Guess Who's Coming to Christmas Dinner

by Laura Lockington

  “Hang on a moment,” Laurie said. “I can see you don’t take me seriously because of these bloody contact lenses. Let me take them out. They’re killing me to be honest. It’s revolting to watch. I’m going in the bathroom. Pour us some more bubbly...back in two ticks!”

  Sophie slowly poured some of the golden bubbles into his glass, and sat down heavily at the kitchen table. She could hear Laurie grumbling from the bathroom as he removed the icy blue contact lenses.

  “Bloody hell – they hurt! How people do this day after day is beyond me. The optician swears I’ll get used to them....” he bounded back in the room and snatched up his glass.

  “Let’s drink to Lala Land and to you and Bella coming over and making my life complete,” Laurie said with a flourish and a confidence that Sophie found hard to believe. That awkwardness seemed to have gone, but then he was an actor, wasn’t he? Perhaps he was acting right this second.

  “Laurie, are you gay?” Sophie blurted out and then clamped her hand to her mouth.

  “What?” Laurie banged his glass down onto the kitchen table, staring at her. Then, much to Sophie’s relief he started to laugh.

  “Come here,” he said, standing up and pulling Sophie out of her chair, holding her hands whilst drawing her closer to him. He slowly bent his head towards her and softly kissed her on the mouth. There was hesitancy there, as if he were waiting for an invitation.

  Sophie stood in her kitchen, with Laurie’s arms around her and his mouth on hers, and then almost against her will, she felt her body respond. She was kissing him back and her arms tightened around him. Their tongues met and her grasp became tighter. He was stroking the back of her head and his other hand was running up and down her back. No thoughts were running through her head at all now, just the lovely feeling of utter happiness. She kissed him back with a passion that took her completely by surprise. After a few minutes, they drew apart and stood looking at one another.

  “Sophie...the only reason that I haven’t done that before was…well…I’ve seen how you worry about money and giving Bella all that she needs, but now, well, now... I’m secure...no, that’s not true of course, an actor is rarely secure, but I know I’m going to make it. I know it! Come with me Sophie. Please.” Laurie said holding her away from him so that he could look at her properly.

  Sophie stared into his normal eyes, which were a pale hazel colour with flecks of gold in them. His hair was tousled out of its vampire Edwardian slick back where she had run her hands through it. She fumbled for some words to say to him, but found she had none. She felt physically weak, her legs were actually shaking. She suddenly laughed.

  All she could think was the childish thought that she would text Susi tonight with the words ‘He’s definitely not gay’.

  Chapter Six

  Sophie woke in the morning with a definite sense of the unfamiliar. She lay very still with her eyes staring around her bedroom, checking that all was well. The stripped pine wardrobe that had scarves draped over it loomed out of the darkness, and the old mirror above her dressing table reflected a cold, gloomy light of the windows. A persistent but gentle snoring reached her from the other side of the bed. Oh god... she had forgotten!

  Laurie was stretched out on his back, his arms flung over his head, his mouth slightly open and a smile etched on his face even when asleep. She gently edged away from him and swung her legs onto the cold floor, feeling with her feet for the sheepskin slippers that she knew were there. She quickly flung her dressing gown over her naked body and hurried to the bathroom. Her teeth could definitely do with a clean. Garlic and champagne breath was not the most romantic. She giggled with delight as she remembered last night. What a night. She shivered in the bathroom, partly from cold and partly with joy as she remembered Laurie’s lovemaking.

  They had made love, talked, made love again and talked again all night, it felt like. Hatching plans and being playful. Sophie had not committed to going to LA, but Laurie could tell that she was tempted. Even if it was just for a holiday.

  “Look, Sophie, I don’t expect you to move in with me, though god knows I’d love it – but we could just, well, you know, see how it goes, couldn’t we? Just think about it at least,” Laurie had said last night in bed, holding her close. “And... Bella would love it, I know she would!” Laurie had whispered, playing his trump card. Sophie smiled at the memory. Bella did indeed adore Laurie. Whether she loved him was a different matter. Time alone would tell that.

  She ran into the kitchen to make some coffee and take it to Laurie. She stood in the kitchen gazing out of the window, the kettle in her hand. It had snowed overnight. The bough of the old apple tree that overhung her fence was laden with it. Sophie put the kettle on, and ran into the living room to see that the normally busy road was pretty much deserted. The snow had worked its magic on the London street turning it into a scene from Narnia. Even in the dark morning light, Sophie could see no patch of pavement or tarmac showing and all parked cars had thick blankets of white. Small flakes of snow were still drifting down and even as she looked she could see that it was getting heavier. As she waited for the coffee, she braved the back garden in her slippers to knock off the snow from the bird table and replenish it was some seeds and nuts that she kept for them. Poor little things. She’d like to invite them into the kitchen to wait out the winter in the warm. She had a fleeting thought of the fox she’d seen, and hoped that it was tucked up snug and warm somewhere safe. Bella! Oh god, Bella would be so excited to see the snow. Sophie wished with all her heart that she had been here...though she knew with certainty that the joys of last night would never have happened. She shook her head, banishing the thought. She had a brief daydream of Laurie and Bella making a snowman and having a snowball fight in the park. Maybe even a sled run down the steep hill there? She glanced at the time and decided that it was too early to call Archie’s number and hear her daughter’s voice. Too early even to call Aunt Dot and see how she was. Later. She’d catch up with reality later.

  She poured the aromatic coffee into two blue and white striped mugs and added milk, and padded carefully into the bedroom, slipping back beside Laurie, after carefully putting the coffee down on the marble topped washstand that served as her bedside table. She rejoiced in the warmth of the bed after the intense cold of her flat.

  “Come here, you!” Laurie smiled at her, rolling on his side and grabbing her towards him, “I smelt the coffee and was desperately hoping that you’d bring it in... how long do we have before we absolutely have to get up?”

  “At least an hour,” Sophie said, snuggling up to him. She had to be at the shop at ten and she was working till late, but she had tomorrow off as it was Christmas Eve and was prepping for the party and running all those last minute errands that happened at this time of the year. Thank god she had all of Bella’s presents wrapped and well hidden; all she had to do was her stocking. She’d even bought Laurie a small present, Bella had insisted that he would love a pair of Santa socks and a plastic dinosaur pencil sharpener. Sophie smiled at the thought of it, and made a mental note to get him something else as well.

  “An awful lot can be done in an hour,” Laurie muttered, sliding his hands down her body.

  It turned out that he was absolutely right. Sophie was astounded at herself. There was no awkwardness or strangeness about being with Laurie. It felt like they had been together for years. Their coffee grew cold and the snow continued to fall, but neither of them seemed to care.

  Their reverie was soon shattered by the insistent ringing of Sophie’s phone. Sophie listened to Archie’s voice on the other end of the phone, feeling a terrible sense of panic. “Just what are you saying Archie? How’s Bella? Is she alright?” Sophie saw that Laurie was propped on his elbow looking at her in alarm. She couldn’t understand what Archie was saying. He seemed to be crying. Sophie found herself standing in the cold bedroom, naked, pressing the phone so tightly to her ear that it hurt.

  “Just tell me! Tell me now! What is it?” So
phie shouted into the phone. She was aware that Laurie had scrambled out of bed and was draping a dressing gown round her. The room froze around her as she imagined all sorts of terrible things that could have happened to make Archie sound like this. Maybe Bella was trapped in a fire, or had been in a car accident.

  “Stop crying Archie! Tell me what it is!” Sophie pushed Laurie away, who was standing beside her with his arms around her. She listened to Archie’s voice and then abruptly sat on the bed. The dishevelled duvet and crumpled pillows seemed to look at her with reproachful eyes. She saw Laurie from the corner of her eye scramble into his clothes. He looked incongruous in the Edwardian suit that he’d hired. She turned away from him, pressing the phone to her ear.

  “What? Wait a moment....so Bella is fine? I just need you to tell me that...” Sophie could her voice raised to shouting point. Sophie ran her hands through her hair and stared unseeingly at Laurie who was now fully dressed, minus his moss green cravat tie and shoes.

  “Let me get this straight Archie, you’re in this state because Bertha has left you. Is that right? You have to calm down. You’ll be scaring Bella. Where is she? By herself? For god’s sake Archie, please! Pull yourself together!” Sophie relaxed slightly, and started to shake out the duvet, banging the pillows back into shape. She started to strip the bedclothes off the bed, hampered as the phone was still clamped to her ear with one hand. Laurie came to help her, tugging the pillows from the pale striped linen pillowcases.

  “Right...I see...well, I’ll see you both later on then. And please, do calm down Archie. You must think of Bella you know...and drive carefully. It’s really thick snow here…bye.” She sat on the bed with a dazed expression on her face, and promptly burst into tears. Laurie came to sit by her side and gingerly put his arm around her.

  “What is it, what’s happened?” he said, gently stroking her back.Sophie covered her face in her hands and sobbed. “I’m being stupid I know, but he’s so upset because Bertha has left him, and he’s crying, crying like he’s lost everything....and he’s left Bella outside in their garden making a snowman by herself! And he wants to come over here with Bella as he doesn’t want to be alone...and...and....” Sophie’s wailed. Laurie stroked her hair whilst Sophie sobbed. The phone went again, and Sophie jumped to answer it, knocking Laurie’s arm away from her shoulders.

  “Yes, Archie? Oh...no, sorry Mum, it’s just that....what? Oh, god....poor Aunt Dot....can I speak to her? No, no, of course I understand....give her my love and I’ll call you later....yes, yes....I will, bye.” Sophie sat in silence on her bed, wiping her eyes.

  “That was my mum. My Aunt Dot had a bad fall yesterday and my mum and dad are staying with her over Christmas so they won’t be coming here after all. They thought she might have broken her hip, but she’d just badly bruised and shaken up. And they say the weather is really bad down there anyway and they don’t want to drive in it.” Sophie wiped her eyes again.

  She looked at Laurie who was sitting beside her, staring at his feet. She glanced down. She knew that the shiny black brogues were part of the vampire look. She had a fleeting image of Laurie buying them in a posh shop. She sniffed again and it seemed that all the plans that they’d hesitantly spoke about last night seemed insignificant. Archie was coming home. With their daughter. It had been what she had wanted for over a year. The silence settled over them both like the snow outside.

  They both jumped when the phone went again. It was Maria this time. She asked Sophie to open up as driving was impossible in the snow and she’d have to walk in. Sophie jumped off the bed, galvanised into action. There was so much to do, she thought, watching Laurie who was running his hands through his hair.

  “Look, Laurie, I think, well, I think you’d better go....I, I have to open up and get ready and…” The words tumbled from Sophie’s mouth.

  “Sophie – stop. Wait a minute. I know that Archie is dropping Bella off here, but–”

  “No. You don’t understand Laurie,” Sophie said quietly. “He’s not dropping her off. He wants to come home for good.”

  Chapter Seven

  It took Sophie over half an hour to get to Pastons through the snow. She’d watched two cars slowly and gracefully collide with one another in a skid that happened in slow motion in the street, like two swans sliding on ice. The drivers were very jolly about it, ruefully examining the damage, and exchanging numbers. People were shovelling snow from the paths, and children were already so over excited that it looked like they would fizz over, like champagne poured too quickly in a glass. Bella would be so happy to have the snow; it was probably the best Christmas present she could have. Sophie’s heart lurched at the thought of her daughter, and how much she longed to hold her in her arms again. The high street was muffled with the snow and eerily quiet. The usual hum of the traffic was replaced with muted, shuffling footsteps and the delighted shouts of children. Sophie wondered how on earth Archie was going to drive. It seemed impossible. There weren’t even any buses, not that she could see anyway. There were a few people hanging hopefully around the bus stops, but mostly people were trudging through the snow which was still falling. The shop beside Pastons, a hairdressers, wasn’t open, nor was the shop the other side, a small and very expensive dress shop. Sophie kicked the snow away from the threshold with her booted feet and unlocked the door. She flicked the lights on and started to get the shop ready for the day, unwrapping cheeses and removing tubs of food from the fridge into the display cabinet. It was bitterly cold in the shop, and Sophie hurried through her tasks, promising herself a coffee as soon as she’d finished.

  When the shop was ready, she flicked the ‘open’ sign at the door, and stood with her coffee staring out of the window. She gingerly took a sip, but it was still way too hot. She knew that they were due a delivery of bread and cakes this morning, but it seemed very doubtful unless there was a sudden thaw. She glanced up at the sky, which was a leaden grey, with snowflakes tumbling down still from it like a goose being plucked in heaven. Sophie sighed. It was a phrase that her grandmother used to say, and it reminded Sophie of her mum who she wasn’t going to seeing after all this Christmas. Snowbound and looking after Aunt Dot. Her mind shied away from thinking too much about Laurie, or Archie. It all seemed a bit of a dream.

  She heard her phone make that little bleep which told her that she had a text. She pulled it from her pocket and saw that it was from Susi.

  Gr8. No work for me! Ned called this morning and told us all to stay at home  Need some help? DYING to hear about the boy next door! LOL XXXXXX

  Sophie sighed again. She rather selfishly wanted Bella all to herself today, whenever Archie managed to get here. But maybe having Susi around might be a good thing? She quickly composed a text to her friend explaining about the Archie situation, perhaps best not to say anything at all about Laurie, Sophie thought, much as she longed to chat to Susi about it.

  The first customer of the day was Lynne. She was wearing a very sensible red ski jacket with enormous moon boots and a green hat which made her look like a small, cross elf. Nathan was practically circular in his padded coat and mittens. He ran to Sophie and hugged her knees.

  “It’s SNOWING!” he shouted, gazing up at her with wild excited eyes. Sophie smiled at him.

  “I know…great, isn’t it?”

  Lynne sniffed. “Not really, though I do see it’s fun for the kiddies. I hope you’ve picked up your turkey Sophie? I’m so glad mine is all done. Most of the shops seem to be closed...” Lynne allowed herself a little smile at being so forward minded and organised. “It’s all very worrying for the party isn’t it?” Sophie realised with a jolt of guilt that Lynne meant Nathan’s party this afternoon, not her party tomorrow night.

  “Oh, I’m sure people will try and get there... how did the cake turn out?” Sophie said brightly, determined not to tell Lynne just yet about Archie, and determined never to tell her anything at all about Laurie. She’d be horrified. Lynne always showed her distaste of ‘that sort of th
ing’ with a frown and pursed lips. Sophie often thought that she must have had Nathan by osmosis, she never mentioned Nathan’s father, and Sophie didn’t like to pry. But Lynne always was very disapproving of any romance, or girls’ talk about boys.

  Lynne chose some cheese from the display and made a round eyed look of surprise at the price of it, even though Sophie had been more than generous with the weighing of it.

  “I don’t even really like it,” Lynne said, holding the gorgeously aromatic blue cheese away from her and burying it in her shopping bag. One of those worthy plastic ‘bags for life’ Sophie noticed, feeling guilty that she never seemed to remember to take hers out with her. “But mum and dad do, and you have to have a cheese board, don’t you?” Well, no, not really, thought Sophie, not if you don’t want to. But she smiled and nodded at Lynne. She picked up a foil wrapped chocolate ladybird and bent down to give it to Nathan, “Happy birthday Nathan,” she said kissing him on his cold rosy cheek and breathing in the little boy smell that lingered about him.

  “No need for that Sophie!” Lynne exclaimed, “You and Bella have already given him a present, and what do you say Nathan?” Lynne nudged him.

  “Thank YOU,” Nathan bellowed, his mouth full of chocolate. He was hopping from foot to foot, anxious to be off in the snow, Sophie could tell.

  As soon as they’d gone, Maria arrived, pushing open the door with her shoulders and banging the snow off her purple beret.

  “My god, it’s cold out there!” she said, hurrying behind the counter, slipping off her quilted coat. “And it’s getting worse, I swear! It’s over my boots and it’s still snowing....how are you?” Good question, Sophie thought and the answer is: I really don’t know. I had the most marvellous evening and was planning at the very least a trip to LA and now... well, now Archie is coming home and it’s all changed, and really I just don’t know how I feel. I want to see my daughter. That’s the only thing that I do know for certain. But she smiled at Maria and offered her some coffee.