"So what are we going to do on Saturday?" he asked, taking hold of the cup of tea that had been placed on the table in front of him some minutes ago.
"Saturday?" she replied absently, her back to him as she piled the supper dishes to the side of the sink.
"Yes. Your birthday, in case you forgot".
"I don't know" she replied. "I can't really say I've given it a second's attention". He watched curiously wondering why she had almost dismissed it, turning the taps on the sink, ready to work her way through the supper dishes.
"Well we have to do something" he replied, seeing her run her fingers through the water as it heated up. "I know I have to work during the day and I know our celebration in Sierra Leone got usurped by your little announcement, but..."
"You know we never really celebrated birthdays" she said with a hint of wistfulness interrupting him. "You know Mater just used to send me a parcel".
When they had discussed their childhoods in the past he was quite shocked that the sum total of her family's recognition of her birthday was a parcel through the post. He remembered the chaos that usually ensued when he was a child with all his cousins; that many of them that barely a month would go by without a family gathering of some sort. Whilst there may not have been very much money to spare in the Noakes household, every child always had a birthday party; even though it usually involved each of those children running wild and eating Granny Jane's cake until it came out of their ears.
"I was always at school" she continued. "The parcel was always the same as well. A book, ribbons or hair grips, letter writing set and a Scrabble game one year. Ma always put more stamps too in as the school never gave us enough for letters home."
"You had your 21st though?"
"It was full of elderly relatives and feckless fools that Mater was trying to marry me off to. That was when he gave me that necklace".
'That necklace' was the one she had asked him to take to the bank for safekeeping before they married when, horrified, he had learnt that she kept a 2 carat diamond at Nonnatus.
"I always knew I had birthdays to make up for. We could have a celebration this year".
"I don't want one" she said, turning to him, temporarily drying her hands. "Please Peter, no party. Freddie can have all the parties he wants when he is older, but not me".
He stood up, taking his empty tea cup to the side with him. He put his hands on her hips.
"Are you sure?" he asked, knowing that that only reason that she said 'no' was that for some reason she still wondered why he would make a fuss.
"Yes, really. No party".
He ducked his head for a moment, shifting closer to her. "Alright," he said, "but we have to do something. Just the three of us".
"Well you think of something, but just us".
He nodded and leant up to kiss her in acceptance. How on earth did she think she wasn't worth the time and effort of a celebration?
He would however, with the assistance of their six month old son, do as she wished.
Four days later…..
"Peter?" she said, closing the front door behind her having pushed Freddie's pram into the hallway.
The house was deathly quiet and in partial darkness. She glanced at her watch. Half past 6. Even with the best will in the world there was no way he would be in bed and his shift finished an hour and a half ago.
"Peter?" she asked, raising her voice slightly, extracting her son from the comfort of his blankets. "Do you know where your Daddy has gone, sweetheart?" she asked as his small hand grasped hold of her coat collar.
She pushed the kitchen door to find it empty of life, followed by the dining room door that was also devoid of occupation. Hearing a pronounced cough behind her though she found him leaning on the door frame of the sitting room with a hand held out towards her.
"Take your coat off".
Being led into the room she saw the low coffee table, bedecked in a white lace table cloth that she recognised, tea cups, various covered plates and in the middle a white iced cake
"One candle?" she remarked immediately.
"Yes. Every year the candles will grow so when we are 90 there will be more candles than cake".
"That's not the way to do it. More cake should always come first!" she joked, going to sit on the settee with Freddie on her lap.
"No" he said walking them both away from hear seat. "Birthday parties involve sitting on the floor and no knives or forks".
"Did you do this?"
"Yes. Well partially. Mum helped. Now sit down".
He reached by the cake and produced matches as an interested hand tried to grab for the box. "No", she said, moving the baby's hands away. "No pyromaniac tendancies until you are at least 18".
He smiled as she heard the scratch of the match against the strip on the side of the box. The single candle was lit.
"Come on blow it out and make a wish".
Gently she put a hand on her son's head shielding him from the flame as she blew the candle out. She closed her eyes as she heard the plate clink against the table.
"One wish made" she said, smiling at him before she paused. "Am I meant to tell you it?"
He paused. "Just tell me if it comes true".
She nodded. Her wish that she would keep to herself, hopefully only for the least time possible, was that by this time next year she would feel confident enough to retract her plea for 'no party'.
"Close your eyes".
She eyed him suspiciously.
"Close your eyes and pass me your hand".
"One can't just tear it off you know".
"Camilla..!"
With a smile she closed her eyes willingly, one hand holding Freddie to her and the other reached out in front of her. She felt him put something around her wrist.
She opened them to find a most exquisite bracelet of delicate peridot stones set in yellow gold.
"The jeweller said it was made the same year you were born".
It had caught his eye a few days after they came back from Sierra Leone and she was worth every penny of it, only bought from a Jeweller who kept it back for him and trusted him to pay in bits and bobs because he was a policeman.
"It is. Its lovely". She said turning the stones in the minimal light. "Thank you". She said reaching across to kiss him and on the receiving end of an attempt to deepen the kiss. Both of them felt two small hands touch their chins.
She saw a half smile as he leant down a blew a raspberry against his sons cheek, which set off the rather wonderful but worryingly insane laugh that Freddie had developed these past months. For a second, Chummy thought, life was truly perfect.
"Are you pouring that tea or not then?" she asked, placing a kiss to her son's hair before letting her head rest against the settee cushion.
She watched through half open eyes as he poured their tea. "Thank you. So what has your Mum made for us then?"
With a flourish, he took off the and passed her a plate.
"Doesn't one get waiter service? It is my birthday after all".
"Do I have to choose for you as well?"
"Yes" she said taking a sip of tea as she watched the cake being sliced and various other sweet things placed on her plate before he settled properly to her side.
"This is lovely – thank you".
"My pleasure".
"In fact I think it's perfect. Thank you for listening to me. For doing what I asked".
"The last thing I want to do is upset you. A party would have upset you".
"I do wish I could just say 'yes go ahead' with it all".
"We used to have parties" he said, reminiscing of what had been a chaotic but wonderful childhood. "Every year. There was all my cousins ones as well. My favourite was my 12th because I got a second hand bicycle. Except I got it taken off me for a week".
"Why?"
"I gave my brother a black eye in the middle of the party", he confessed.
"What?" she asked, quite surprised, particulary as she had never even heard him swear in all the time they had known each other, let alone be violent.
"Dad just said everything was fine one minute and then next I threw myself at Philip. Uncle Tom had to separate us before we took the table with us. I have no idea what he said to me".
"Teddy and I always used to fight. I think that's why Mater didn't like us".
"Fist fights?" he asked, surprised.
"Sometimes" she said. "I broke his nose when I was 11".
"I thought you were a lady" he said, seeing his son eyeing up the food that was a foot or two away from him, leaning forward in a vain attempt at thievery.
"Is he alright to have some of this?" he asked.
"He thoroughly worked his way through a disproportionately large bowl of stewed apple at lunchtime so try ahead".
"Mater never found out about our fights", she said carrying on seeing a small pinch of sponge being more than well received . "Teddy would just say he fell over on the path or off his bicycle. One wonders if she hated us as we decided to be born so close together".
"Philip and I were only 11 months apart. Mum didn't hate us for it".
"Your Mum is wonderful that's why. If I ever turn out like my mother with him please tell me".
He shook his head. "You won't, because you know how not to be with him", he said, feeding another corner of sponge to the baby receiving a squeal in response as little legs kicked at his mothers.
"I will take your word for it. Besides one never thought I would ever have a child of my own, never expected to be sitting here now with you both anyway".
"Well you are and I am thankful for it; for you deciding to come to Poplar, for being mad enough to say 'yes' to me".
"Not mad. Quite the contrary" she said, taking his chin as she kissed him.
He handed her her tea cup and raised his.
"A toast then", he said. "To Mrs Noakes, my wife and Fred's Mum".
"Our perfect party of three" she smiled.
"Happy Birthday!"