you thank-you letters … You said Val’s there? Can I speak to her an’ all?’

  New Year greetings were exchanged all round before the six of them promised to meet up early in 1962.

  They enjoyed a last drink as the hands of the clock moved round to twelve, and in the distance they could hear the ringing of church bells. After hugs and kisses and seasonal greetings, Val and Sam set off to walk the short distance home.

  ‘I expect Mother and Father will have gone to bed,’ said Sam, ‘but I didn’t want to be too late, just in case either of the children wake up.’ They stopped by their gate and exchanged a loving kiss.

  ‘A new year in our new home,’ said Sam. ‘Happy New Year, darling …’

  TWENTY-FOUR

  ‘That was a really lovely meal, Valerie,’ said Beatrice on New Year’s Day. ‘Congratulations, my dear. I really believe that was the best meal you’ve ever cooked for us.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Val, pleased at her mother-in-law’s remark but smiling to herself at the slight sting in the tail. Had her previous efforts not come up to scratch? ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it.’

  They had had their dinner at midday so that the children could take part as well. Val, too, was pleased at the way the pork had turned out, sweet and succulent but crispy and nicely browned on the outside. And her pear and apple crumble had proved to be a winner.

  Now there was a mountain of washing up to do, but Sam persuaded her to leave it until later in the day when they would tackle it together. Val knew that Beatrice would not offer to help, neither would she expect her to.

  No meal was complete to Joshua without a cup of tea to follow. Then it was he who suggested that they take a walk to work off the excesses of a hearty meal.

  ‘No, you’re not staying behind to wash up,’ said Sam to Val. ‘I’ve told you, it will keep. It’s a cold day, though, so you must wrap up warmly.’

  ‘I think Lucy would be better in the big pram,’ said Val, ‘rather than her pushchair. She can sit up and see what’s going on.’

  ‘I won’t come with you,’ said Beatrice, although no one had really thought that she would. ‘I have a slight touch of indigestion.’

  ‘Oh dear! I hope it wasn’t the pork,’ said Val.

  ‘No, of course it wasn’t,’ said Beatrice. ‘I’ve had this pain a few times lately but a couple of Rennies usually takes it off.’

  ‘I’ve told you to see the doctor,’ said Joshua.

  ‘I will if it gets any worse, but I keep telling you it’s only indigestion.’

  ‘All right, if you say so …’

  ‘I’m not too sure about Russell going out today,’ said Val. ‘He’s got a real sniffle and he keeps coughing.’

  ‘Don’t pamper him, Val,’ said Sam. ‘He’ll come to no harm. You want to come for a walk with us, don’t you, Russell?’

  Russell looked up from the hearth rug where he was playing with the farm set he had been given for Christmas, sorting out the sheep, cows and pigs, horses and tiny ducks and hens, and arranging them in their various homes. There were barns and stables and pigsties, and stretches of green fields. It kept him happily occupied for hours on end.

  ‘No, don’t want to,’ he said briefly before turning back to his game.

  Sam laughed. ‘Well, that was straight from the horse’s mouth! Perhaps it would be better to leave him, seeing that he’s playing happily, and I suppose he is a little off-colour, Val.’

  ‘Yes; I’ll give him some junior aspirin later with a drink of hot lemon and honey. But it’s best to be occupied when you’ve got a cold; it takes your mind off it.’

  Sam looked at Russell and then at his mother. ‘Mum …’ he began tentatively, ‘… we think it would be better to leave Russell here, if it’s all right with you? He won’t be any trouble because he’s engrossed with his farm. Is that OK? We won’t be very long, but I agree with Dad that we all need some fresh air.’

  ‘Yes … yes, of course that’s all right,’ Beatrice answered a trifle unsurely but she couldn’t very well say no. ‘You’ll stay with Grandma, won’t you, Russell, while Mummy and Daddy and Grandpa go for a walk?’ Her voice was a little strained as she tried to speak cheerfully to her grandson.

  He glanced up and nodded. ‘Yes, all right,’ he said, then turned back to his animals.

  ‘You’ll be OK will you, Mother?’ said Sam. ‘Has your pain gone off?’

  ‘Yes, it’s receding,’ said Beatrice. ‘I shall read the paper and Valerie’s magazine … and keep an eye on Russell.’

  The all departed a few moments later when Lucy had been wrapped in her warm fleecy coat and bonnet with a blanket to cover her legs.

  ‘Bye-bye, Russell,’ she called, waving her hand.

  ‘Bye,’ he said, scarcely looking up.

  ‘Now be a good boy for Grandma,’ said Val.

  He nodded. ‘I’m a good boy now,’ he murmured to himself.

  It seemed very quiet when they had all gone. Beatrice leaned back in the comfortable armchair, feeling glad of a bit of peace and quiet. She looked down at Russell playing so contentedly with his farm. He really was a bonny little lad with his mop of golden gingery hair and his chubby, rosy-cheeked face, although he did look a little peaky today. He didn’t look like either Samuel or Valerie, but then it wasn’t likely that he would. She recalled that she had been very much against the idea of his adoption, to her slight feeling of remorse now. She had never been able to take to him as she had done to darling Rosemary and lovely little Lucy. He had been so very troublesome, too, and she knew that Valerie had despaired of him at times. But now she found herself looking more fondly at him. He turned round as if aware of her glance and smiled at her.

  ‘Good boy, Russell,’ she said quietly.

  She was still aware of the pain in the region of her chest and abdomen. Heartburn, she supposed. The pork that Valerie had cooked was delicious but maybe a little rich. She rummaged in her bag and took a couple more Rennies. She chewed them up then kept very still. But it was getting worse; a real stabbing pain now that seemed to be travelling all around. She gave an involuntary gasp and Russell looked up at her.

  ‘What’s a matter, Gran?’ he said. ‘Have you got a pain?’

  ‘Yes, just a little one, dear,’ she said, ‘but it’ll go soon.’

  But it didn’t go away and she cried out again, clutching at her stomach and rocking back and forth.

  ‘Grandma poorly,’ said Russell. He got up, went over to her and touched her hand. She had her eyes closed now but she had stopped making a noise. A sudden thought came into his head.

  ‘Get the doctor,’ he said more to himself than to her. ‘Ring nine-nine-nine.’

  He ran into the hall where the big black telephone stood on a little table. He climbed up on to a chair at the side and lifted up the phone. It was heavier than the one at playgroup but Mummy had shown him how to use it. He had rung his gran‘s number – not this gran, though, the other one. Very carefully now, he put it to his ear, then he put his finger into the hole where the number nine was and turned it round three times. He heard it ringing, then a lady’s voice said something he didn’t understand.

  Then, ‘Who is there?’ she asked.

  ‘It’s me, Russell James Walker,’ he said, ‘and my gran’s poorly. She’s got a pain.’

 
‘Oh, I see, and where are you, Russell?’ asked the lady.

  ‘I’m at my house …’

  ‘And where is that? Do you know your address … where you live?’

  ‘Number four, Sycamore Avenue, Harrogate,’ he replied. Mummy had told him he must remember his address in case he ever got lost.

  ‘And are you on your own with Grandma?’

  ‘Yes, Mummy and Daddy and Grandpa and Lucy went for a walk. Then Grandma had a pain.’

  ‘Now don’t worry, Russell. We’ll send an ambulance as fast as we can. Will you be able to open the door?’

  ‘Don’t know …’

  ‘Well, I’m sure they’ll get in somehow … How old are you, Russell?’

  ‘I’m three and a bit.’

  ‘Well, you’re a very clever little boy. What is Grandma doing now?’

  ‘I think she’s asleep. She’s got her eyes closed. She’s not crying now.’

  ‘OK, Russell. Somebody will be there soon. Bye-bye, dear.’

  ‘Bye-bye, lady …’

  He went back to his gran, who still had her eyes closed. ‘Ambulance coming, Gran,’ he said. He touched her hand but she didn’t answer.

  He went over to the window, where he climbed on to the settee and looked out.

  ‘Snowing,’ he said as the first flakes began to fall from the leaden sky.

  ‘I do believe it’s snowing,’ said Sam when they had walked along the Stray, almost to the town. ‘It’s certainly been cold enough but I thought it might keep off for a while. Do you want to turn back?’

  ‘No, a bit of snow won’t hurt us,’ said Joshua. ‘I want to see your window display before you change it.’

  But the snow was falling fast now, large, feathery flakes that stuck to their clothing and were already starting to lie on the ground.

  ‘I really think we should go back,’ said Val.

  ‘OK, happen you’re right,’ said Joshua. ‘Back to a nice warm house, eh?’

  They retraced their steps, walking quickly, and Val pulled up the pram hood to protect Lucy.

  ‘There’s an ambulance in your avenue, Sam,’ said Joshua as they drew nearer. ‘I wonder who it is?’ Then, ‘Good God!’ he exclaimed. ‘It’s at your house. What’s going on?’