Page 32 of The Christmas Star

Mum’s viewing figures were astronomical and the amount of followers she’d attracted impressive. While Ramp Lady might have driven viewers Mum’s way, surely it wasn’t enough to make them stay? Then again, I wasn’t sure why Mum’s TikToks in their own right would appeal to the masses. It wasn’t as if she’d said anything controversial or political to warrant such leaps and neither had she followed a trend or come up with some never-before-seen life hack. I sighed. Social media was an animal I’d never truly understand.

Settling myself down, I pressed play on Mum’s latest instalment.

‘Bonjour à tous. Comment allez-vous?’ she said. ‘Blooming heck it’s windy out here.’

Maeve sat on the promenade deck of a ferry. Not that I imagined she and Jackson had done much boat walking; they’d have been blown overboard if they tried. With one hand on her head to keep her beret in place, she brought her phone screen closer to her face. ‘Look at that flag flapping about behind me. It’s hanging on for dear life.’ She got back to the matter at hand. ‘Today is still the 22nd December.’

From what I’d seen and heard already, there was good news and bad. On the one hand, she and Jackson were still alive, and Theo and I were on the right track with regard to their destination. On the other, they were a day ahead. There was also the fact that Mum stood in front of a British flag which told me she and Jackson had sailed with a different ferry company, which in turn meant they’d taken a different route.

‘I’d like to start with some housekeeping, if I may?’ Maeve said.

I rolled my eyes. Mum, this is a TikTok not a work meeting.

‘Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to have so many of you on this journey with us. And I’m grateful for the kind words and the encouragement you’ve given. We both are, aren’t we, Jackson? But some people, and I’m not naming names, haven’t been very nice.’

I recalled the less than kind comments aimed at me. You tell them, Mum.

‘Yes, Erin sometimes thinks she knows better…’

Excuse me? I frowned, wondering where Mum was going with this.

‘But don’t we all? I mean I have strong views on how she lives her life. If it were up to me, she’d be finding herself a nice young man and settling down.’ Maeve chuckled. ‘He’d have to have plenty of patience, mind. And a good sense of humour. And preferably kids. It’s not like Erin can give me grandchildren. At her time of life, she’d be lucky to still have eggs.’

My jaw dropped.

‘But it’s all right for me to say these things…’

Not to the whole blooming world, it’s not!

‘…because Erin’s my daughter. And I know firsthand what you don’t. That she has her good points too.’

Such as? I willed Mum to continue. It was only right she counterbalanced her observations with something positive like my great work ethic or, despite it being a stretch of late, how my smile lit up a whole room.

‘Anyway, I’m not going to say any more on the subject.’

My shoulders slumped. Of course, you’re not.

‘But I hope I’ve made my position clear, and we’ll have no more of it.’ Maeve smiled. ‘Back to why we’re here.’ She looked beyond the camera. ‘We’re having such fun, aren’t we, Jackson?’

Glad someone was, I glanced at my surroundings.

The panic the two of them had caused clearly hadn’t entered their heads. ‘We did plan on doing a joint video today, but the poor lad’s feeling a bit queasy. That’s why we’re out here, bless him. So he can get some fresh air.’

As a child, I suffered terribly from travel sickness. A nausea like no other, once it took hold there was zero relief no matter how many times I threw up. It seemed to grip my whole body and swirl through every cell in my being. I shuddered at the thought and despite not being happy with Jackson, I couldn’t help but feel for him.

‘I still can’t believe I drove from North Yorkshire to Dover,’ Mum said.

You’re not the only one. Realising that was our first clue, I made a mental note. If they’d sailed from Dover, their starting point once they landed in France had to be Calais or Dunkirk.

‘And what a journey it was. I haven’t been behind a wheel since the1970s.’ Mum sighed. ‘It’s funny what you can do when you put your mind to it.’

Hilarious, Mum.

‘We only had one scary moment.’

From tailgating lorries to mistakenly finding themselves amongst the chaos that was Spaghetti Junction, Mum’s lack of driving experience was fraught with danger and as my body tensed in anticipation, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

‘I took the wrong slip road for the motorway.’ Maeve rolled her eyes. ‘Instead of getting on, it was where traffic came off.’