Geeta had also wanted her husband to see how Kam was a respected member of the local community and that leaving the family business wasn’t the most heinous crime imagined, that their son had focus, purpose and respect, although Dev took some persuading that a scaly tail and long coloured hair was the way to do it.
Although it was comic to watch Kam with his parents (both seemed determined to quick fire questions at him without waiting for answers), she could see Kam was getting a bit stressed. Having his family here may not have been part of his plan, but it meant that Pippa got to spend more time with Nisha, Hema and Anuja, which meant a lot of cackling. Later, when Polly had deigned to join them, looking like she perhaps shouldn’t have been let loose in the cider tent with her friends, Pippa had invited all three of them to become more involved in the crazy plan that had been hatched. It would appear that whilst some women spend their lives yearning to be bridesmaids or astronauts, Nisha, Hema and Anuja had always wanted to be the Middlesbrough version of Destiny’s Child, which worked out rather well.
Now the day itself had dawned. Pippa let herself into her mum’s house, her yellow spandex workout gear in a bag as instructed. She couldn’t believe she was going ahead with this, or that she had been the one stupid enough to suggest it.
She opened the door and heard even more noise than usual pouring out from all the rooms. Polly was in the living room with Nisha, Hema and Anuja practising a dance routine. Tatters was also taking part and showing great dance potential, skittering about like a gazelle. The kitchen was a-whirr with the sound of Jan’s sewing machine and the ever-present smell of baking biscuits.
‘Alright, Mum?’ Pippa leant down and popped a kiss on the top of her mum’s head as she whirred her way at speed through a swathe of red material.
‘Yep, good to see, you love. Now, you did bring that yellow thing, the old workout thing of mine you seem so fond of, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, it’s in this bag here. How are they doing?’ She jerked her head towards the living room door and the sounds of giggling and music.
‘Yep, all seems under control. They’re certainly quick learners. Polly is pretty impressed. They’ve been here for ages, but I think they’ve got it down pat now. I’ve just whisked some biscuits in the oven for them. Now, more importantly, I found a solution to cutting up that old yellow thing. When we discussed it, I could see on your face that you really, really didn’t want to.’
‘Not really, it’s irreplaceable. I know you think it should have seen the bin some time ago, but I love it. I don’t know how or when or from where we could get another one… but I guess I was prepared to sacrifice it in the name of love. Oh shit, not love. Don’t get excited, not love. Um… in the name of romance and potential, then I was prepared to let you hack at it with scissors, although I would have probably just had to wait in the other room so not to witness the act of carnage myself.’
‘Well, no hacking required any more. Look, if you pop it on then I can just slide this over the top.’ Jan pulled the red fabric from her machine and Pippa saw that her mum had made some kind of coloured sleeve, and that piled next to her were more bits of something fashioned out of the red fabric. ‘What are you waiting for, spit spot, chip chop!’
As Pippa came back into the room, once again top to toe in yellow, she reflected that this outfit had had more outings this summer than it had over the past twenty odd years combined! Her mother whirled around her with superhero swiftness, leaving speed trails behind her as she moved, the air punctuated only by the odd ‘Uuch!’ from Pippa as pins accidentally pricked her. Taking a deep breath, Jan eventually stood back and admired her handiwork.
‘Do you know what? It looks fab. I think we’ve cracked it. I know it’s not good to be proud of one’s own handwork, but you know what, love? Your mum is a flipping genius.’
‘Hold on, don’t let her look yet. I found it. I found it!’ Pete ran into the kitchen with a jester’s cap held aloft in his hands, also red and yellow complete with multiple fronds and jingling bells. ‘Now she can look.’ He plonked the cap on her head and pulled it down a little more roughly than was perhaps necessary. Then he too took a step back to admire his work, nodding with satisfaction and sharing we’ve-smashed-it looks with his mum.
‘Come on, then. Let’s get you in front of the mirror.’ They nudged her into the living room where there was a huge wooden-framed mirror hanging on the wall, surrounded by pictures of the Parkin family, giggling and growing up over the decades.
As Pippa, Pete and Jan entered the room, Polly stopped the music, and she and Kam’s three slightly sweaty sisters let out a little cheer and clapped.
‘Oh, you look great.’
‘I’m sooo happy. I can’t believe this is really happening,’ Hema added.
‘You’re not alone.’ Pippa quipped back.
What was she thinking?
There reflecting back at her, in bright red and yellow glory, she was dressed like a medieval fool for all the world to see. It had definitely made more sense when it was at the idea’s stage as she had chatted with Lynne and Lottie about how she felt like a fool. She took a deep breath, letting it ripple out slowly over her lip as she stared at herself. She supposed if nothing else, and if it all went horribly wrong, there would not be a single person who didn’t agree that she had given it her all.
Chapter Forty-nine
Kam wasn’t sure what was happening in the world but there was definitely something off kilter. His parents turning up without announcing themselves, whilst odd, could easily be explained: they were just convinced that whatever they did they were the parents so they would always be right. But the fact that his sisters just kept disappearing made no sense at all. One of the biggest joys in their lives was to gang up on him and make him do stupid stuff, but this time they were just –poof! – gone. And he didn’t know where. When he asked, they became coy and either his mother or father would jump in and change the subject. If he didn’t know them all so well, then he probably wouldn’t be worried, but he did know them. He knew them better than anyone else, and that was why he was concerned.
Ben had also been a bit weird, calling him last night to say that he’d definitely be coming to Penmenna’s Feast Week finale, the It’s-a-Knockout tournament and fireworks. Kam didn’t remember inviting him, and it was most out of character for Ben to put his hand in his pocket to cover the expenses of an additional member of staff, especially to come half way across the county to a village he didn’t really have any links to. It occurred to him his friend might still be trying to sleep with Nisha, but he had received such short shrift last time that Ben couldn’t possibly think he was still in with a chance.
There was very definitely something going on. And now, as he was walking to the school field where the competition would be held, dotted with marquees serving typically Cornish refreshments mainly based around cider and clotted cream (Cornwall clearly hadn’t gotten to grips with clean eating yet), people were smiling at him. Penmenna had always been friendly, and it was impossible to walk down any street without people smiling and stopping to chat, but today they were not merely smiling but beaming and he wasn’t sure he liked it. It was a bittoomuch. He really hoped nothing had happened that would mean that he wouldn’t be working in the school next year. In a community like this everyone seemed to know what was happening before the people involved did.
As he entered the field through the big gate, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The cream teas and light refreshment marquee was still there and, standing on tiptoes, he saw that thankfully, the bar was as well. But between him and these two things was a giant obstacle course. There were huge inflatables and what appeared to be a water wall and a giant slip and slide.
‘Come on, come on.’ His mum bustled him in, not willing to wait for him to take in all the sights and sounds, but nudging him in the opposite direction to the bar. Not what he had planned.
At one end of the field there was a small wooden stage, and he saw Mickey from the pub, a couple of teenagers and a man in early mediaeval dress tuning guitars and checking amps. There was a drum kit currently unmanned, and Mickey’s friend, Andrew, was standing on the edge of the little stage, banging a tambourine against his legs, his eyes closed as he concentrated on counting. Ethel was there with him, in a lace blouse that Kam expected Pippa would have given her eye teeth for, a musical case of some sort down by the side of her with Flynn sat guarding it as she counted with Andrew, bringing her arm down with force on every number. Kam’s curiosity was piqued; this looked like it could be quite entertaining.
He scanned the field looking for Pippa or her family, or indeed his own mysteriously vanished sisters. He couldn’t see anyone, although there was a shape frantically scurrying around the back of the refreshments tent that looked like it could be the silhouette of Pippa’s brother, Pete.
‘Mum, could you stop pushing me quite so forcefully. I’d like to look around, maybe go and grab a beer before all the fun starts.’
‘I need to get you in pla—’
