Chapter 20

Helen was surprised she felt as excited as she did. This wasn't a perfect way to spend Christmas but it was her little boy's second Christmas and she intended to make it special for him and her aunt in whatever way she could. Aunt Sylvia and she had exchanged gifts earlier, amused to discover they had chosen matching bars of soap.

‘At least we know we like our gifts,' Aunt Sylvia had exclaimed, sniffing the fresh lavender scent. ‘Where did you find this? Boots?'

Helen nodded. ‘Babs helped me.'

Her aunt laughed. ‘The dear girl did the same for me.'

Helen was grateful to Babs for her cleverness. She thought of the wooden train Peggy had given Bobby on his birthday two days before, explaining that a friend of Tony's had made it for him. How kind people were. She had given Bobby a small teddy that Mrs Edwards had brought into work to sell for a friend who was hoping to make a few pfennigs to spend on their family Christmas. ‘She's a very particular woman,' Mrs Edwards had explained. ‘And I know the bear will have been well looked after, otherwise I would never have suggested it.'

Helen had thanked her profusely, delighted to have something Bobby could cuddle when she wasn't around. She found a new ribbon in her aunt's sewing basket and tied it neatly around the bear's neck. Bobby had been playing with it ever since that morning and now they were having to take it with them to the Hamels' home.

She knew that however difficult her circumstances might be, she was luckier than a lot of people. At least she and Bobby shared a home with someone who loved them, and never made Helen feel as if they were imposing.

‘I wanted to ask you something,' Aunt Sylvia said, interrupting Helen's thoughts as they covered the plates of food they were taking next door with clean tea towels.

Helen had a feeling she might know what was worrying her aunt. ‘Yes?'

‘You haven't replied to Richard's telegram yet, have you?'

She hadn't, and despite everything couldn't help feeling a little guilty. He was fighting for his country, after all. ‘Not yet, no.'

‘Do you think you will?'

Helen shrugged. ‘I'm not sure. Part of me wants to, but then I think about what happened and can't help being angry towards him all over again.'

Her aunt rested a hand on Helen's shoulder. ‘You must do what feels right for you, lovey. Shall we go next door? We don't want to delay lunch by being late.'

* * *

‘You're here,' Ida Hamel announced cheerfully as she opened her front door with a welcoming smile. ‘We've been dying to see this little one. Here, let me take those plates from you,' she said, relieving them of their offerings and stepping back to let them pass. She beamed at Bobby. ‘Look at you, all wrapped up.'

Helen hoped her face wasn't showing how embarrassed she was to have put a blanket around Bobby to bring him the few steps from their home. She had attempted to put his coat on again, but he had protested loudly and she had given up, not wishing to upset him.

She couldn't imagine ever wearing anything too small again. Unlike Bobby, the few clothes she possessed were now several sizes too big. Even her aunt looked as if her clothes were borrowed from someone larger than her. Helen felt a pang in her heart, remembering the immaculately dressed woman she had known before the war changed everything. It couldn't be helped, though, not with the scanty food they were all having to survive on these days.

Helen carried Bobby through to the parlour and smiled at the sound of Babs's familiar voice as she walked in. ‘This looks festive.'

‘I'm glad you think so,' Babs said cheerfully. ‘It's not as we would ordinarily have it, but we've replaced the holly we usually have over our pictures with ivy.'

Mrs Hamel entered the room and motioned for Sylvia to hand her her coat. ‘Babs found the ivy on a wall on her way home the other day. An old disused house along a back street, wasn't it, Babs love?''

‘That's right. On a side wall.' She grinned. ‘I checked no one could see me before taking a length of it. Thankfully I had little else in my shopping bag so could slip it in there.'

‘It looks very festive,' Aunt Sylvia said, reaching to take Bobby from Helen. ‘Let me take the little one so you can take off your coat.'

Helen passed her son to her aunt and unwrapped him carefully as soon as she saw that he was firmly in Sylvia's arms. She hurriedly folded the blanket and, unsure where to put it, held onto it. She noticed an amused look pass between Ida and her daughter and embarrassment surged through her. Helen opened her mouth to explain why she had used a blanket but before she could speak, Babs left the room and Ida motioned them towards the square table set up in the middle of the front room. She pulled out one of the chairs. ‘Take a seat here, Sylvia. We're going to be a little squashed together, I'm afraid.'

‘It'll be cosy,' Sylvia assured her. ‘The table looks beautiful.'

Helen noticed the flower-patterned plates and white napkins that someone had embroidered with forget-me-nots to match the ones on the crockery. ‘It does.'

‘We don't often use this set,' Peggy said, who had joined them, ‘but Mum thought today was the perfect day to do it.'

Ida grinned. ‘What I actually said was I thought we all needed reminding that however dreadful these times are, one day the world will be a happier, more cheerful place again. I thought making the table pretty and sharing our food with close friends was the perfect way to do it.'

Helen swallowed the lump in her throat at her neighbour's words. ‘What a wonderful idea,' she whispered, her voice hoarse from the tightness in her throat.

‘I agree,' Sylvia said, wiping away a tear.

Peggy rubbed her mother's upper arm. ‘You're a clever soul, aren't you, Mum?'

‘I'm not so sure about that.' She stroked Bobby's cheek. ‘And how's my favourite boy today?'

Bobby answered by holding out his teddy for her to see. ‘That's a lovely present. Did Mummy get that for you?'

Helen decided to go and see if she could help Babs in the kitchen. ‘I'll just pop through and see if Babs needs me for anything.'

‘Good idea,' Ida said. ‘I'll fetch some drinks and we'll get started with that food. We don't want to ruin our meal by letting it go cold.'

* * *

‘This is delicious,' Aunt Sylvia said half an hour later as she dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. ‘You must let me know how you make these potatoes so tasty. Mine always seem rather bland, especially now.'

‘Your potatoes are fine, Aunty,' Helen argued. ‘Although you're right, these really are wonderful.'

‘They're all Mum's doing,' Babs said proudly. ‘She won't tell us what she adds to them, though. You can try and find out, but I doubt you'll succeed.'

‘You're not going to tell us?' Sylvia asked.

Ida shook her head. ‘I can't.'

‘Can't, or won't, Mum?' Babs said, before addressing Helen and her aunt. ‘If you can find out I'll be over the moon. I've been trying for ages.'

After the washing up was completed and the table and chairs pushed against a wall to give them more room, Helen relaxed on the sofa, staring into the fire and listening to the chatter of the other women. Sylvia pointed to Bobby asleep in Ida's arms and Helen's heart filled with love for her little boy. He was so precious and she was grateful that these four women also loved him. She was lucky in so many ways and having this adopted family around the two of them meant everything.

She reflected that even though they hadn't been able to enjoy the usual Christmas fare, there had been no Christmas tree and they'd had to make paperchains out of old newspapers, it had still been a special day.

Helen felt a yawn coming and covered her mouth. She had been up since six that morning looking after Bobby and then helping prepare the meal with her aunt, and her tiredness had caught up with her.

A moment later Babs whispered something to her mother, got up and left the room.

‘I think it's time we made a move,' Sylvia suggested.

‘Just a moment,' Babs said, returning. ‘I want to give Helen something before you go.'

Helen saw she was holding a bag out for her. She took it and opened it. ‘I thought we weren't to buy each other gifts,' she said, concerned not to have bought the Hamels anything.

‘This isn't for you, it's for Bobby.'

Helen pulled the item of clothing out of the bag and held it up, gasping. It was a navy blue, double-breasted woollen coat which she guessed must be a couple of sizes larger than his current one, if not more.

She wasn't sure what to say. ‘This is far too much.'

Babs shook her head. ‘It isn't. Anyway it's not just from me but also from Mum and Peggy.'

Helen wasn't sure she could accept such a generous gift, especially when none of them had very much to live on as it was. ‘I don't think?—'

‘Let me stop you right there,' Ida insisted. ‘I don't think you realise how fond we all are of this little chap.' She pursed her lips at Bobby, making him giggle. ‘He's a much-needed light in these dark days and one of the few things that make us smile. One of the women at Boots told Babs she had this coat and what she wanted for it.' She cocked her head to one side. ‘A pair of winter boots. We knew it wasn't any bother for us to give her those.'

‘Winter boots?' Sylvia said, and Helen heard the shock in her aunt's voice. ‘We can't possibly allow you to be out of pocket. I'm sure we'll think of some way to find him a coat.'

‘You misunderstand.' It was Ida's turn to argue. ‘We had already given Babs a short list of items none of us wear anymore. One of those things that had been sitting uselessly in a cupboard for a couple of years was a pair of ankle boots. My husband bought them for me as a surprise and they pinched horribly. I never had the heart to tell him and always found an excuse not to wear them. Now someone has them to keep her feet warm and Bobby has a coat that fits. Everyone is happy.'

‘We must give you something in return,' Helen said. uncomfortable at being beholden to anyone, even friends.

‘Letting me look after a little one is payment enough,' Ida said.

‘But you're the one helping me out by doing that.'

She tried to continue, but Ida shook her head. ‘I don't think you realise how much I value my time with him.' She looked down at her hands. ‘It's been a long while since I've found much to cheer me up, isn't it, girls?'

Her daughters looked at each other sombrely and Helen presumed they were thinking about their late father. ‘Yes, Mum.'

‘Please let us do this one thing for him.'

Helen felt her resolve weakening. ‘All right, then. Thank you very much, all of you. I really appreciate your kindness, and I know Bobby will be much happier wearing this instead of me cramming his arms into the other one.' She had an idea. ‘I'll bring his old coat to you tomorrow if you like, Babs. Then you can take it to Boots and see if any of the other employees has a child who might benefit from it.'

‘That's a great idea.' Babs said smiling. ‘I'll do that.'

‘If the woman has given her son's coat to you,' Aunt Sylvia said thoughtfully, ‘won't that mean that her son is now without one?'

Babs shook her head. ‘She has three sons. I mentioned that you might have a smaller one for her baby. The middle son will now wear a hand-me-down from the oldest one.'

‘I see,' Sylvia said.

‘Maybe when Bobby has outgrown this coat, I can swap it back to her for something else?' Helen was beginning to warm to the idea of bartering. They might not have any money but knowing she might have items that others could benefit from made her feel useful.

‘That's exactly what I was thinking,' Babs said, grinning. ‘Now that the shops have run out of most things, we all need to be creative with our thinking.'

Taking Bobby from Ida, Helen placed him onto the sofa and crouched down in front of him. Picking up the coat, she slipped his arms into the sleeves and fastened the four front buttons. ‘He looks very smart,' she said proudly.

Bobby took hold of one of the buttons and stared at it before looking up at her and giving her a wide grin.

‘I think he approves,' Peggy said with a laugh.

‘As he should do.' Helen got up and hugged her and Babs.

‘He's such a treasure,' Ida said. ‘Doesn't he look adorable? Like a proper little Lord Fauntleroy.'

Helen wouldn't go quite that far, but even she had to admit her son did look especially sweet in his new coat. And he was smiling. It was an enormous relief. ‘I think we can all safely say that Bobby is very happy with his new coat.' She smiled at each of them. ‘Thank you for a lovely day, I've thoroughly enjoyed it.'

Peggy fetched their coats, and when they were ready, Sylvia led the way to the front door. ‘Merry Christmas and thank you again for sharing your day with us.'

‘We've enjoyed every moment,' Ida said.

Back at home, as she took off her son's coat, Helen couldn't help thinking how much better Christmas Day had turned out than she had expected.

She wondered where Richard had spent the day.