Dolly turned her scooter in the direction of the door. ‘I’d best give the lad a hand,’ she said. ‘Come on, Winnie,’ she added. Winnie had only made it to the doorway anyway. They both followed Fraser out with a sock-carrying Jock’O at Dolly’s wheels, leaving Robbie and Effie alone.
There was a moment of silence where Robbie seemed hesitant, and Effie took a moment to look at him. He’d always been just little Robbie Williams who lived in the next village and shared his chocolate biscuit with her at school break time. She’d never taken the time to appreciate the kind, quirky and well-turned-out man he’d grown into. When the silence got too much Effie jumped into action. ‘I got you something,’ she said grabbing a small parcel from under the tree and thrusting it at him. ‘Open it.’
‘Right. Thank you. You shouldn’t have.’ He put down the large package and took the offered gift. He carefully peeled away the tape, preserving the paper, and cautiously unwrapped the present. ‘It’s a keyring and sugared mice.’
‘And attached to the keyring is a handcuff key. It’s extendable so if you found yourself in a similar situation to, you know…’ She mimed being stuck in handcuffs. ‘You should be able to easily unlock them.’
‘Thanks, Effie, that’s thoughtful of you.’
‘And mice because everyone needs sugared mice at Christmas.’ It was all a bit tense and Effie wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t uncomfortable exactly but it was like waiting for the woosh of the firework after the tape is lit.
‘And here, this is for you. It’s just a little something,’ he said picking up the rather large parcel and almost taking Effie out as he thrust it in her direction at the same time she stepped forward to take it. ‘Sorry!’ he added.
‘Thank you.’ Effie shredded the paper and instantly revealed a yellow suitcase. She looked at it and felt a little anxious.
‘It’s for when you firm up your plans to explore the world. I know it’s something you’re building up to.’
‘I thought I’d start with Blackburn to see Liv and then France to visit Mum.’
‘And when you’re ready you’ll have the right kit,’ said Robbie.
‘Thank you,’ she said throwing her arms around him. He was a little taken by surprise and there was a delay before his arms wrapped tightly around her. They stayed in each other’s arms, neither one wanting to pull away. She tilted her head back a fraction. Their faces were very close. Effie looked up and then back into Robbie’s eyes.
‘Is there any mistletoe?’ he asked.
‘No,’ said Effie, her voice barely a whisper as her heart hammered in her chest.
‘Good,’ said Robbie and he kissed her.
*
Liv found something comforting about being back in her usual routine. Christmas at her mum’s always started with pancakes for breakfast although now they had Buck’s Fizz with them instead of chocolate milkshake like they had done as kids. TheNow That’s What I Call Christmasalbum was playing because it was their mum’s favourite and even though it had some proper festive howlers they all hummed along to it. Charlotte and Liv both helped to get the vegetables prepared while the delicious smell of the cooking turkey filled the little kitchen. Their mum always got up early on Christmas morning to put it in the oven on low. When the kitchen was looking fairly tidy and everything was prepared it was finally time to start opening the presents.
As usual Charlotte must have spent ages wrapping hers because they were perfect with matching curly ribbons and tags and even little tinkly bells hanging from them. Everyone was pleased with what they’d been given, even if her mum was a little confused about the soft-close toilet seat Liv had bought her from the DIY shop. Well, she couldn’t just give her smellies.
Liv had been putting off opening the envelope she’d found at the bottom of her bag but now she’d opened everything, even the selection box her mum always bought them both, so there was nothing else for it. She ripped open the envelope. Inside was a gift card and instructions plus a brief note. It read:Hello Liv, I wanted you to have this. I bought them for all of us months ago when there was an offer on and there was one spare. Sorry, can’t lie, this one was for Lizzie but obviously I’m not going to give her a Christmas present when she cruelly cheated on my cousin. You never know we might be related. Love ya, Effie– followed by too many kisses to count.
‘What is it?’ asked her mum, which made Liv take a closer look at the card. ‘It’s a heritage DNA kit. You do a swab test and send it off to find out your genetic make-up and where your predecessors originated.’
‘Who’s it from?’ asked Charlotte.
‘Effie, from Scotland. She must have put it in my bag when I was doing something.’
‘A DNA kit from someone you just met – that’s proper weird,’ said Charlotte.
‘No. It’s cool. I like it and what’s more I’m going to do it and send it off,’ said Liv.
‘Not until after dinner,’ said her mum. ‘That turkey should be done to perfection around about now.’ And she hurried off to the kitchen.
Charlotte stared at her. ‘What?’ asked Liv.
‘You’re different since Scotland. I’m not sure what it is exactly.’
‘I feel different,’ said Liv, putting the letter away. Charlotte was still studying her closely. ‘What now?’ she asked.
‘Just wondering how much Neanderthal is in your DNA.’
‘Hey!’ Liv whacked her with a cushion. It was exactly how Christmas should be.
