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Wrenching his thoughts away from his father, he watched, moodily, as a woman on the prom opened up her beach hut and began decorating it with Christmas stuff. Even from here he could see she had an enormous box and was taking out baubles and a string of lights. How was it he was living in a town where the beach huts were decorated? It was mad. The beach hut owner was joined by a neighbour who began festooning the open door of his with red tinsel. Then they sat on a couple of deckchairs and shared a flask. While Lullbury Bay was proving to be friendly, it was also eccentric. And it seemed determined to lighten his mood this morning. Maybe it was a place they could make new memories, re-invent themselves? He looked longingly back at the RNLI station. No, he couldn’t volunteer. He’d promised his mother he wouldn’t. Not ever again. She’d lost a husband, she didn’t need to risk losing a son.
CHAPTER11
‘SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN’ – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Wednesday 15th December
The town heaved with good-natured crowds thronging the high street. The shops were open late with light spilling onto the pavements attracting people to gaze on the Christmas displays, their faces aglow with excitement and cold. Vendors were selling fluorescent sticks, candy floss, cheap felt Santa hats, and burgers. Lullbury Bay was out in force to welcome Father Christmas and to celebrate the town’s Christmas lights being switched on.
The main road had been closed off to traffic which was just as well as the narrow pavements couldn’t accommodate the crowds. Being able to wander into the main road sent children giddy with the freedom.
Honor pulled her woolly hat down over her ears and wrapped her sparkly red scarf around her neck more tightly. When she breathed out, her breath misted in front of her before spiralling up and disappearing into the clear starlit night. Her toes, in her suede boots, had lost all feeling, but she wouldn’t have missed this evening for anything. It was the time the little town came alive with all the lights and decorations and Christmas really began. And she loved it.
It was cold. Unusually so. They’d even had a thick frost that morning. The children’s excitement had tipped over at the pitiful amount of white stuff in the playground which they’d tried to scrape together enough for snowballs. They hardly ever had snow at the seaside, although they’d had a good covering a couple of years ago. She stamped her feet to recover some feeling and smiled at a parent from school who walked past.
‘Honor!’
Turning, she saw her friend Tamara run up. Hugging her, she exclaimed, ‘You’re back! When did you get back into town?’
‘Last night. Sailed around the Med and that’s me finished until Christmas Eve.’
Tamara was a singer on cruise ships. Always dressed immaculately, tonight she had her blonde hair covered by an enormous faux-fur hat and was wearing a red coat with faux-fur collar and cuffs. She wore bright-red lipstick and had a nose to match.
Honor linked her arm. ‘So you’re around for a few days then?’
Tamara nodded. ‘But only until Christmas Eve. Then I’ve got a job on a cruise ship for Christmas and New Year. Heading to Norway. It’ll be fun,’ she added, when she saw her friend’s face drop. ‘Look, I’m not like you, I don’t have family to drive home to for Christmas. It’s just me so if I can get paid work and have a good time too, what’s the biggie?’ They began to walk down the hill.
‘I’m not going back to Worcester this Christmas,’ Honor said. ‘Mum and Dad are off on their round-the-world holiday for their fortieth wedding anniversary and Blythe is off to her in-laws. With her baby due in January, she’s not up to hosting this year.’
She felt Tamara squeeze her arm. ‘Aw, hon, what are you going to do?’
‘It’s not too bad,’ she replied, trying to sound brave. She loved Christmas with her family. She loved Christmas full stop. ‘I’m going up for a couple of days when I finish term before they go. We’ll just have our Christmas early, that’s all.’
‘At least you’ll get to see them.’
‘Yes, and it’ll be fun. And I get to catch up with myself on the day itself. I’m normally so zonked by the time term ends, all I want is my bed.’
‘And a hot man, babe!’
‘Nothing like that on the horizon unfortunately.’
A small child ran across the road. ‘Miss Martin, Miss Martin!’
‘Hello, Merryn. Are you excited about the lights switch on?’
‘I can’t wait,’ the little girl exclaimed, jumping up and down. ‘I love all the little trees hung on the walls above the shops. They’re going to be lit up too and the lights hung across the street. It’s going to be ace-erooney!’
Honor laughed, enjoying her enthusiasm. ‘It is. And are you going to wait for Father Christmas too? He’s coming down the hill on his sleigh apparently.’
‘He’s not the real one,’ Merryn said, scornfully.
‘You know every time you say something like that an angel loses its wings,’ Tamara said, receiving a dig in the ribs from Honor.
Merryn stared at her, obviously unsure how to take the glamorous woman in red wearing a big furry hat.
‘I should know,’ Tamara added. ‘I’m one of Santa’s little helpers.’
Honor dug her in the ribs again. ‘Who are you with, Merryn?’ she asked, to change the subject. ‘Mum?’
