One Hundred Christmas Proposals

by Holly Martin

  ‘That’s right, we did. But when we get the camera back, I’ll email over all the pictures of Bella that I can find.’

  ‘Sounds perfect,’ Dad said, blowing raspberries on Bella’s cheeks much to her delight – and Mum’s disgust. ‘Let’s go in the front room anyway, much more room in there.’

  He gestured for Mum to go ahead of him and Harry led the way, discreetly blocking her view of the pictures of Badger hanging in the hall. As Mum disappeared into the front room, Dad went to follow. ‘And then Badger can stop hiding in the pantry,’ he said as he walked down the hall.

  I stared at Jules in shock then we followed them into the front room, closing the door behind us, hoping that Badger had the good sense to escape the house while he had the chance.

  Mum settled herself on the sofa as we all heard a big thud from the kitchen.

  ‘Shall we put the TV on,’ Jules said at the same time that Harry launched himself towards the stereo.

  ‘No I’d rather not have my senses assaulted with inane daytime TV. What was that noise?’

  ‘What noise?’ I said

  As if on cue the loud thud came again.

  ‘That noise.’

  ‘Probably the cat trying to get in through the cat flap.’

  ‘You have a cat here with Bella? That’s terribly dangerous and very unhygienic. Cats are filthy animals.’

  ‘Cats are very clean actually,’ Harry said, ‘and Jemima used to be my cat, she’s very friendly, especially around children.’

  ‘I’ve heard stories of cats lying on babies’ faces and suffocating them.’

  ‘Jemima sleeps down here during the night. The door is always closed,’ Jules said

  ‘What if she got out?’

  ‘What if the sky fell down?’ Jules snapped.

  ‘How about a nice trip to the park instead?’ Dad tried.

  ‘George, it’s a foot deep in snow out there and freezing temperatures. Are you trying to give me hypothermia?’

  The thud came again.

  ‘How big is this cat? It sounds like a lion is trying to get in.’

  ‘So what are your plans while you’re here?’ I said, loudly.

  ‘We’re going to the Tower of London,’ Dad said. ‘I’ve always wanted to see the Crown Jewels.’

  ‘Ooh we have a proposal there today.’

  ‘This silly proposal business, when are you going to get yourself a proper job,’ Mum said.

  ‘Our proposal company is doing really well actually,’ Harry said. ‘You should be incredibly proud of Suzie.’

  ‘But it’s never going to pay the bills is it. How much did you earn from it this year?’

  Harry didn’t miss a beat. ‘Fifty-six thousand pounds.’

  I had no idea how much we had earned this year. Harry handled the accounts. We’d had a good year what with the One Hundred Proposals promotion and then the Christmas proposals but I didn’t think it was anywhere near that, maybe half that. But regardless of whether Harry was telling the truth, Mum had found herself speechless for the first time that I could remember.

  Dad making Bella squeal and giggle was the only sound to punctuate the silence.

  ‘Any other plans?’ I asked.

  ‘Well we have this stupid farce to attend to on New Year’s Eve,’ Mum found her voice at last.

  ‘What’s that then?’ I asked.

  ‘I bought tickets to some show in London,’ Dad said, quickly. ‘Your mum doesn’t really want to go.’

  Mum sighed dramatically to prove her point.

  ‘What’s the show?’ I asked, keen to stay on safer subjects.

  Mum pursed her lips again. She was good at that look. Dad clearly floundered to describe it.

  ‘I think it’s a Shakespeare play but not one of his best,’ Mum said. ‘It’s about a foolish man trying to prove his love for someone who is way out of his league – he does it in the most stupid ways possible and in the end the woman, who was blinded by love for him to start with, ends up leaving him because she sees what a stupid, silly little boy he is.’

  There was a stunned silence in the room and I didn’t understand why. Jules stared at her in anger and in shock. Dad looked embarrassed while Harry looked absolutely heartbroken. Dad leaned over to Mum and whispered in her ear, and though no one else could hear it, I heard every word.

  ‘You can be incredibly spiteful sometimes, it makes me ashamed to have you as my wife.’

  This was the first time I’d ever heard him stand up to her and I didn’t even understand why. The play sounded pretty lame and knowing Mum and her penchant for not wanting to do anything it was hardly worth that kind of attack from Dad.

  Mum was stunned and busied herself in her handbag, to detract from how hurt she was by what he’d said.

  ‘It’s an incredible love story actually,’ Jules said. ‘Of two people who were made to be together. Soul mates. You know, that kind of love you read about in books and see in movies. The kind of eternal, everlasting love that normal people can only dream about. She sees him like no one else ever has, she loves him like no one else with every single part of her. And boy he loves her, I’ve never seen anyone love a woman as much as this man loves her. And sometimes he does silly things to prove how much he loves her, but she doesn’t care because there is nothing he could do that could ever damage the love she has for him. It has a beautiful happy ending.’

  Harry turned away smiling and I could see he had tears in his eyes. I was thoroughly confused.

  Mum still had no words and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife.

  ‘Well this has been a nice visit.’ Dad stood up, giving Jules a warm kiss on the cheek as he handed back his granddaughter and then adorning Bella with the same treatment. ‘Suzie, lovely to see you as always.’ He kissed me on the cheek, hugging me affectionately. He gave Harry a big hug. ‘I love you son.’ And then he took Mum by the arm and escorted her out.

  We heard the front door close and we collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘Your mum doesn’t get any nicer does she?’ Jules said, disappearing into the kitchen to let Badger out of the pantry.

  I went to Harry and put my arms around him. ‘You ok?’

  He nodded, kissing me hard. He leaned his forehead against mine. ‘Let’s go home.’

  *

  As soon as we got through the door Harry was all over me, kissing me hard, pushing me back against the wall, his hands pulling at my clothes. For a moment I let him, but there was something urgent about his kiss, something desperate.

  ‘Hey,’ I stopped him with my hand against his chest. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing.’ He went to kiss me again but I stopped him.

  ‘Something’s wrong. Was Mum indirectly attacking you whilst she was talking about that show?’

  He hesitated but then nodded. Anger ripped through me at what she’d said. How dare she say those things about us. ‘Is that was has you so spooked?’

  He nodded again. ‘Sort of, I guess.’

  ‘She doesn’t know anything about me, about us. She doesn’t know how completely and utterly happy you make me, or how much I love you. She’s just spiteful and mean and gets her kicks with attacking anyone and everyone in any way that she can. You know that. You know you can’t take any of what she says to heart.’

  ‘She’s right though. I’ve cocked up spectacularly with this Christmas present. You’re going to hate it.’

  ‘I won’t, I’ll love it – it’s come from you. I promise you, whatever it is, I’ll love it.’

  ‘It was supposed to be fun, I thought you would like it, something different. I don’t know, I just wanted to surprise you, make you smile and…’

  ‘What are you so worried about? Do you seriously think that I’ll hate it that much I’m going to leave you.’

  I saw the fear in his eyes as his answer. ‘Harry, no, how can you think that?’ I pushed him away from me and walked into the front room. I heard him follow me, he didn’t come in though, he
just stood at the door anxiously.

  ‘We can’t live our whole lives with fear and doubt in our hearts, you can’t sit waiting for me to leave you for the rest of our lives. What can I do to convince you I’m in this for the long haul? I tell you I love you every day, we make love every day – do you not see how much you mean to me when we hold each other in our arms, when we stare into each other’s eyes, do you not see it then? I don’t know what else I can do to prove how much I love you.’

  Harry still looked doubtful as he slowly came into the room.

  ‘You want me to trust you, and I do. I knew in my heart that you hadn’t cheated on me, I was just feeling emotional and vulnerable with all the baby hormones. But trust works both ways, you have to trust me too. There is nothing you can do or say that will push me away – do you understand? We’re going to get married, we’re having a baby. We’re going to be together forever.’

  He took me into his arms and leaned his head against my forehead. I wrapped my arms round his neck, stroking his hair.

  ‘What’s got into you these last few days? I feel like I’m constantly reassuring you.’

  ‘I don’t know, maybe it’s the baby hormones affecting me too.’

  I smiled. ‘Do you want some peeled grapes and ice cream?’

  ‘I want you.’

  ‘You have me, always.’ I hugged him to me, wrapping my arms round his back and holding him close against me. He curled himself around me, leaning his head on top of mine. ‘I promise, when we’re old and grey, I’ll still be here holding you tight. Me, you and a whole pack of little sausages.’

  ‘Ok.’ I could hear the smile in his voice. ‘I trust you.’

  ‘Good.’ I pulled back slightly to look at him. ‘Now my pregnant fiancé, is there any morning sickness along with these baby hormones?’

  He smiled and shook his head.

  ‘Any dizziness, heartburn or food cravings?’ I said.

  ‘Not yet.’

  ‘Ok so you have all that to look forward to.’

  He pulled me back towards him. ‘I can’t wait.’

  *

  Proposer’s Blog

  Christmas Proposal 97: December 28th. Erin and Liam’s Proposal. Location: Tower of London.

  Erin and Liam have been together for nearly two years. They first met at a play Liam was acting in. Erin’s dog Cooper was also in the play acting as Liam’s dog. Liam suggested that they could go for walks together so Cooper could get to know Liam before the play but still feel comfortable and safe because Erin was there. Erin thought this was a lovely idea and was apparently touched by Liam’s sensitivity towards Cooper. Liam openly admits that this was all a ploy to get to spend time with Erin. By the time the curtain fell on the play, they were madly in love.

  Liam always said to Erin that when he proposed he was going to do so with the biggest, fattest diamond he could find. So what better place to propose than the Crown Jewels collection in the Tower of London.

  They slowly walked past each of the exquisite pieces, learning all about the history of each piece. They were dazzled by sapphires, rubies, emeralds, gold, silver and huge whacking diamonds.

  As they neared the end of the exhibit, I (dressed as a security guard) and Suzie (dressed as a guide), escorted them to an exclusive room to see some jewellery that the normal public didn’t see. Erin was very excited. In the room was a glass case, and the same blue velvet that had adorned all the other cases was in this one too. But at first glance there was no jewellery. No big crowns, necklaces or sceptres were in here. But as Erin got close, she could see a tiny gold ring with a solitaire diamond in the middle. She stared at it for a moment and then turned to see Liam down on one knee.

  She screamed, she cried, she sobbed, she squealed and eventually she shouted yes.

  Suzie was in tears again.

  *

  Proposer’s Blog

  Christmas Proposal 98: December 29th. Becca and Daniel’s Proposal. Location: London Jewellery School.

  Becca and Daniel have been together for three years and they have a two month old daughter called Poppy. They first met at a pottery course. Becca was attempting the pottery wheel for the first time and her clay flew off and hit Daniel in the face. When he managed to clear the wet clay from his eyes, he said there was an angel standing over him, desperately trying not to laugh. It was hard to take her apologies seriously when she was laughing so hard, but she insisted on taking him out for a drink to say sorry. She was loud, laughed a lot, swore and didn’t stop talking for one second and he knew he was completely in love with her.

  Since getting together, they’ve been on many different courses – painting, chocolate making, Chinese, history, cake pop making, how to make sushi… to name a few. It became an ongoing competition between them, who could be the best at each course. It seemed fitting then that their proposal formed part of a course as well.

  The London Jewellery School runs various day and evening courses specialising in the skills needed to make a range of different jewellery, including stone setting, engraving and soldering.

  Whilst me and Suzie sat in the corner of the room (me making Suzie a silver twist ring with flowers and leaves engraved on the sides, and Suzie making me a simple two tone ring), Becca was making a silver necklace with multi-coloured beads and Daniel was busily making his piece. As with all their competitions, they kept their pieces private, only willing to share their designs at the end.

  The expert tutors talked us all through the different techniques we needed, guiding us and helping us to create pieces we could all be proud of.

  Finally our pieces were finished and Becca presented her necklace with a flourish. It had beads and stones of every single colour, it clashed but it was a stunning and vibrant piece of work. Daniel gave her a small round of applause and then presented his – a simple silver ring with a diamond set in a twisted claw.

  Swear words were uttered as Daniel slid down to one knee, holding the engagement ring he had made aloft.

  She kissed him hard and he slid the ring onto her finger. She squealed when she saw that it fitted her perfectly, she jumped up and down on the spot and then threw herself into his arms.

  After she had calmed down and we had presented them with their champagne, flowers and chocolates, we asked who had won this particular competition. Becca said that Daniel’s ring was definitely the best.

  Did Suzie cry? Of course she did.

  *

  We stopped off at Jules and Badger’s house on the way back home from the jewellery proposal. Harry said he wanted to check Badger had got out of the pantry but I suspected there was an ulterior motive.

  When we knocked on the door, Jules opened it a crack, presumably to make sure I wasn’t my mum, because she smiled in relief when she saw us. She opened the door wide and I had to laugh at the big bulge of Badger hiding behind the curtain with his feet sticking out the bottom.

  ‘Subtle Badger, she’d never see you there.’

  He emerged grinning and embraced us both in a big hug. ‘Well I’m not going back in the pantry again, no joke, there was a spider in there the size of my head.’

  ‘You’re very brave and heroic,’ I said, dryly.

  ‘I made more cake,’ Jules said and shrugged unapologetically. ‘I blame Harry entirely.’

  We followed them down to the kitchen to do our duty. I wasn’t going to complain too much, Jules made great cakes and the baby seemed to have a hankering for all things sweet at the moment. As Jules sliced the cake, Harry delved into their freezer and dished up a big dollop of ice cream onto the side of my plate. I smiled as I tucked in.

  ‘Have you heard from your mum today?’ Jules asked as Badger made appreciative moans about the chocolate cake he was eating.

  ‘No, have you?’

  She shook her head. ‘I’m hoping we won’t have to see her again now until New Year’s Eve.’

  ‘You’re seeing them on New Year’s Eve?’

  Jules shovelled a big chunk of cake in her m
outh and gestured for Badger to talk for her. His eyes bulged. ‘Erm we’re going to the same show as them coincidentally, we’re bound to bump into them.’

  ‘I don’t think we’ll be that lucky to not see her again, but she didn’t like the way you guys stood up to her yesterday.’

  Jules shrugged. ‘I hate her for what she said about Harry.’

  ‘Hate’s a bit of a strong word, honey,’ Badger said.

  ‘It’s not strong enough,’ Jules muttered.

  ‘I’m not happy about it either,’ I said. ‘Now I know that what she said was about Harry, I’m going to have serious words with her when I see her.’

  ‘No you won’t, I’m not letting you get into an argument with her over me,’ Harry said. ‘We’ll just keep our heads down until she leaves and hope to minimise the damage.’

  I shook my head. ‘I’m not letting her get away with it. It makes me so angry that she would say those things about you. I won’t let her say anything like that again.’

  We fell into silence for a moment while we all ate our respective pieces of cake.

  ‘Ooh, are you guys still going to this proposal thing at St Dunstan’s on New Year’s Eve?’

  I nodded and I couldn’t help smiling at how perfect it was going to be.

  ‘I have something for you, you might want to wear.’ Jules stood up and gestured for me to come with her. We left the boys in the kitchen and I could hear them loudly talking about football as we walked up the stairs, but I knew that was only for my benefit and as soon as I was out of earshot they would probably be discussing my Christmas present – which I suspected was the reason for our visit.

  ‘Harry showed me the dress he bought you for Christmas, I thought you could wear this over the top of it.’

  Jules opened her wardrobe and pulled out a silvery fur floor length cloak.

  ‘Oh that’s beautiful, but where did you get it.’

  ‘I bought it for a costume for a Narnia themed party. I was the White Witch.’

  She passed it to me and I stroked the soft fur.

  ‘It’s fake, I promise, no polar bears or mink were killed in the making of this cloak. Put it on.’

  I swept it round my shoulders and fastened it together with a diamante clip. It hung beautifully and I swished round the room feeling like I was a famous movie star.