Escape To Christmas at Corner Cottage

by Sarah Hope

  ‘Hi, no. I just fixed it.’

  ‘Really? Wow. Can I have a look? Sophia, isn’t it? Do you mind?’

  Sophia shrugged and turned so that Natalie could see where the rip had been.

  ‘That’s really good.’

  ‘Not really. It was only on the seam so it was pretty easy. I used to be a dressmaker so it’s just second nature to me.’ Chrissy shrugged. ‘Is your boy in Year 5 too?’ Chrissy shuffled from foot to foot.

  ‘Yes, he is. I bet you two remember him from yesterday, don’t you, girls? He can be a bit loud in class, can’t you, Adam?’ Natalie rubbed at a mark on his coat. ‘I’ve got Kane too, who’s just turned six. He’s over there, playing on the tyres as usual.’

  ‘Not really.’ Adam rolled his eyes.

  ‘Umm, I’m sure there are a few people who might just be daft enough to believe you.’ Laughing, Natalie rocked her pram, shushing the small girl inside. ‘I’m sure she has an allergy to this place. The only time she grizzles is when we step foot in the playground, isn’t that right, Poppy?’

  ‘Bless her. Right, there’s the bell.’ Putting her arms over Evie and Sophia’s shoulders, Chrissy pulled them towards her and kissed them on the tops of their heads. ‘Love you both. Have a great day and try to smile!’

  ‘Bye.’ Pulling away, they sauntered slowly into the cloakroom, their rucksacks pulled up high on their shoulders.

  ‘They’ll settle in soon enough.’ Natalie patted Chrissy’s arm.

  ‘I hope so, they’ve had a lot to deal with recently.’

  ‘Natalie! Natalie! So glad I’ve caught you. I had to run to the office and thought you’d have gone by the time I got back around here.’ Gina rushed up to them, her high heels clicking on the playground. ‘We’ve got problems.’

  ‘Really? I’m sure it’s nothing. You should stop worrying about my wedding. You should be thinking of that one, not about me.’ Natalie patted Gina’s baby bump.

  ‘Believe me, I need something to take my mind off the thoughts of the returning sleepless nights. Plus, Steve does enough worrying for the both of us. Did I tell you he’s already painted the nursery and put the cot up? There’s only so much organising one baby needs. And, you know how much I’m missing the structure of work. I need to be able to channel my organisational skills somewhere.’

  ‘And I’m the lucky one.’ Natalie grinned and laughed before turning to Chrissy.

  ‘Anyway, someone’s got to organise your wedding or you’ll end up not even getting married and you waited long enough for him to pop the question as it is.’

  ‘You’re probably right.’ Natalie shrugged and retrieved Poppy’s dummy from the foot of her pram, returning it to her waiting mouth. ‘Hit me with the drama, then. Have the florists upped their prices again? Because if they have, I’ll just tell them I’ll go elsewhere.’

  ‘I wish. No, the dressmaker emigrated.’ Gina breathed out heavily through her mouth.

  ‘Oh, well, that is a bit more of a problem. Surely she can’t just up and leave when she’s halfway through making a custom dress? She’s already taken half of the money.’ Natalie pushed the pram to a bench at the side of the playground and sat down.

  ‘Yes, well, apparently she can. To be fair, I think her mum has been taken ill so she’s had to go to look after her, but that’s not the point, it’s still unprofessional.’

  ‘What about my dress? And my money?’

  ‘She emailed me yesterday evening so I went round and collected your dress. I haven’t looked at it yet though, so I’m not sure how far she got with it.’

  ‘And the money? I’ve lost that, right? I’ll have to buy another one and will only have half my budget left.’ Bending her head, Natalie wiped her eyes with the corner of Poppy’s blanket. ‘This is silly. Why am I getting upset over a dress? All that matters is that I marry Graham, it shouldn’t matter whether I’m wearing the most expensive wedding dress on the planet or a bin liner.’

  ‘That’s what weddings do to people. Everything becomes more important. And so it should, it’s the most important day of your life and one you’ll remember forever.’

  Chrissy ran her fingers through her hair, yes, it would be one Natalie would remember forever but, well, she certainly didn’t agree that it would be the most important day in Natalie’s life. After all, a marriage could be wiped out with a couple of small words. Something that ‘important’ shouldn’t be able to crumble so easily.

  ‘Try not to panic. I’ve been researching this morning over breakfast and there is a discount bridal shop a couple of hours drive away. They promise that they sell the best of the best at reduced prices. We can go over today and check it out if you like?’

  ‘I don’t know. I had my heart set on my wedding dress. The design has elements of everything that’s important to me and my family. One brought off the rail just won’t be the same.’ Pulling a tissue from her nappy bag, she blew her nose. ‘I had wanted to pass this one down to Poppy, to make it into a family heirloom.’

  ‘Right, I’ll go and grab the dress and bring it over to yours. We can have a look at it and see how much is left to be done on it. Then we can then start looking for another dressmaker.’

  ‘Do you think another dressmaker would take on a half-finished project though? On half the money?’ Natalie shook her head.

  ‘We’ll find someone. I’ve never let you down before, have I?’

  ‘We’ll never find someone at such short notice though, especially with Christmas coming up.’ Natalie took a deep breath. ‘Unless...’

  ‘Unless what?’

  ‘Chrissy?’ Natalie looked up at Chrissy.

  ‘Yes?’ Maybe she wanted her to go. Chrissy looked down at her hands, she hadn’t known whether to go or if that would have looked rude so she’d hung around, thinking that Natalie and Gina would either include her in the conversation or make it obvious to her that she should leave. She had never been good at reading people, at knowing what the social norms were. She’d always felt quite clumsy in these situations. She was too boring, she knew that. Even Andrew had always gone off and left her on her own on the rare occasions they’d managed to get a babysitter and she’d gone alone to one of his friend’s get-togethers. He’d always preferred to go off and talk to one of his mates, leaving Chrissy twiddling her thumbs and wishing she had stayed at home. She hadn’t bothered going out with him for a couple of years now, there had been no point. She’d obviously outstayed her welcome here too. Looking across at the gate out of the playground, Chrissy shrugged. It didn’t matter.

  ‘You probably think I’m being really rude here, but...’ Natalie looked down at her shoes and then back up at Chrissy. ‘You said you used to be a dressmaker? Would you be able to finish my dress for me, please? I’d pay you the going rate, obviously.’

  ‘Umm.’ Chrissy could feel her stomach churning. Her, working on a wedding dress. Just after she’d split up with Andrew too. Oh, the irony. ‘I only used to make alterations, nothing much. I don’t think...’

  ‘Will you at least look at it? Please?’ Natalie looked up, her mascara shadowing the skin under her eyes.

  ‘I guess I can look at it, but I haven’t done any proper dressmaking since before the twins were born.’

  ‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’ Standing up, Natalie pulled Chrissy towards her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. ‘I really appreciate this.’

  ‘Let’s go then.’ Gina took Natalie’s pram and began pushing it towards the gate.

  ‘What? Now?’ Chrissy pulled a loose thread on the sleeve of her coat.

  ‘No time like the present. As long as you’re free, that is...’ Gina called back over her shoulder.

  ‘Yes, I guess so.’

  ‘You’re a life saver. My house is only a five-minute walk away. It’s one of those Victorian terraces on the High Street.’ Natalie smiled at her.

  ‘THIS IS LOVELY.’ CHRISSY stepped into Natalie’s hallway, the tall ceilings boasted the original cornices. ‘You’ve ke
pt the Victorian floor tiles. They’re beautiful.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘I love all the old features, it really brings character to a place, doesn’t it?’

  ‘It certainly does. Go through to the kitchen, if you like. I’ll just get Poppy out of her snowsuit and I’ll join you.’

  ‘Ok.’ Making her way through the living room, Chrissy noticed they’d managed to keep the original fireplace with intricately detailed flowered tiles flanking the grate.

  ‘Ignore the mess! The boys refused to tidy up last night and when they finally went to sleep I was too tired to do anything.’ Natalie called from the hallway.

  ‘It’s fine.’ Picking her way around pieces of Lego and superhero figures, Chrissy pushed the door to the kitchen open. What would have once been a galley kitchen had been opened up into the dining room creating a large family room.

  ‘Take a seat. I’ll stick the kettle on.’ Natalie bustled in, placing Poppy in her bouncy chair and waving Chrissy towards a brown leather sofa at the far end of the room. ‘Tea or coffee?’

  ‘Tea, please.’

  ‘Here you go.’ Natalie handed Chrissy a blue mug just as a sharp trill sounded through the house. ‘Ah, that’ll be Gina. She always seems to be able to hear the kettle boiling. Can you just keep an eye on Poppy while I answer it, please?’

  Nodding, Chrissy took a sip, the hot liquid burning the roof of her mouth. Placing her mug on the coffee table to her right, she put her hands on her knees, pressing down hard to try to stop them jiggling. Gina would have the wedding dress with her, which would only mean one thing, that the conversation would loop back to weddings.

  ‘Here, we are. Hello, again Chrissy.’ Gina marched in, a large white box in her arms.

  ‘Pop it on here.’ Swooping her arm across the table, Natalie pushed various pieces of paper, pens and playdough tubs to one end. ‘I’m so nervous, I think I might actually throw up.’

  ‘Let’s just have a look first.’ Lifting the lid off, Gina revealed ivory fabric. ‘Go on, Natalie, take it out and have a look.’

  Pushing herself to standing, Chrissy joined them around the table as Natalie lifted the dress delicately out of the box, revealing an ivory gown with a silk bodice and tulle underskirt.

  ‘Thank goodness for that. The actual dress is done, it’s just the detail, oh, and the hem, by the looks of it. It’s not finished at all, is it?’

  ‘It’s a lot more finished than you were worrying about though, isn’t it? Why don’t you go and try it on and then Chrissy can take a proper look, if that’s ok?’

  ‘Of course.’ Forcing a smile, Chrissy nodded.

  Five minutes later, Natalie swanned back into the room. Chrissy could see the extent of the work that needed doing now. The strapless, silk bodice was too loose and the skirt lacked shape, hanging loosely around Natalie’s hips, the edges of the train crudely cut with threads swooping across the floor behind her. Crystals had begun to be sewn below the heart-shaped neckline, but apart from them, no other detail decorated the plain gown.

  ‘Look at it.’ Natalie rasped, her voice catching around her words.

  ‘Don’t cry, Nat. You’ll get mascara all over it. Chrissy, do you think you can finish it?’

  ‘I...umm.’ An image of Chrissy’s own wedding dress, a strapless, satin bodice gown with a heart-shaped neckline too, refused to be pushed to the back of her mind. Could she really fix up Natalie’s dress when her own marriage had fallen apart a few short months before? She swallowed hard. ‘Can I just use your toilet, please?’

  LEANING ACROSS THE sink, Chrissy stared into the plughole, watching as the soapy water twirled around and around before escaping. She’d thrown her own wedding dress, the tiara and veil too, in the wheelie bin the day after Andrew had said he wanted to leave her. The moment he had told her was still as clear as though it had happened yesterday, a cruel memory which refused to fade.

  He’d just got home from work, late as usual, and she’d been warming his dinner in the microwave when he’d come into the kitchen.

  ‘Chrissy, we need to have a conversation.’ She could picture the way he’d leant against the sink, his arms folded against his pale blue work shirt.

  ‘OK, love.’ She’d looked around and switched the kettle on. ‘Do you want a coffee?’

  ‘No, thank you. Can you stop?’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Just stop what you’re doing and listen to me for once.’

  Chrissy had laughed. It had seemed so ironic, him asking her to listen. Normally it was her having to wait until the adverts in between rugby games to try to catch his attention. ‘I can indeed.’ She’d turned to face him, swinging the tea towel over her shoulder.

  ‘Come and sit down for a minute.’

  Chrissy had followed him to the kitchen table and slid into the chair opposite him. It was then that she could see the bags under his eyes, his brow furrowed uncharacteristically. She remembered that the night before that conversation he had been tossing and turning until the early hours. She had thought it was due to a new client his firm had taken on.

  ‘Things haven’t been right for a long time now.’ He’d clasped his hands in front of him.

  ‘What do you mean? You’re not ill, are you?’

  ‘No.’ She still remembered the look he’d given her, she remembered thinking that he’d thought she was stupid. ‘Between us.’

  ‘Us?’ She hadn’t understood. ‘What’s wrong with us?’

  ‘We’ve grown apart.’ He’d begun tapping his fingertips on the placemat in front of him. That had always irritated her, but she’d swallowed her annoyance.

  ‘We haven’t. Not really. But I understand where you’re coming from, I think we do need to spend some more time together. We need to make an effort to spend time with just the two of us. Maybe your sister will babysit? We could go for a drink at the weekend.’

  ‘That’s not what I meant.’

  ‘Ok, I guess we could ask her if she’d have them overnight so we can have some quality time over the weekend. We could go up to that place you wanted to go on holiday last year. What’s it called? The place with the lighthouse? I can see it in my mind’s eye, but can’t think of the name.’ Much to her own disgust, she had begun to tap the placemat in front of her too, trying to remember the name of the place.

  ‘You don’t understand. We’ve grown apart. A night out, or a weekend away even, isn’t going to fix that.’

  ‘Well, not fix it but it would help. You’ve been putting in so many hours at work recently that it’s only natural you’re feeling down. You need a break. Why don’t you see if you can take a break? Sod it, we could always just take the twins out of school for a week and properly get away.’

  Andrew had shifted in his seat, loosening his tie. She’d later found out that those late nights at work hadn’t been what they had seemed. Yes, he had been at work so, as he pointed out, he hadn’t technically been lying, but he had been spending the time with his childhood sweetheart who had begun working in the same office. ‘It’s over. Our marriage is over.’

  ‘What? What do you mean?’ Every time this scene ran through Chrissy’s mind, she could still taste the bile that had stung her throat and risen to her mouth. She still forgot to breathe. That second, the second that she had learnt her marriage was over, was etched into her memory as though it had been a physical strike.

  ‘I want out of the marriage.’

  His words had pierced the silent fog shrouding her. ‘What? No. Why?’

  ‘We’ve grown apart. We’ve changed. We’ve been together now twelve years. When we started dating we were young, we’ve both grown up, changed, and now, well, the marriage is over.’

  ‘That’s not a reason. Other people stay together longer. Other people change. Give us a chance, please?’ She’d felt as though her world had stopped spinning, she had waited for her new reality to change. Everything suspended on Andrew’s answer.

  ‘I’m sorry. I don’t love you anymore.’r />
  She’d looked down at his hands then, spread out in front of him, palms up on the table. It was then that she noticed his wedding ring had gone. He had already taken it off. When? She hadn’t noticed before. How long had he given up on them?

  LOOKING UP TO THE MIRROR, Chrissy wiped her eyes and focused on her reflection. Her rushed messy bun had sprung strands of hair escaping around her pale face. The bags under her eyes were deepened by the worry of the girls settling at school and fears over how they would survive financially when the small amount of savings from the equity of the house had been swallowed up.

  The irony of the fact that Andrew had used the excuse that they had changed because they had known each other so long as the reason their marriage had failed, but she’d later found out he had actually been having an affair with his childhood sweetheart at that exact time, hadn’t escaped her.

  Could she really help Natalie fix up her wedding dress? Practically? Yes, easily. Emotionally? Well, that was the problem. She’d be signing herself up to staring at a wedding dress for hours on end. Shaking her head, she just didn’t know if she could do it.

  But then again, they did need the money. She had enough to pay for bills and food up until Christmas, after which, she had promised herself she’d take the leap and try to find a job. This would be better though, if she could sort out Natalie’s dress, maybe word would spread and she’d get more work. It could actually turn into a viable little business, earning enough to keep them ticking over, at least. It would save on childcare and be less unsettling for the children than going to a childminder if she got a job. Even if it didn’t lead to more business, it would give them a bit of money to be able to make this Christmas a memorable one, a nice (as nice as it could be anyway) one.

  ‘Come on, mum-up. You can do this.’ Chrissy whispered to her reflected self staring back at her. ‘I can do this for Sophia and Evie. I can.’

  Taking a deep breath, she plastered a smile on her face and opened the door.