Despite himself, Malcolm thinks she has a point.
‘… there will be wax dropped everywhere. And who’s going to clean it up? Yours truly,of course.’
At this point the verbal flow is interrupted by Rev. Ruth’s greeting. ‘Mrs Appleby. How are you?’ Ruth does not wait for an answer. Malcolm presumes she knows Mrs Appleby of old and, even on his short acquaintance, he knows the answer is not going to be good. ‘Thank you so much,’ Ruth continues, warmly, ‘for coming in again this week to do some extra cleaning. We do really appreciate it.’
‘Hmmph,’ is the only response this receives.
Rev. Ruth continues to beam at the small woman. Malcolm watches them. Mrs Appleby looks like a bulldog facing off a bird … but he still can’t think what bird Ruthreminds him of. Mrs Appleby then shakes herself (a bit like a disgruntled dog) and grumbles, ‘Well, better get on, nowt to be gained hanging round here, or I’ll be here all night.’
‘Malcolm!’ Ruth exclaims, heading in his direction. ‘I always knew you had hidden depths. I’m sure you must have been a ballet dancer when you were younger.’
‘No, no,’ Malcolm flushes, keen to deflect the attention away from himself. ‘You know Padam,’ he politely introduces his companion.
‘Yes,indeed,’ Rev. Ruth responds.
A bit pointed?
‘We are old friends.’ Rev. Ruth reaches out her hand to Padam, who clasps it. Malcolm feels wrong-footed – how does Ruth know Padam? Has she gathered him up like she does so many others: friends, colleagues, townsfolk? He senses a blurring of the lines between his bookshop world and the community he has become part of thanks to Ruth. He doesn’t know why this bothers him and makes him feel exposed. Malcolm experiences a rush of embarrassment and is suddenly tongue-tied. He spots a church warden, Glen, who is an acquaintance from the Historical Society and, excusing himself, he moves away to greet him.
From behind him he can still hear Rev. Ruth.
‘Do you dance, Padam?’
Chapter 5
Tales of childhood
With Christmas fast approaching, the bookshop is exceptionally busy. Padam has asked Malcolm if he would be happy to work two full days instead of his normal half-days. Malcolm agrees with alacrity, despite the pain he is still experiencing in his knee.
A small girl, who reminds Malcolm of a miniature Joanne, has opened today’s advent calendar window: 17 December. It reveals a sparkly star which makes Malcolm think of the nativity practice. The little girl had seemed delighted, and he thinks this little one would not have made a fuss about being a star in the show. He knows Joanne is expecting a girl and he wonders what she and Eric will call her.
During a lull in customers, Malcolm moves across the shop to collect some extra paper carrier bags from the cupboard, trying hard not to limp. He has to admit he is feeling his age. Despite the memory of the balletic jump and the thought of Christmas with Ruth keeping him brimming with joyful anticipation (he already has her bed made up), he feels all of his seventy-eight years. He watches Padam, who is busy wiping condensation from the window and reorganizing the display there. Today Padam is wearing a very nice Fair Isle vest in kingfisher blue and gold. Malcolm had been particularly pleased to see it, as it will match the Fair Isle scarf he has bought him for Christmas. Malcolm mentally shakes his head. He is acting like a teenager. He is far too old to be thinking of romance, and anyway, Padam is a good seven years younger than he is. And he doesn’t even know if—
His thoughts are interrupted by the shop bell; the Three Disgraces are back in the bookshop. It seems they have come in especially to take Malcolm to task for not coming to the Christmas Operatic Society performance. With the preparations for Ruth’sChristmas, his shop work and his extra trips to church, it had gone clean out of his mind. He apologizes profusely.
‘You missed a rare treat,’ Amazing Grace – well, he thinks it’s Amazing Grace – tells him. ‘Our Gracey did us proud.’ She wags a finger at him, ‘You should have been there, Mr Buswell.’
He tries to distract them with a question that has been worrying him. ‘I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do you not find the walk into town rather hard work, up that hill? I myself find it quite tough going,’ he adds, not wanting them to think he is making a point about their age.
They draw together, glancing at one another, ‘Shall we let him in on our secret?’ one of the Graces asks the other two. They all nod. It is Gracey with the very blue eyes who speaks, ‘We have a secret admirer in the shape of Stan.’
‘Taxi Stan?’ Padam asks, emerging from the window.
‘That’s the man,’ Gracey says.
‘Yes, Stan’s the man,’ they all chorus.
‘We think he has a bit of thing for Amazing Grace,’ Gracey confides.
Malcolm blinks. If it is the Stan he is thinking of, any of the Disgraces would be old enough to be his mother, if not grandmother.
‘He lives next door to us, and we only have to mention that we are thinking of tackling that hill or popping over to the Georgian Theatre Royal to catch the latest production, and there he is, doors open, ushering us into his black Mercedes.’
‘The only way to travel,’ they chorus happily.
‘Going home isn’t so bad, as it’s downhill all the way,’ one of the Graces comments.
