Chapter 20
Against all of the odds, the three McDonalds left on the street did manage to enjoy Christmas. It was an experience, to say the least, the three of them trying to cook the turkey and make a dinner with all the trimmings. By the end of it the three of them ended up in the pub.
Natalie who was now the land lady of the pub had not been keen on it but she and Jim had been a close platonic friendship ever since she had arrived, so allowed them and Katie to stay.
"Just this once, as its Christmas."
During the time when between Christmas and New Year Katie went and stayed with her mother for two days. It was fun but not as Christmas.
A week after they had Katie's seventh birthday at last. Hopeful the year was going to be a lot better than her sixth. David and Sarah Platt, as well as Rosie and Sophie Webster all came to her party.
As well as those four the Mallets brought there new born twins William and Rebecca.
"You know I think this year will be a good one for her." said Judy to Garry.
"I hope so. Lets be honest it can't get worse than her mother walking out on her and her dad."
"That's true."
Deirdre came to the party to. Since Liz had gone she had been lonely. She hadn't been very social. No after every thing with Jon, and – she had had a hard year. It seemed every one had. 1998 had been very harsh on the entire street it seemed.
At the end of the day when every one had gone Katie got a phone call.
"Hey mum!"
"Hello sweetheart. Happy birthday beautiful!" Liz said to her. She was missing her so much it felt like she was aching.
"You ok?"
"I am fine angel. Did you have a good day?" she asked her.
"Yeah dad let me have a party and every thing."
"Good. "
"Mum when are you going to come see me?" she asked.
"Very soon. Maybe in a few weekends." she said.
"Good. I miss you a lot."
"I miss you too, and I love you very much."
-
"I know, I know Katie, it is not fun going back to school, but you have too.""
"Dad, come on its cold I don't want to go out there. Can't I just have one more day off?" protested Katherine.
"No, it is only a four day week."
"But I prefer staying home with you."
"I know you do. But you have to go to school to get all clever."
Jim sighed.
Over the holidays his condition seemed to have cleared up. After seven months of being laid up he was getting his life back.
It was just as well. Every one seemed to have got there own lives to get on with and this made him relies so did he.
Especially the Judy and Garry with there kids. Help from his friends was there with Katie, but not as much as it had been. He had to be look after his daughter on his own now.
After that first day at school, he went to pick her up and he was slightly shocked to see Mrs Smith waiting for him.
"Mr McDonald can I have a words?" she asked,.
"Of course." He said as he walked in to the class room. His daughter was left in the corridor waiting for him.
"Is every thing ok?" he asked.
"Yes and no. Katherine was very quite today. She was before Christmas to. I hope when she returned from her holidays that perhaps she might be more like the Katie I had taught last year but she seemed more distracted if anything."
"Well we are having a bit of a rough time at home. I am sure you know of my accident, and Elizabeth, Katie's mum, well she has left."
"I know. Katie told me about it. She seems very distressed about the whole thing. I am just worried it is going to hold her back." said Mrs Smith. "She is a really bright little girl. And I have never seen a kid so determined as she is do well. But Katie seems to be so sad right now. She is very with drawn. Even from Mandy."
The girls had been best friends for two years now.
"She has been put through too much, I know." He said. And he hadn't protected her well enough.
"No. I am not saying it is anything to do with you. But I just don't want to let it get so far that her work begins to suffer. That wouldn't be fair on her." She said showing genuine concern for her pupil.
"No. no it isn't. I'll have a wee word with her tonight, so I will. And I am going to do every thing I can to keep her on track."
"Then that's makes two of us. She is a good girl. She just needs a bit more stability, I feel." she told him caringly.
"Well she is going to get it. I promise you."
-
When they got back to the house the first thing Jim did was sit with his daughter and tell her wheat had gone on.
"Am I in trouble dad?" she asked nervously.
"No but I think I am. I've not been a good dad to you. I am sorry for that." He said to her as he gently smiled at her.
"You're the best dad in the world." She protested against what he had said.
"No wee lass. I need to put you first. Which is why we are going to spend a lot more time together." he said to her.,
"With no Fiona?" she asked.
"No. she is gone now, from all our lives. And she will never come back. Just me and you. You're the only person I need to be happy, so you are, I promise you lass. Things are going to be like the old days from now on."
"And Steve too?" she asked.
He nodded.
"And Steve too. Just the three of us," he promised.
Of course Liz wasn't there but they were going to be happy.
The first thing that Jim did was for the first time in a long time get Katie in to a routine. A proper one. Now he had his legs back that was going to be easier. He thought back to when he had been in the army and how much simpler things had been when he had known he had had a task to do by a certain time and he had to make sure he had it done. And so that was the sort of thing he did for his daughter.
Katie was to get up at seven thirty for breakfast and be breakfasted by eight, dressed by quarter past. School begun at nine and then he picked her up at three thirty. Kev and he had worked his hours so he only worked during school hours and Saturday mornings when Deirdre took her for the first part of the day. She had always been there and she hadn't wanted to lose contact with her when Liz had gone. Afternoon after they got back were also structured now. Katherine would have time to play till half past four, and then till five, her father helped her with homework and a little bit too extra studying so she didn't struggle so much in class. Dinner was on the table at six, she had to be in the bath by quarter to seven. She was ready for bed by quarter past and would do what she wanted till eight when he would read her a quick story before bed. He even started going back to church regularly with her. He hadn't done that since she had been a new born.
Their lives had turned around and it was for the better.
Even though life was a lot different and quieter to how it had been Katherine adjusted to it easily. She was good at adjusting.
She had had to be.
She preferred it the way to was too.
In the time they had on Sunday they often saw the four Mallett's.
William and Rebecca became like little siblings for her, and as her aunt and uncle's children grew older week by week she watched them grow. Katherine watched as the little miracles of life grew. Life was a gift. One they all received.
"Are they going to be as big as you are one day?" Katie asked the adults as the six of them sat round the table in the Malletts kitchen.
"Yes. Just like all of us. Like you are. You've grown ever since we've known you." Judy told her with a smile because of the innocence of the question.
They had known her four years now and Judy didn't know where it had gone.
"And you'll be bigger before you stop growing." said Gary.
"No." Jim shook his head. "I've decided. Katie is going to stop growing now. She is going to stay my little lass for ever, aren't you?"
Giggling at her fathers stupid remarks, a smile crept on to her face.
"You can't make me stay small dad." she said to him.
"I can try."
"I might make Becca stay as small as she is now too." Gary agreed.
"And Billy?" asked Judy.
"No he can grow. That way I can take him up the park to play football." He informed his wife with a grin.
"Typical man," his wife muttered. "Isn't he Katie?"
Katie shrugged. "Done." she said as she had her last mouthful of chicken.
"Lass from what I can see there are still vegetables on your plates." said Gary.
"Dad…"
"Listen to your Uncle."
"If I eat half can I go play?"
"Yeah." Nodded Gary teasingly.
Katie some times felt that they were more her parents than any one. They were just as much her god parents as Deirdre was. They spent as much time with them as she did her.
-
Half a year passed with out a lot of disruption for Jim and Katie, even though he was sure Steve was up to some thing. After all when wasn't he? How ever it wasn't getting him in trouble with the law yet and so he let it pass.
Katie got back to where she should be in class. She was a wizz really when she put in the effort. Before she knew it she was out of her third year at school.
She was going to be a junior instead of an infant next year.
Year 3.
"I get to go in the big play ground." she said to her dad.
"Is that a good thing?"
"Yeah the big kids have climbing frames and everything!" she said to him as she sat coloring at the table.
"Wow!" he said to her.
Just then there was a knock on the door.
Going to get it, he smiled as he saw who it was.
"You alright Garry?" he said to him.
"Yeah I just wondering if you have heard the good news yet." he said to him excitedly.
"And what news would that be?" he asked.
"Ash and Maxine are getting wed." he said to him.
"Are they how?" he said smile. "Good on 'em."
"Yeah. Every one is going to go for a drink tonight to say congratulations. But Judy is going to stay home with the kids. She said to come over and ask if Katie wonted to go over to ours so you can come too and have a pint or two." he said to him.
"What do you think Katie? Is that alright with you." he asked.
"yeah." she smiled. "Can I help Auntie Judy with the twins?" she asked.
"I am sure you can sweetie." Gary said to her and so at six she was dropped off at number seven, and the men went down to the rovers.
"Are you sure you don't want to go Judy?" asked Jim.
"No I am just going to have a quiet drink to them and watch the kids. Honestly it is where I am happiest." she said to him.
As soon as they were gone she turned to Katie.
"Guess what you." she said smiling." as soon as we get the babies to bed I have got some cake mixture so we can do some cooking. Would you like that?"
"Yeah!" she smiled.
"Right in to the living room. I have got the kids bath ready. You can help me get them ready for bed." and that was exactly was Katie did.
When she was with Judy every thing seemed to be ok. She was like another mum to her.
She helped her bath them as much as she could, she helped dry and then Judy helped her feed them. The twins were seven months and so getting big and wriggly.
It wasn't always easy for the seven year old to hold them any more.
After they had got them to bed they went in to the kitchen. Judy had to say she was looking forward to doing all this stuff with Rebecca however she also enjoyed the company of the young girl. Katie was so sweet.
Judy was so different as a sort of mother figure to Katie to how Liz had been as a real one. It was undeniable that when she had had her in her care that she was always happy. Liz had been a good mum. However Judy did a lot more things with her that a stereotypical mum would just like cooking where as she and Liz had done other things. Not just the normal. But some where along the way Katie has learnt that some times, just normal was nice.
"I miss her auntie Judy." she admitted when Liz came up in conversation.
"I know you do Katie." she said to her sympathetically.
"Do you think she misses me?"
"Well if I was her I know I would." she said to her. But then again if she had been Liz then she was sure she would never have begun the affair to begin with never mind leave her husband and kids. She didn't know hoe she'd get through the day with out them.
Deciding it was time to change the conversation Judy smiled.
"Do you want to lick the spoon?" she asked and Katie nodded smiling. Judy remembered her mum had let her do that when she had been young. It was one of the perks of cooking at that age.
"Right that is going to take an hour in the oven," she commented as she pout the cake in. "Your dad and Gary will be back by then," she said. "What do you want to do till then?"
"Can I do some colouring?"
"You most certainly can young lady." She beamed at her.
-
By the time the other two had got back from the pub though Katie was in a deep sleep on the sofa.
Jim smiled and sat by her as Gary told his wife what had gone on and the scene that had happened in the pub that night.
"Bloody Terry Duckworth. I feel so sorry for Jack and Vera, the way he went off on one."
"Well for once the apple fell very far from the tree, didn't it? It isn't fair." she said.
"No. I bet they were a great mum and dad."
"Definitely." She agreed.
"The way they have taken care of young Tyrone since he has arrived."
"Yeah well, they have done him nothing but good. Make my words Judy. Before he leaves here some thing bad will happen. I don't know what but some thing will."