Writing for Fun
December 2018
The Visit - Sue Barker
Ruby aged 4 and 11 months was being taken to school by her grandma Mo. It was a very cold December morning but as usual Ruby was chatting nineteen to the dozen, enjoying making smoke come out her mouth a bit like a dragon and skipping along. She didn’t notice that granny was nodding but wasn’t really listening to her. Mo was distracted with her own thoughts, today was a very important day and she didn’t want anything to go wrong.
Ruby was a delightful child and was adored by the whole family but she was also very talkative and granny was feeling tired, it had been a long night and she had been very busy sorting everything out for granddad, who had a very busy day ahead of him.
Today Mo really felt every year of her age but Ruby had inexhaustible energy and enthusiasm and dragged her along, Mo did her best to keep up; then Ruby started to sing as she skipped, ‘away in a manger, no crib for a bed’. She turned to granny and asked if she thought that Father Christmas could hear her singing. Granny replied she was sure he could and yes she was sure he would love her to sing it again, even louder so the elves could hear too.
Mo’s mind was back with her husband Chris, she understood how nervous he was about his important task today, he’d hardly slept and when he did manage to drop off he was either snoring or muttering under his breath. The good thing about Chris was that he was a very cheerful man, so Mo knew that no matter how tired he was he would carry everything off with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.
At the school gates they kissed and Ruby ran off hand in hand with her friend Amy, who was just as excited as Ruby, Mo felt sorry for their teacher today, how on earth she would calm them down Mo had no idea.
After lunch Ruby’s class filed into the hall, they stood up and all sang ‘Away in a manger’. As the youngest year they went first. Shame Johnny was crying and it looked like Jody had wet herself, again but Ruby sang loudly, her plaits in full swing in time with the music. She wanted Father Christmas to hear her; if she sang her best maybe she’d even get an extra present, she thought. When Mrs Day nodded they all sat down as quickly as they could, except Johnny. Mrs Day had to come and get him and he sat close to the teacher, sobbing quietly, with a runny nose that really needed a hanky.
After all the years had performed their carols and songs, the doors flew back and there he was, standing there in red, with a sack over his shoulder, HO, HO, HO he boomed. Ruby’s eyes were wide as saucers. He had come, Father Christmas had actually come to her school. She was sure he was the real one, not one of the helpers Mummy had told her about, who helped because Father Christmas was so busy he couldn’t be everywhere at once.
The red face, was shiny, the beard was white as the freshest snow and he was very fat. Ruby knew you mustn’t say someone was fat, she’d learned that when Mummy told her off for calling Mrs Jones next door fat. Ruby was a bit confused because Mrs Jones was very fat but she knew better than to say it again. Mummy had used that voice, the one she uses when she’s very cross, so Ruby kept that thought to herself. But Father Christmas is very round, she thought, I think I can say round, that’s not rude, that’s a shape.
She queued up to speak to him and collect her present; the queue snaked slowly towards the stage, Ruby felt like she’d been waiting for hours but finally she was near the front now. Next to see Santa was Johnny, who had finally stopped crying and was using Mrs Day’s hanky to wipe his runny nose. Ruby thought that Father Christmas might give Johnny his own hanky for Christmas.
Now it was Ruby’s turn; she climbed the stairs very carefully and went right up to the man in red. She had thought long and hard about what she wanted for Christmas – she would like a dolly, one that wets and you can feed. As she looked up into the face above her, she stopped, ‘What would you like Ruby?’ asked Father Christmas. Ruby hesitated, she stuttered and managed to say about her doll but as she walked away she wondered to herself if all Santa’s looked just like granddad Chris?
When granny met Ruby after school, it was a very different child to the one she’d left this morning. No singing or skipping, in fact Ruby was remarkably quiet. Granny was worried, was Ruby poorly, what on earth had happened. Sitting at the table at Granny’s with her biscuit and milk Ruby looked up with big tears clinging to her eyelashes. ‘Why love, what’s wrong?’
Ruby looked over and asked why had granddad Chris come to school pretending to be Father Christmas.
Mo sat down and cuddled Ruby to her very full bosoms and said, ‘Sweetheart what on earth are you talking about? Granddad Chris has been at home with me all day; I’ve given him lots of jobs to do. He hasn’t had time to even fetch his newspaper today.’
Ruby looked up with such love in her eyes that granny had to swallow the lump in her throat. ‘Oh granny I’m so happy, it was the real Father Christmas after all,’ said Ruby.
After Ruby’s mummy had collected her the grandparents sat down to tea. ‘Oh Chris, that was a close shave, Ruby thought she’d recognised you today, but I convinced her you were here all day.’
‘I did wonder if she had, I tried my best to disguise my voice but she gave me such a look. I was so worried I didn’t want to be the one that ruined Christmas for her. Thank goodness you gave me an alibi. Next year I think I’ll volunteer for a different school.’