Welcome to My World (36 page)

Alex laughed. ‘Evidently they don’t any more, seeing as it’s here.’

‘Well, I really don’t know what to make of mine,’ said Harri, turning her Hamlet Cigar mug round to reveal the legend ‘For the man who thinks that little bit bigger’.

‘I shudder to think,’ Viv said, looking at her watch. ‘Gracious me! Look at the time! We have to change and get over to St Mary’s for four!’

Quickly, they finished their tea and donned hats, coats and gloves to head out into the chilly afternoon.

The saying goes that you’re never too old to be in love: in Ethel and Geoff’s case this was undeniably true. Forty-three years since he had complimented her Melting Moments, they appeared as smitten with each other as ever.

The packed congregation’s excited chatter hushed as Etta James’s sultry voice began to sing the opening lines of ‘At Last’, accompanied by sweeping strings. Harri gave Rob’s warm hand beside her an involuntary squeeze as the sheer romance of the song and the occasion lifted her heart. Before the ceremony, Rob had arrived at the church fifteen minutes after Harri, surprising her by catching her hand and spinning her round for a very public kiss – much to the surprise of Alex and Viv, who she was standing with at the time. Viv smiled politely, but Alex looked away, an odd expression on his face.

The whole of the church smelled of winter roses, freesias and lilies. Auntie Rosemary had done the Binchams proud: every available flat surface had been adorned with flowers in hues of palest yellow, white, cream and lilac. Instead of Geoff waiting nervously alone by the altar, he had chosen to walk in with Ethel; and as the song swelled around the vaulted arches of the red sandstone church, in they came – Geoff proudly dressed in his best suit, escorting the love of his life down the aisle. She was wearing a white lace shrug over her cream dress, and a pale yellow rose was nestled amongst her newly set grey curls.

They made their way slowly past smiling friends and family – mainly because both of them had received new hips in the last eighteen months – but it all added to the effect, imbuing their entrance with a slow-motion quality. As the song neared its conclusion, they stopped by the chancel step and Pete, the curate, took his place in front of them.

‘Welcome, everyone, to this very special day. I must say that you all scrub up pretty well for a Saturday – it’s nice to see Stone Yardlians don’t save their finery for a Sunday only.’

A rumble of laughter passed around the pews.

‘And now to the best bit. Ethel and Geoff will renew the vows they made to each other over forty years ago, as a symbol of their continuing commitment to, and love for, one another. Shall we stand and pray . . .’

And so, surrounded by people who loved them, the Binchams stood and reaffirmed their promises to love, honour and cherish one another for the rest of their lives; tears welling in Geoff’s eyes as he gazed at his wife, adding, ‘You’m bostin’ pet,’ in a whisper at the end, to which Ethel replied, ‘You ay too bad yerself,’ in reply. It was a humbling experience to witness this tender exchange of promises between the Black Country couple.

‘I think you should kiss your bride, Geoff,’ Pete smiled. ‘Too right!’ Geoff replied, swooping Ethel into a Clark Gable-style clinch as the assembled guests broke into applause.

‘Put me down, Geoffrey!’ Ethel laughed, but her eyes were alive as she playfully reprimanded her husband. Watching the two of them now, so in love and so much a part of one another, Harri was certain that neither of them saw an old person smiling back. In their eyes they were the same young, beautiful dreamers whose hearts had connected over a tea trolley forty-three years ago.

‘That was amazing,’ Harri said, as she and Rob drove along wintry streets back to the Village Hall.

‘Yeah,’ he replied, gazing out of the window. ‘Reckon that’ll be us in forty-three years’ time?’

Harri made a mental calculation to see how old she would be by then. It wasn’t a comforting conclusion . . . ‘That’s if we can have the aisle widened for our Zimmer frames.’

‘I’m sure that won’t be a problem,’ he laughed. ‘Better put it in the diary then.’

To hear Rob considering their long-term future together was everything Harri had hoped for. Her thoughts immediately drifted to this Christmas. Spending such a magical time of year with the man she loved was a thrilling prospect, and part of her still found it hard to believe that it was going to be a reality in less than a week. Despite the tricky terrain of this year, they had emerged stronger than ever, and now their future seemed brighter than she could have dared hope for. He seemed ready to commit, if his constant hints over recent weeks were anything to go by. And, if that happened, maybe next year he would fulfil her heart’s deepest desire and they would walk hand in hand through the Venetian splendour of the city of her dreams on their honeymoon.

Geoff Bincham was certainly true to his word when he said he wanted ‘one of them celebrity weddings’. Two magnificent-looking thrones, which the Beckhams themselves would have been envious of, had been placed at the top table – although Ethel and Geoff had been warned sternly by Enid Weatherington of St Mary’s Craft Guild not to lean back on them, ‘because the papier-mâché won’t cope with the weight’. The WI had supplied little satin bags embroidered with an intertwining E&G motif for the bridal favours, filled with gold chocolate dragees. Geoff had wanted to release doves when they arrived at their reception, but with doves being hard to come by in Stone Yardley, this had proved impossible. However, at the eleventh hour, Geoff’s cousin Alf had stepped into the breach: and so, at five p.m., floodlit by security lights and with their assembled guests around them, Ethel and Geoff hesitantly opened four long wicker baskets to release twenty racing pigeons in a cloud of feathers and beating wings from the car park of the Village Hall.

After speeches and toasts, the guests helped to move tables and chairs aside to make way for dancing. Unbeknown to Geoff and Ethel (who were bracing themselves for a night of dubious tracks from Disco Dave, Stone Yardley’s resident DJ), Rod Norton from Stone Yardley High School had arranged for the area swing band to come and play, filling the small hall with the irresistible music of George Gershwin, Glenn Miller and Cole Porter.

Chelsea was conspicuous by her absence – having booked a weekend away with her girlfriends a month before – so Alex danced with his mother, and from her vantage point behind a table halfway down the hall, Harri understood a little more of Viv’s all-encompassing desire to see her son happy. Twirling and laughing, her love for him beamed out like a Wallis-attired beacon. It made Harri smile, despite the ache in her heart, at the sight of the parental bond she missed so keenly at events such as this. Her parents would have been straight up on that dancefloor, twisting and bopping without a worry in the world.

Looking around, Harri was suddenly aware that Rob was no longer sitting by her side. She glanced over at the bar, but he wasn’t there either; neither was he outside in the car park with his friends, sneaking a crafty cigarette. Harri was just about to hurry back inside when Rob appeared, strolling through the snow from behind the hall. He was hunched over his mobile, jacket collar turned up against the cold as he walked, and he stopped dead when he saw her.

‘Hey,’ he said, his voice slightly strained.

‘I was wondering where you were. Is everything OK?’ Harri asked, a sudden shot of caution lancing through her peace of mind.

It was almost as if he looked straight through her. ‘I’m fine. Look, do you mind if we go now? I don’t really feel like dancing and it’s been a bit of a tough week.’

Mystified, Harri nodded. ‘Um, yeah, OK. Let me get my coat and say goodbye to Geoff and Ethel.’

Rob turned to walk away. ‘I’ll be in the car.’

Her relaxed state shattered, she hurried quickly inside, collecting her coat and bag before approaching the Binchams, who were swaying jerkily to ‘In the Mood’.

‘Must you go?’ Mrs B asked as she hugged her, disappointed. ‘I’ve not seen you dance yet.’

‘I’m sorry. I don’t think Rob’s feeling too good – he’s been working really hard lately.’ Picking her way carefully past the dancing guests, she headed for the door, but turned back when she heard someone call her name.

Alex jogged towards her. ‘You off?’

‘’Fraid so. Rob wants to go home.’

‘Loser. Why don’t you drop him off and come back to boogie?’ His dark eyes twinkled beneath the fairy lights.

‘I can’t, sorry. But it’s been a wonderful day.’

‘It has.’ Alex’s stare was a little too intense for comfort. ‘Thanks for your help, H. I couldn’t have done it without you.’

‘You’re welcome. Have a good night.’

‘I will. Hey, I’m doing food for the Christmas Amble on Tuesday night. Fancy sous chef-ing again for me?’

‘Sure, as long as I’ve done all my packing – we head off for Scotland on Wednesday morning.’

‘Ah, yes. The great unexpected romantic break. Well, text me if you’re able to help, yeah?’

‘I will. G’night.’

He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. ‘’Night, Harri.’ Rob was silent for the entire journey back to his house, which only served to intensify Harri’s sense of impending doom. When they walked into his hallway, he stopped and slowly faced her.

‘You – er – might not want to stay tonight.’

‘Don’t be silly, I’ve got all my stuff with me and—’

‘I can’t do the Scotland trip.’

‘S-sorry?’

It appeared that he couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye, shoving his hands into his corduroy jacket pockets and staring down at the beige carpet. ‘Something’s come up.’

Heart reeling, Harri placed her hands on her hips, staring at him in disbelief. ‘What on earth could have come up over Christmas?’

‘I’m really sorry, I know how much you were looking forward to it and it’s the last thing I wanted to happen. But this is important, Red.’

This was not turning into the night she thought it would be. ‘I should flippin’ well hope so. I’d hate to be let down over something
trivial
.’

‘See, I knew you’d act like this.’

It was too late for damage limitation. Harri’s crushing disappointment and hurt were fuelling her anger. ‘Act like what, exactly? Like someone who’s been looking forward to something for weeks and has just been told it isn’t happening? How long have you known about this – this
thing
?’

‘Baby, I got the call only half an hour ago.’

‘Who from?’

He groaned. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘Well, I think it does. I’m curious to know who is so important that they can command you to do something over Christmas.’

‘It’s
work
, OK?’

Hearing the ‘w’ word kicked her indignation up to another level entirely. ‘It’s
Christmas
, Rob. And you promised.’

At last, his eyes met hers and it was clear from his guilty stare that he knew exactly how much he was letting her down. ‘Please, Red, you have to believe me. If it was any other job I’d tell them to get lost.’

Harri closed her eyes, her whole body shaking intensely now. ‘Preston.’

His voice lowered. ‘Yes, Preston. I thought we had it in the bag but there’s been – um – a development.’

‘What? Someone die? World War Three been declared?’

‘My line manager’s resigned. The bosses have cancelled everyone’s leave for the next two weeks. I either work or I don’t have a job to come back to in the New Year.’

Harri felt the flames of anger extinguishing slowly. ‘They can’t do that, can they?’

Rob shrugged. ‘They can do whatever they like at the moment. Sales staff are ten a penny right now and everyone’s competing for the same jobs. If I don’t do this, there will be twenty other people willing to step into my place. You have to believe me, I was
vicious
with them when they phoned. If there was any way to avoid it, I would. My hands are tied – what can I do?’

‘Well, it’s not fair.’

He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. ‘I know, baby. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’

Feeling her dream splintering, Harri looked away. When she spoke, her voice was the mousy, resigned version of herself that she hated so much. ‘When do you have to go?’

He sighed. ‘I’ll catch a train in the morning and head straight up there.’

‘But what about your Christmas present?’

‘We’ll have to do all that when I get back.’

She couldn’t believe how quickly her time with Rob had been snatched away. The injustice of it all was too much to bear; it was as if all the promise of the past couple of months was being cruelly snuffed out. ‘In two weeks?’

‘Yes. I’m sorry, Red. I know how much this break meant to you.’

‘To both of us,’ the confident version of herself screamed out inside her head. ‘Didn’t it?’

For Harri, the remainder of the weekend passed in a soulless fog, the brave ship of hope that had sustained her now dashed and wrecked beyond repair. Rob’s texts were apologetic but immaterial: the inescapable reality of his absence spoke volumes. So, once again, as countless times before, Harri carefully folded up her disappointment and packed it away with the remnants of dreams long dead.

On Tuesday, SLIT closed early to allow Tom, Nus, Harri and George time to get ready for one of the highlights of the town’s calendar: the Christmas Amble.

Every year in Stone Yardley, the shops and businesses joined with the local Lions Club, Rotary Club and WI to host a late-night Christmas shopping event. This year’s was Dickens-themed, and the locals had gone to town with authentic costumes, preposterous ladies’ hats and bustling crinolines. Hot-chestnut stalls, Victorian games like shove ha’penny and bar skittles, a barrel organ and carol singers lined the streets as shoppers milled around, buying last-minute presents, cakes and treats for the impending festive season. Strings of coloured lights lit up the streets and candle lanterns burned in every shop window, bathing the whole of the High Street in a warm, multihued glow. Lavender’s Bakery had even hired a snow machine, which enthusiastically festooned unsuspecting shoppers with white foam flakes from the flat above the shop as they passed by underneath. The Salvation Army band were playing Christmas carols with great gusto and, with the remnants of the previous week’s snowfall still covering the pavements, the whole of the town centre was filled with a wonderfully Christmassy atmosphere.