It Started With A Christmas Tree - A Lizzie Fuller Christmas Novella (6 page)

BOOK: It Started With A Christmas Tree - A Lizzie Fuller Christmas Novella
4.65Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“What’s it called?” he asked. “I’ll phone
the store and buy a container of it.”

“It’s called Naughty Alice by Vivienne
Westwood,”

“Hmm, good name. What do you have planned
for this afternoon?” asked Riley, looking down at me, his mouth tilted
slightly.

“Well, I should probably get some work
done. I assume you’ll be painting.”

“Yeah but I thought maybe we should say
goodbye to the old paint first.” I looked up into his eyes and felt my breath
catch. I wondered how long we would be together before I grew immune to him. Probably
never.

“Well, it
was
pretty special paint hidden under that wallpaper,” I said, watching Riley’s
smile widen. “It would only be right that we see it out accordingly.”

“My thoughts exactly,” said Riley,
scooping me up in his arms and sprinting to the stairs.

Pushing the bedroom door open with my
feet, Riley moved into the room and threw me down on the bed. I looked into his
eyes as he moved over me and that was all the foreplay I needed. Pulling his
shirt up so I could touch his stomach, my heart did the trippy thing. As he moved
and my body pressed hard against his, he whispered, “You fit here perfectly. It’s
like you were made for me.” My blissful sigh was drowned by his mouth and just
as his tongue touched mine and the fireworks started in my brain, the phone
beside the bed started to ring.

“Ignore it,” whispered Riley, moving to
remove my t-shirt. As I pulled it over my head, I threw it over the phone to drown
out the noise. I will admit it was pretty distracting having a phone ringing
less than a metre away from my ear, but thankfully it did stop—only for
my mobile phone to start ringing. That was in the pocket of my jeans and was
even more distracting. It was Riley’s turn to sigh.

“I’ll turn it off,” I said, pulling it
from my jeans pocket and reaching for the silence button. But I could see the
caller was Mum. Now first off, this did put a dampener on my mood, as any
thought of relatives at that moment wasn’t a good thing. It only took Riley a
second to get my mind refocused. Just as he was unhooking my bra, my mobile
rang again. This time it was a text from Molly. It read ‘Ring me. It’s urgent.’

I pushed Riley off and sat up in bed,
alarm bells replacing the fireworks. “Something’s wrong,” I said, my fingers
shaking as I pressed Molly’s number.

“What’s happened?” I asked without hearing
the obligatory hello.

“Grandma’s had a fall. She’s in the
hospital.”

 

****

 

We reached the hospital car
park in record time, Riley getting green lights all the way. We have two
hospitals in town but only one with an Emergency department. I’d visited it a
few times over the years. Once when I broke my arm falling off my bike at the
age of ten and then when I’d had my appendix removed at the age of twelve. But
it was the two visits I’d had here earlier this year that sat the heaviest in
my mind. The last occasion in particular had seen me battered, bruised and
nearly broken. I forced those memories to the back of my mind and buried them
under all the other crap I had hidden there, took a deep breath and stepped
forward.

I felt Riley’s hand at my wrist as I
walked towards the doors, unsure of what I would find. I moved my hand so my
fingers entwined with his and held on tight. Molly had been vague with the
information, only saying that Grandma had been visiting Ben Willett and he’d
phoned an ambulance because she fallen. She had no idea why she’d fallen or
what damage had been done, but Mum was in a flap, crying because her friend’s
mother had done the same thing and broken her hip. She died only a few months
later.

I didn’t even want to think of that
scenario.

Walking in to the emergency ward, the
first thing that hit me was the smell of sterility and medications. I hated
hospitals, they scared me. The only people who came to a hospital because of a
happy event all visited the maternity ward. And I definitely knew that wasn’t a
place we would be visiting today.

As the glass doors slid open, I found Mum and
Molly sitting in hard plastic chairs, their faces flushed.

“I got here as quickly as I could,” I
said, kissing Mum on the cheek and giving her a hug. “How is she?”

“She’s down at x-ray,” said Mum, tapping
her foot.

“Do you know what happened yet?” I asked
as Riley gave Mum a hug and sat down on the seat next to her. Molly looked at
me and grimaced.

“I’ll tell you later,” she whispered.

“No you won’t,” snapped Mum. “You’ll tell
her now! You’ll tell her that her grandmother needs to act her age and stop
giving me ulcers!” I looked at Mum, taken aback by her tone.

“Apparently Grandma and Mr. Willett were
engaging in
activities
this afternoon,” said Molly, her fingers
doing air quotes. “And she lost her balance.”

“Where’s Mr. Willett now?” I asked,
looking around me.

“At home. Apparently he’s not overly
concerned about what happened to your grandmother,” said Mum, standing and
waving her arms around. “I mean, if she has to behave this way can’t she at
least find a nice man! It was bad enough with you two,” she said, turning her
anger towards Molly and I. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to be your
mother? I worried about you day in and day out. The amount of useless boys that
the
three
of you dated was enough to give any
mother nightmares. You were the worst,” she said, looking at Molly. “That
Henderson boy you were with was nothing but trouble. And you,” she said turning
to me, “you had to lose your virginity to that Angus boy. I have no idea what
you saw in him. But I knew he was trouble.” I looked at Riley only to see his
eyebrows disappear somewhere around his hairline. Previous partners weren’t
something we’d spoken about yet. “Actually, I think Danny was the one who gave
me the least amount of trouble,” continued Mum. I wanted to remind her of a few
things Danny had got up to over the years but now didn’t feel like the
appropriate time. “Finally, two of you have found nice men but, just when I can
lower my dose of Gaviscon, your grandmother had to start. What did I do wrong? Why
didn’t she go and live with Margaret?”

Molly looked offended with the comments
but decided now was not a good time to defend herself. We’d learnt years ago it
was far better for your health and freedom to let Mum rant when she was in this
mood.

“Is she going to be okay?” asked Riley,
giving Mum a soft, comforting look. Mum’s anger dissolved instantly.
Shit, I should have met Riley
earlier. My teenage years would have been a whole lot easier with him around
.

“I think so, Riley. They’re doing an x-ray
to make certain she hasn’t broken anything. At this stage the doctor thinks
she’ll just have some bruising.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding just
as the doctor called Mum’s name. Mum may only be four foot eight inches tall
but when she got angry, it was best to stay out of her way.

I sat in her vacant chair and allowed the
shell shock to wash over me.

It only took about an hour after that for Grandma
to be given the all clear and for us to be allowed to take her home. Apparently
the doctor was right and she would get some pretty good bruising. Other than
that, she was a lucky lady. One who should maybe reconsider her extra-curricular
activities. I think Mum would be having that talk with her later.

Riley and I stopped at the fish and chip
shop on the way to Mum’s and bought fish and chips for everyone for dinner. I
knew Mum wouldn’t feel like cooking and, as Danny and Drew were calling around
for a visit, it felt like the easiest option. Danny was talking to Grandma when
we walked in carrying the food.

“What did you see in Ben Willett?” he
asked.

“He’s got this long rod I really like,”
said Grandma. I felt the wave of nausea move around the room. “He uses it when
he walks and it makes him look really sexy.” Oh! She was referring to a walking
stick. Thank God!

“He proved he’s not a very nice man,” said
Mum, putting plates on the coffee table for everyone to help themselves to. Obviously
Mum was pretty stressed after today’s events. We only got to eat in the lounge
room on special occasions. Putting the paper wrapped boxes next to them, I unwrapped
the fish and chips, loaded a plate up and handed it to Grandma.

“The doctor thinks I should get one of
those walker things,” said Grandma, taking the plate from me. “That might be
okay. I could get a glittery red one like my friend Eunice. Of course I’d get
the upmarket model. Apparently it’s got a softer seat and brakes. I suppose
brakes come in handy some times.”

“Yeah, like when you need to stop,” said
Molly.

Chapter Five

 
 

It was a few days later that Mum
rang and told me she was taking Grandma for a tour of a nursing home the
following morning. Apparently she’s had enough of Grandma’s antics and her GP
had told her she was getting ulcers. I felt the panic at those words and
desperately tried to talk Mum out of it, saying I was sure Grandma would behave
now she’d had a scare. Mum wouldn’t listen though, only telling me how nursing
homes were wonderful places and if I didn’t believe her, then maybe I should
tag along for the tour. So that’s what I was doing.

I’d gotten up this morning with a purpose
in my step, dressed in one of my black business skirts and pulled a sensible white
cotton top over my head. I pulled my hair back tight in a ponytail, applied my
make up carefully and slipped on my flat black leather shoes. This was my
‘don’t mess with me’ outfit and my aim was to make Mum realize I meant
business.

I kissed Riley goodbye—okay, it was
slightly
more than a kiss but you get my point, right?—jumped
in my Mini and headed over to Mum’s. I must say, it appeared Grandma Mabel
didn’t share Mum’s enthusiasm for this tour either. As I walked into the
kitchen, the look on her face was anything but happy, but there she was, dressed
in her Sunday best complete with her purple patent handbag.

“Hi Grandma,” I said, leaning in for a
kiss. I felt the crack in my heart as her eyes filled with tears. Grandma was
not an overly emotional person and it was only on very rare occasions that I
had ever seen her cry.

“It’s okay, Grandma. I’ll talk to her,” I
said hugging her.

“So will I,” said Molly stepping up behind
me.

“I didn’t fall because I’m incapable of
holding myself up!” she snapped, wiping at her tears. “I fell because I was
shaking my booty and got a bit carried away. Before I knew it, it had a mind of
its own and got so out of control, I lost my balance.”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to explain
anything to us,” I soothed, wishing she really
wouldn’t
explain anything to us. Today was going to be hard enough
without the image of Grandma shaking her booty for Ben Willett.

“Hope Mr. Willett appreciated it,” said
Molly.

“Humph. Well that’s the thing. He didn’t like
it at all. Said I looked stupid.”

“Well, he’s the stupid one,” said Molly. “Some
men are just so arrogant. They think they’re too good for you. Get rid of him, Grandma
and find someone more deserving.” I’m guessing Molly’s date didn’t go too well
the other night. Note to self , don’t ask her about it.

“Are you all ready?” asked Mum walking
into the room, looking around at our group and taking in our gloomy faces. “It’s
not like she’s dying you know!” she chastised.

“I may as well be,” said Grandma.

Grandma was a bit slower on her feet since
her fall. She explained to me that was because of the bruising and asked me if
I wanted to see it. As most of it was on her hip, I declined her offer.

We headed out to Mum’s car. Mum drove an
old Mazda. It was silver and as shiny as the day she bought it. Helping Grandma
into the front passenger seat, I closed her door, folded her new walker up and
put it in the car boot. Then, I got in the back with Molly. For the first time
I noticed Molly was looking better than usual.

“You look nice today, Molly. Is that top
new?” She looked down at her yellow silk top (I’m guessing it was from Forever
New) and her perfect white pants.

“Yep. Bought it yesterday. What do you
think about the shoes?” she asked, wriggling her ankles in a sparkly pair of three-inch,
white satin-covered heels. Grandma twisted her neck around and looked down.

“Wow. They’re great.” She turned her head
back to look at her own black leather shoes she’d recently bought from the
podiatrist. “I don’t know why sensible shoes have to look so sensible,” she
commented.

I heard Mum’s sigh from back here.

It didn’t take us long to get to the
Allora Lodge Nursing Facility. I’d been here once before so I had an idea of
what to expect, and I wasn’t disappointed. Walking in, we found the same room
of Bingo players as last time that I was here. Today our tour guide was a
lovely lady by the name of Jessica who was obviously very well trained in
making this place sound attractive, because by the time our tour was over, even
I was ready to pack up and move in. The idea of three meals a day cooked and
delivered to your door, along with a fridge full of chocolate and the promise
of a glass of wine every evening made this place a lot more appealing than the
bingo tournament held in the dining room every Tuesday and Thursday morning. I
did notice Grandma smile when
that
piece of information was announced.

BOOK: It Started With A Christmas Tree - A Lizzie Fuller Christmas Novella
4.65Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams
Secret Weapons by Brian Ford
The New Black by Richard Thomas
A New Beginning by Michael Phillips
The Rasner Effect by Mark Rosendorf
Impending Reprisals by Jolyn Palliata
The Lone Pilgrim by Laurie Colwin
Daywards by Anthony Eaton