A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
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As I have said on other occasions, Frank, Daniel, Laurence and Martha do not belong to me. I only borrow them to play with Sophie for a while. She does belong to me.
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The song that goes with is my favourite Christmas song:
'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'
The Judy Garland version.
It fits my little band of friends completely.
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Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Let your heart be light,
From now on,
Our troubles will be out of sight.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay.
From now on,
Our troubles will be miles away.
Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of Yore.
Faithful friends that are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.
Some day soon, we all may be together,
If the fates allow,
Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow,
So have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now.
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I hope you do too.
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A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
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The bar was an expensive one and looked it.
Its Christmas decorations were smart and elegant.
Its patrons were the same; moneyed was another word for them.
Typically the sort of place Daniel would choose, Laurence thought.
It was beginning to fill up with people getting ready to party; the level of noise, of people trying to carry on a conversation was rising.
"He's late" Laurence said.
"He is always late!" Daniel grumbled. He crossed his ankle over his knee, tapping his foot, in irritation, against a table leg.
"We all can't afford to cab it everywhere, Daniel" came Martha's soft slow drawl. "Some of us have to bus it or take the tube."
"Well, he should have started out earlier."
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They had arranged to meet for a get together at this rather plush place, which Daniel assured Laurence, was the 'in' place to meet, before going clubbing.
"Is it? The 'In ' place? "Martha asked Laurence.
"I don't know. We've been away for six months, and I wasn't a club person before that. I'm still not."
"Oh come on Grumpy! You haven't seen your mates for months and it is Christmas."
"Mmm. " He wrinkled his nose in distaste."Frank and Daniel were the clubbers."
"Oh! Let's do it, it will be a chance for me to dress up; we can have a little boogie. We won't have to do it again for 'til next Christmas. You ring Frank."
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"He's bringing someone with him." Laurence said. "Perhaps they were late."
Martha and Daniel stared at him in surprise.
"Who?"
"Who does he know that we don't?" Daniel demanded."And why does he want to bring him?"
"I don't know. When I rang him, he asked if he could bring someone. No! He didn't ask; he just said he was bringing someone. Sort of don't care what you think, that's what I am doing! You know Frank"
"Just his bloody cheek."
"Oh Daniel! Don't be so mean. It's not a cheek. It is Christmas, Time of Good Will To All Men. Does it really matter if Frank wants to bring someone? "
Laurence smiled at Martha; her soft sweet way of cooling things was one of the reasons he loved her.
"Well, Yes! I think so. Did you tell him it was a get together; for just us three?" Daniel was whingeing on.
Martha raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh! Not you, darling! I didn't mean you. Anyway, they should have the courtesy of being on time!"
"It's only ten minutes, Daniel. And why are you so sure it's a he?"
He grinned smugly at her.
"He won't bring a girl 'coos he knows if she's any cop, I'll nick her off him."
"You are a conceited bastard, Dan!" But Laurence was smiling.
"We-ell, it's true." Daniel was smirking.
"Shhh! Here he is."
Frank was making his way between the crowded tables towards them.
"Christ, that bloody awful old mac! In a place like this!"
"Shhh"
Frank came up to their table.
"Hi!"A girl barely reaching his shoulders appeared from behind him.
He put his arm around her to draw her forward and helped her out of an enormously long full brown coat.
Daniel and Laurence stood transfixed by the vision. She wore knee high black patent boots with five inch heels, and black fish net tights. A loose sparkly red shift
reached just under from her chin to just below her bottom, but did not do anything to disguise her well endowed bosom. Her big amber eyes looked out from glittery
eye shadow and sparkling false eye lashes; and her immaculately made up face was framed by a chin length silver wig.
She was lovely, gobsmackingly, head- turningly lovely .
Martha stuck her finger under Laurence's chin and gently shut his mouth.
"Uh -Uh, Martha, this is Sophie. " Frank turned to Sophie, pulling a chair forward for her. "Uh-um, I told you about Martha."
"Hello there." Martha said .
" Can I get you a drink, Sophie?" Daniel and Laurence asked together.
" Thanks but we got ours on our way through. There was such a crush, we had to wait ages."
" Do any of you guys want a refill? I can go back. Martha? Dan? " Frank nodded enquiringly at Laurence. "No?"
He sat beside Sophie
"Daniel suggested we go clubbing but old misery-guts here is not keen. Are you two up for it ? I am." Martha leaned forward to make herself heard.
Frank grimaced but Sophie 's face lit up.
"Oh yes, Francis wasn't keen either but I was, so we are going. Well, it is Christmas " She turned and smiled at him and he smiled back. The other two, who hadn't
taken their eyes off Sophie, now exchanged swift glances.
"Um, excuse me , I desperately need the' ladies'."
Sophie pushed back her chair and made her way across the room.
Silence reigned for a moment .
"Whew!" Daniel whistled . " Christ , Frank , where did you find her? What a cracker! You don't get many of those to the pound." He jiggled his hands up and down suggestively .
"Watch your mouth." Frank snarled, eyes narrowed .
"Ohh! ! Just admiring her …um…assets. You don't like it? "He sniggered. "…You fucking her?"His tone mocking.
"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you." Frank half rose in his seat raising his fist. Laurence caught his arm.
"I don't like crude remarks."
Daniel spluttered a feigned laugh.
"Ho ho, that's rich coming from you! I remember when you said that me about ..." He suddenly remembered who it was that Frank had used that phrase about . " You
can dish it out but you can't take it, can you?"
Frank moved to get up again.
"Now you two, calm down" Martha interrupted.
He stood, trying for some control.
"I'm just going out for a …" He patted his pockets searching for cigarettes.
" I've left my fags somewhere." He gestured towards the bar.
"Whoa" Daniel said as he moved away.
"You were baiting him, Dan. "Laurence eyed him steadily.
"Maybe but God! Did you see those knockers?"
"Daniel!" Martha warned him.
He subsided into his chair.
"You just stop teasing him. He might hit you."
"Nah!"
"Yes, he will. He is in love with her."
They stared at her.
"Frank . . . in love?" Daniel spluttered a little laugh. "Nah. The only person Frank has ever been in love with is himself."
She shrugged. "OK; you know him better"
Again, they eyed her considering.
"You think, Martha?"
"Yes, I do. Shh, now. She's coming."
Sophie picked up her drink and sank back into her chair.
"Um, where's Francis?"
"He thought he left his fags on the bar."
They eyed her for a moment.
"Have you known Frank long, Sophie?"
She gave a funny little smile.
"A little while."
"What do you do?"
"Do? I work for the Really Useful Company? A sort of assistant's assistant."
"Sir Cameron Mackintosh?" Daniel was surprised.
"Sort of about four levels down. I'm based at the National at the moment. "
"Is that where you met Frank?"
Another little smile.
"Oh no. Francis and me, we go back further than that. Much further." Three pairs of eyes were surmising her.
"Have we met somewhere before?" Daniel wrinkled his forehead.
"You think?"
She was definitely laughing to herself now.
Frank joined them again.
"Did you find them?"
"Mm."
"Francis, Daniel thinks we have met before."
"Yeah? What did you tell him, Soph?"
Laurence had been watching her.
"Soph . . . Soph?. . . . Sophie Grafton?" he said.
"It's not, is it? Yes, of course it is "This from Daniel.
"You know each other?"
"We were kids together, Martha."
Martha sat back in her chair, willing to be entertained by their raucous reminiscences.
They moved onto a nightclub.
"Hey Daniel, we will have to find a girl for you!"
"Thank you, Martha. I can get my own girls! Just watch."
They relaxed enjoying each other's company until even Laurence danced and the evening passed quickly filled with easy laughter.
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They sat in silence at ease with each other. .
" Hey ho! Three more days to Christmas. What are you lot doing?" Daniel asked.
"Oh, down to Twickenham, to Laurence's parents for Christmas lunch; back for Boxing Day. How about you?"
Daniel wrinkled his nose
"Twickenham for me too. My dad expects it. He's on his own now. You know how it is. "
Laurence smiled gently.
He knew that Daniel's dad could cope very well on his own, probably could join a group of his friends at the Rugby club. It was Daniel who needed his dad at
Christmas.
"I'll be going down in Canterbury on Christmas Eve for a few days."
"You going home, Frank?
" Yep. We all go to my Gran's for Christmas lunch. She's says this will be the last year she will do it.
"Shame" Daniel chipped in " Your Gran's a cracking cook."
"She's getting on a bit now."
"Hmm"
"Hey" Martha said. "If you guys are not doing anything Boxing Day, how about coming to us? I can do cold cuts and salad? What do you think? Sophie?"
"Yeah, that would be great. Ham and chips. My Boxing Day favourite. I'll cook the chips, if you don't want to, Martha. "
"Whey-hey, home-made chips!" from Daniel.
"Francis?"
"Yeah. Great!"
"That's settled then."
The night was coming to an end and the disco was playing smoochies.
Sophie dragged Frank onto the floor for a last dance.
They watched them.
"Well, well. Frank and Sophie. Who'd've thought she'd turn out such a stunner. God, she was such a scrawny little … that's what it was! Spectacles! ..she used to wear
specs. What did we used to call her? Google-eyes … Ginger Whinger!"
"You did, Daniel! You know, I think you may be right about him being in love with her." Laurence took Martha's hand and smiled at her.
"Mmm hmm! And I'll tell you something else for free. She is in love with him."
The two guys gave a guffaw.
"Tell us something new! She was always Frank's girl; from six years old. We were the necessary evil she had to put with to be allowed to tag after Frank. She'd sit on the step, chin on knees, just watching him."
"We'd ignore her and she'd ignore us. She was a skinny little thing, wasn't she?"
On the dance floor, Frank and Sophie moved slowly to the sweet Christmas song that was playing, his arms around her, his head resting on hers.
"Soph"
"Mm "
"I love you, Soph." he murmured into her outrageous wig.
She slid her arms from his arms to around his waist and smiled against his chest.
"Mm, yes."
The song was coming slowly to an end.
'Faithful friends that are dear to us
Will be near to us
Once more.'
"Do you love me?" he whispered tentatively.
She squeezed him gently.
"Francis McEwan, I have loved you since I was six years old."
He held her tighter and kissed the top of her outrageous wig.
"Um . . . Francis, um . . . when Christmas is over . . . when everything's sort of quiet again. .uh . . . you wanna move in with me?"
He waited until she looked up at him.
He smiled a crooked little smile.
"What d'you think?"
She gave a soft sigh and settled back into their hug.
'Some day soon we all may be together if the fates allow;
Until then we will have to muddle through somehow'
He sang softly along with the song.
'So have yourself a Merry Little Christmas now.'
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