Embracing Change (20 page)

They reached the chairs and Joel flopped down on the blankets next to Sarah. Mandy was sitting behind them and Sarah could almost feel her eyes boring through the back of her head.
It doesn’t matter
.
Just enjoy the show
.

As promised, the tree was lit first, gold and silver ropes of light sweeping across lofty branches. Then a roar went up from the crowd. “Santa’s coming, Santa’s coming!” Sure enough, a glittering white sleigh proceeded down the central walkway with Santa on top, surrounded by mounds of gifts. “Merry Christmas!” he shouted. “Merry Christmas, boys and girls!”

“This is such fun,” Sarah whispered to Joel. “I can’t remember the last time I experienced the excitement of Christmas.”

“It’s great, isn’t it? My sisters and I used to beg Mom and Dad to bring us into town each year. It wasn’t a big sponsored event like this, but it was still fantastic fun.”

“Did they always say yes?”

“If the weather was good, which it mostly was.”

Sarah’s mind wandered back to Johannesburg. By now the malls would be decorated and carols blaring, but nothing she’d experienced there could come close to the magic she was feeling right now.

As Santa drove his sleigh through to the other side of the crowd, the MC announced the first song of the second half. As Joel had said, it was
O Holy Night
, performed by three tenors. Their voices echoed across the cool night air and people sat captivated. Sarah listened carefully as promised, and snatches of song jumped out at her.

“This is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth ... fall on your knees, O hear the angels singing ... and in His name, all oppression will cease.”

Oppression
. She let the word tumble through her mind.
Oppression means a cruel exercise of power, a feeling of being weighed down in mind and body
. She remembered that from a school project she’d done years ago.
I wonder if I’m oppressed, if that’s why I can’t get past my hatred of Dlamini? If I am, does that mean he still has power over me?
It wasn’t a pleasant thought and she shook it off, choosing to concentrate on the entertainment.

After an hour, the MC invited everyone to stand as the entire cast joined in singing
Silent Night.
It was dark now, and thousands of children waved glowsticks in time to the music. Just as Sarah thought she’d never seen such an incredible sight, fireworks exploded from behind a row of trees to the right of the stage. Pure gold streaks burst into massive dandelion heads, and silver fountains cascaded above them. Then blue, red and green spirals filled the dark sky, spinning in every direction.

“Amazing, hey?” Joel leaned against her lightly.

“Absolutely wonderful.”

The finale was the best, as the entire sky seemed to light up with an explosion of glittering stars, falling and flashing in a blanket of sparkling light.

Joel walked them to their car when it was over, chatting easily with all four of them. “Reckon it was better than last year, Mandy?”

“I’d say so.” She turned to Trisha. “What do you think?”

“Definitely. I reckon it improves every time they do it.”

At the car, Joel pulled Sarah to the side. “Are you free on the thirteenth?”

“As far as I know.”

“Mark it in your diary. I’ll take you to an extra special Christmas function.”

Chapter Twenty Seven

After the carols this evening, Joel promised to take me to a special function in December. It feels like a proper date—our very first one.

From the journal of Sarah Johnson

Saturday 29th November

Joel dropped round at the house the next evening. “I’ve got Shelley in the car,” he told Sarah. “Want to come to the park with us?”

“Are you going to tell me about this mystery event if I come?” she teased.

Joel put his head on one side. “I might just do that.”

At the park, he let Shelley off her leash with admonitions to behave herself. “Just remember where we are, Shells.” The dog bounded off, leaving Joel and Sarah trailing behind. Although it was past nine o’clock the sun was still bright and the air laden with the scent of blossoms.

“So what is it?” Sarah probed. “Where are we going to go?”

“It’s a charity function—a Christmas party to raise funds for underprivileged children in Papua New Guinea. They’ve asked if I’ll be the official photographer, and I get to take a partner as part of the deal.”

“Sounds interesting. Is it a fancy occasion?”

“Collar and tie, and ball gowns.”

Sarah’s mind went to the picture in Joel’s office, wondering if Mandy had been his choice for a similar event. “I don’t have any formal outfits with me.”

“I’m sure you could borrow one. Isn’t Jade about your size?”

“I could ask her.”

Back home, Sarah pulled Jade to one side. “Do you have a formal ball gown I could borrow?”

Jade raised her eyebrows. “Hot date coming up?”

Sarah laughed. “Not exactly.” She explained Joel’s invitation as she followed Jade to her bedroom. As usual, papers were stacked higgledy-piggledy on every available surface and clothes were strewn over chair backs and across the bed.

“Welcome to comfortable chaos.” Jade pulled her wardrobe open. “I’ve still got the dress from my school formal, plus a couple of others I’ve acquired since then.” She took them out and showed them to Sarah, one by one; a selection of amethyst, sapphire and ruby. “We’ve got similar colouring, so they’ll look great on you. Do you want to try them on?”

“I’d love to.” Sarah held the sapphire one in front of her. “What an incredible colour.”

“It makes your eyes shine like sequins.”

Sarah stripped to her underwear and pulled the first dress on. “It’s a little loose on the sides, but otherwise good.”

“I seem to remember it was loose on me too. Try the red one. I think that’s a tighter fit.”

Sarah slipped it on and twisted in front of the mirror. “It’s gorgeous, but it makes my butt look fat.”

Jade snorted. “Yeah, right! You’re still too skinny, although you look better than you did.” She unzipped the blue dress from its hanger. “I think this is the one for you.”

Sarah pulled it over her head and the satiny folds moulded to fit her shape.

“Stunning,” Jade declared. “Absolutely stunning! It fits you better than me.”

Sarah twirled in front of the mirror, feeling like a fairy princess. “I must say it’s flattering.”

“Sit here,” Jade instructed, dragging a chair in front of the mirror. “I just need to snitch some supplies from Mandy.” She came back with an assortment of hair pins and ribbons, and combed Sarah’s hair into sections. “I did a hairdressing course before my journalism diploma, and your hair is begging for this.”

Ten minutes later, Sarah could hardly believe her reflection in the mirror. “I can’t believe you did that so quickly.” She turned her head from side to side, admiring the soft curls that hung loosely round her face. “Please say you’ll do it for me on the 13th?”

Joel had arranged to pick Sarah up at 7pm and the door bell rang promptly. “He’s going to fall over backwards when he sees you,” Jade whispered as she dashed off to open the door.

“I think she’s right,” said Trisha, who had supplied a gold chain and hooped earrings as accessories, as well as doing her makeup. “You look beautiful.”

Mandy looked up from her magazine, a pained expression on her face.

“What do you think, Mandy?” Trisha asked.

“’Mmm. Lovely.” She went back to her magazine as Joel entered the room, handsome in a black suit with a pale blue shirt and navy tie. He stopped short as he saw Sarah.

“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Jade giggled.

He walked around Sarah, examining the way the dress fell in smooth folds, accentuating her shape. Then looked at her hair, smooth chocolate curls woven with a single blue ribbon. “Gorgeous doesn’t quite describe her. I’d say stunningly beautiful.”

Sarah’s cheeks warmed at all the attention. “We’d better get going. Don’t you have to photograph the guests arriving?”

“My first job is to photograph you. Find a spot with a plain backdrop while I get my camera.” It was the first time he’d done formal poses of her and she was impressed with his skill, the ease she felt as he clicked picture after picture.

The only thing spoiling it was the thought of Mandy’s picture, hanging on his wall.

The party was being held in an hotel in town and they arrived there just before 7:30. “I hope you realise I’ve never been to a posh event like this?” Sarah said as they entered the plushly carpeted lobby. “You’ll have to coach me in what to do and say.”

Joel laughed. “Do I strike you as being the cultured type? We’ll have to help each other out here. Just stick close and you can be my assistant.”

By 9pm the party was in full swing and Joel had taken portrait shots of most of the couples. As suggested, Sarah helped with the poses and recorded names and addresses. The fact that she looked as good as the cream of Christchurch society was a plus, and she relaxed and started having fun.

“That’s it for now,” Joel said at last. “Let’s go and sit.”

The room was set with white-draped tables accented by red and gold overthrows. Glass bowls of roses were set amongst sprinklings of gold stars, and a display of the Papua New Guinea charities dominated the back wall. After a sumptuous dinner of seafood, lamb shanks and venison, a live band struck up a waltz.

Joel looked at Sarah. “Any good at ballroom dancing?”

“I did lessons for a couple of years.”

“That’s more than I did.”

He smiled and she thought again how handsome he looked in formal wear.

“Let’s give it a whirl.” He led her onto the dance floor, resting his right hand on her waist. His skin was warm and she could feel the heat of his hand through her dress.

“
One
-two-three,
one
-two-three. Isn’t that how you do it?” He led well and soon they were gliding across the floor.

“This is the best fun I’ve had for ages,” she said as they swept around a corner.

“Better than Christmas in the park?”

“Different.”
Because I’m with you and the centre of your attention.

After another waltz, they stood waiting to see what was next. The band struck up a lively tune and the floor filled with couples doing the twist. “Come on, let’s show these oldies how to do it,” Joel laughed.

They tried their best to keep up and copy some of the moves, but Sarah was breathless after five minutes. “I know when I’m defeated!” She sagged against him. “I give up.”

They returned to their table, and sipped champagne and chatted until the MC called for everyone’s attention. “I’d like to introduce Eric Cahill, who will address us on behalf of the Board of Trustees.” Sarah listened to the speeches with half an ear until she heard Joel’s name mentioned. “I’d like to thank Joel Baxter for agreeing to be our photographer tonight. He’s a sought after professional and we’re very fortunate to have him with us. Joel has not charged us for his time or expertise, and if you order a portrait, the money will go directly to the children’s fund.”

Sarah poked him. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“I didn’t need to.”

The speeches continued, and wound up with a thank you for the donations to the Christmas fund. “We have six containers of toys, clothes and food,
en route
to Papua New Guinea, and it’s all thanks to your generosity. It may not seem like much, but it will make a significant difference to the lives of the families who receive a parcel.”

There was a loud round of applause and after it died down, he announced dessert would be served.

Joel turned to Sarah. “What do you want for Christmas?”

She was silent for a while, thinking it over. “Some paints. The colours are coming back and I think I could try painting again.”

Joel’s smile said it all.

Chapter Twenty Eight

I’ve been walking on air since Saturday night. The ball was amazing and Joel treated me like a princess.

From the journal of Sarah Johnson

Monday15th December

I’ve forgotten my phone.” Sarah turned to look at Joel. “I think I left it on my bed.” They had only just pulled away from the house, so when Joel started to turn the car, she stopped him. “Just pull onto the side and I’ll run back.”

The morning air was balmy against her cheeks as she jogged down the street. Both of their neighbours’ homes were decorated with Christmas lights, and icicles spilled from the gutters. Sarah was in good spirits as she pushed the door open and walked down the passage to her room.