In last week’s instalment Annie has more knitting disasters and plans another date with Reef. Now read on . . .
At the window in Rhiannon’s Eatery I sit and chat merrily away to the Monday Afternoon Knitters about what I should wear to Becs Sprigg’s engagement party. I’m also unravelling the beanie hat I’ve hardly touched since last week. They’re excited for me to have finally decided to go to the party, Bea more so because I’ll be going with an A list celebrity. I try to play down this fact as I’m nervous enough as it is. Under the watchful eye of Judith I wind the yarn that was the start of my hat back onto the spool. It’s crinkly as it’s been unravelled for a second time and is a darker shade than the rest of the ball.
It was Noé who’d reminded me and Reef about the engagement party. He’d been staring at the strawberry magnet for the longest of times calling out the letters of the spirally wording while Reef and I talked about his meeting with the owners of the football club. He’d promised to have a decision to them by the end of the week. He said it was a massive decision that he didn’t want to rush into.
He’d arrived at the door with a package containing a remote control truck for Noé smelling of aftershave and wearing a suit that looked nothing like the one he’d packed the day before. His thigh touched my knee as he sat very close apologising for leaving me in the lurch and thanking me, as he clasped my hand for being such a wonderful person. Noé, in his excitement, completely forgetting how much he’d been pining over Reef, had leapt up, grabbed his father’s hand and led him out to the garden to try out the truck, discovering after frantically pressing the buttons of the controller that Reef had forgotten about batteries. So, instead Noé had introduced him to Rosie the cat from next door who had slunk over earlier and stayed put in the seat of a rickety garden chair, obviously curious about my house guest. Having got bored very quickly by the A-lister, the cat dashed home so Noé took the opportunity to proudly lead Reef to my studio to show him the sketch I had started of him. The one I’d drawn from memory and intended to paint at some stage. Reef had looked at me in disbelief.
‘You never told me you were an artist. Like proper.’
‘Well, not proper, not really.’
‘Annie, these are seriously good.’
I’d blushed fuchsia and ushered them out, diverting the conversation to football of all topics because I knew Reef would take up the mantel. Within seconds he’d forgotten about my studio and was talking tactics regarding the match on Saturday between West Ham United and his old team, Aston Villa. The claret and blue had met again and he was surprised he hadn’t been asked on to Match Of The Day to discuss the old rivalry. He was convinced that Gary Lineker had it in for him after a loose comment he’d made about the BBC presenter and which he hadn’t meant anything by. My eyes had glazed somewhat and that’s when Noé had brought up the party.
‘Of course,’ Reef had said. ‘It’s soon. Looking forward to that. Are you?’
‘I am, but have you got a sitter for …?’ I signalled over to his son who was then resting his chin on his elbows on the kitchen table as we spoke.
‘I’d better look up an agency. Oh and I need a tutor too, don’t I?’ Reef took his lack of organisation regarding his son’s care arrangements in his stride.
‘I can find a local person to look after Noé.’ I’d said looking at the boy whose eyes were growing large as it dawned on him he was going to be left with someone else. I’d felt it was my responsibility to make sure Noé was happy and comfortable about his babysitter and had thought of Rhiannon straight away.
I’m unravelling wool as I relay this to the Monday Afternoon Knitters and Rhiannon is more than happy to look after Noé.
‘For goodness’ sake.’ Judith has grown tired of seeing me dismantle what could have been a very nice beanie under her guidance. ‘What do you think you’re doing? Giving up on that hat again?’
‘On this, yes,’ I say. ‘But I’ve got a new idea in mind.’
I produce a print out of a knitting pattern from online and hold it up to them. The three pairs of glasses are adjusted. No one speaks as they look at the happy child in a multi-coloured cardigan holding hands with a man in a matching sweater.
‘See, I was thinking about knitting something for Noé,’ I enthuse. ‘It would be a wonderful achievement but I’d need a lot of help. It doesn’t have to be exactly like this. A jumper, instead of a cardigan, I’ve got experience of those.’ I move on quickly before anyone mentions the shapeless pile of rubbish I’d knitted last winter. ‘I want it to be Fair Isle, I want to learn cable stitch, I want buttons at the shoulder, I want it to look professional and it has to be a perfect fit.’
‘That’s a tall order, Annie.’ Judith purses her lips. She peers at me over her glasses for a full minute of quiet contemplation trying to establish whether my faculties are in place, but this doesn’t put me off one bit.
I hold up the print out to them again because they need to appreciate how happy the boy in the picture is. No one is knitting, no one is talking, all eyes are on me in the stillness of the coffee shop.
‘Looks lovely.’ Rhiannon’s dulcet voice initiates the shuffling of bums on seats and the clacking of needles. ‘More tea anyone.’ She leaves the table and quickly starts another brew though no one has finished the cup of Earl Grey she poured a second ago.
‘Okay,’ says Bea. ‘Before Judith tells you that this could take you years to accomplish, I’m just going to say, you’d be better off going for a colourful scarf. It’s quite an achievement changing yarn in the middle of a piece. Why not start there and see how you go?’
‘Because I think this would really suit him.’ I look at the little boy in the pattern again. He looks just like Noé. He even has dimples like the cute one Noé has on the side of his chin. ‘I thought, you know, row by row you guys could help me.’
‘And when did you want to present this masterpiece to little Noé?’ Judith’s fingers are a blur as the wool whisks around the tips of her knitting needles. She doesn’t drop a stitch.
‘Christmas?’ I say in a humble tone.
‘Which?’ Judith stops knitting. ‘You mean the one in five weeks or a future one?’
‘Okay, forget it,’ I say.
‘Why ask for the moon …?’ Bea says sympathetically. ‘He’d probably be much happier with a computer game or something like that. A thing he can hold, drop or break but that he can do something with.’
‘All right. I understand.’ I look at the unravelled wool on my lap and begin to cast the stitches back on.
‘So now that’s all decided, let’s decide when we’re going to go shopping for your party dress,’ says Bea.
‘Yes, please, that’ll be great. I’ll check the diary to see how I can fit it in around patients.’ The stitches are growing on my needle, looking rough and loose. I suppose if it doesn’t fit as a hat I could always make it into a tea cosy, or something.
‘Fabulous,’ says Bea. ‘I’m an expert shopper as you know. Let me know when you want to go. I’ll come over first thing and order us a taxi. We can do lunch. You know Reef is going to look like a catwalk model so you’ve got to keep up.’
Rhiannon has set out more tea and some toasted scones with butter and jam condiments alongside them. I ignore my knitting for a scone and Bea frowns. I know she expects me to starve myself down two dress sizes before we go clothes shopping but there’s no chance of that happening.
‘I was wondering,’ Rhiannon says in her timid voice, the one she uses when she has a serious question to ask but doesn’t want to upset anybody. ‘I thought it was a rather strange, Reef leaving you with his little boy like that. It’s either very trusting of him or a bit …’
‘A bit like he’s taking you for granted.’ Judith drops her knitting onto her lap again. ‘I’m glad someone brought it up, Rhiannon. You have to be on your guard with these people.’
‘What do you know about these people?’ Bea exclaims. ‘You’ve never moved in the same circles as the stinking rich and famous. You gave your life to one man and when he passed away you went with him.’
I have never seen Bea this riled up, nor Judith so tongue-tied.
‘Ladies, please.’ Rhiannon has her hands up and uses the voice she orders people around with. ‘I was asking Annie a question. An important one.’ She turns to me. ‘I just don’t want you rushing into anything. We promised your mum we’d watch out for you but if you think I’m overstepping the mark, then you just say so.’ She stares hard at Judith and Bea, both as cool and still as manikins since they’d both snapped at each other about Judith’s late husband. The tension bears down and my mind whirs with the sound of past conversations between these two, the mystery of Bea almost missing Judith’s wedding, the fact Bea doesn’t have a keepsake of the wedding and how she could speak so coldly about Judith’s dead husband. I feel the oppressive air fill my lungs and I can’t exhale it because the questions would stream out with them. What is it with you two? How can you stare at each other like that? I don’t want this to be the day everything blows up, not when I’m feeling this happy about my future. I want the three of these ladies to be a part of that future and I can’t imagine them apart. I swallow and timidly raise a hand.
‘Look, all of you,’ I say. ‘I understand your concern but I’m loving being in their company. Noé has brought that old house to life and I’m really looking forward to the party now that I have Reef. And I do, sort of, have him. He wants to get serious and what’s wrong with that? He’s a really good person and you should see him with Noé, it’s incredible to watch. I don’t feel as if I’m being used. I’m enjoying this, all of it.’
‘Of course you are, darling.’ Bea angles her body away from Judith and towards me. Her face warms with a smile. ‘And should jolly well carry on enjoying it you lucky girl.’
Judith tuts and gets back to the baby dress she is knitting. ‘As long as you’re happy, that’s all I care about.’
‘And I’m more than happy to babysit!’ Rhiannon hands the plate with my half eaten scone to me. ‘I’ve got my grandchildren that weekend. The parents are going to the theatre so Talulah and Billy are staying over. Noé is more than welcome.’
‘That’ll be amazing,’ I say feeling the excitement for the party returning. ‘At least he knows you and he really likes you a lot. Thanks, Rhiannon.’
‘It’s my pleasure.’
‘So,’ says Bea, taking her knitting up again. ‘With little Noé tucked away safely, and my expertise in shopping for a dress sorted, this is shaping up to be a wonderful night out for you. Now then, are you sure I can’t come to the party?’