A fiery little Christmas

A last-minute road trip taught Gill a lot about love, and forgiveness too¼

Around 9pm, during stocktaking, Gill had just settled a crisp-packet box on a shelf when she heard the scream.

What was that?' asked her boyfriend Gary, though the term boyfriend always sounded silly to her when it meant a man over 45.

He peered past the Christmas lights taped to the front window of the newsagents Gill owned.

There' s only one way to find out.'

She hurried past him to the door, unlatched it and peered out into the street. They' d pedestrianised this end of the town years ago.

Before her stood a row of benches, to her far right, stood the 18-foot Christmas tree the council had levered into place using a crane in mid November.

Usually, it sparkled, lights weaved between its boughs. Now it crackled, a plume of smoke drifting towards the stars.

Oh, my word, the tree' s on fire. Gary, call for help!'

She charged out into the night, waving her arms at a few bystanders getting far too close to falling sparks. One woman stood with her hands over her face was she the screamer?

Everybody stand well back!' Gill yelled.

She glanced back to her shop. That' s when, in the upper window, she noticed a figure. She knew the young man. She should she' d rented the upstairs flat to him barely a week ago.

He' d needed a place in a hurry, he' d said, after splitting up with his girlfriend. Now she frowned as he aimed a big wide grin at the inferno.

In the far distance, sirens wailed. That would be the boys from the local fire station on their way. Gill didn' t go back inside. Instead, she waved at the young man to get his attention.

What the heck are you smiling at, Luke?' she mouthed.

Seeing her, he ducked out of sight and pulled the curtains closed.

I hope this didn' t happen because somebody doesn' t like Christmas,' Gill muttered from her vantage point outside the newsagents an hour later.

By now, she' d watched the emergency services attend the blaze. They' d turned off the electricity, then drenched the tree, leaving it a dripping, bedraggled mess.

She overheard one of the firemen speaking to the police on the scene.

It' s not an electrical fault, I can smell lighter fuel. Somebody did this on purpose and they used an accelerant.'

Since she sold the same product on her shelves behind the counter, it came as no surprise when a police officer headed over.

Excuse me, madam, do you own this establishment?' he asked, before launching into spiel as slick as a salesman, the gist of it being: Did anybody buy a large amount of lighter fuel today? Did you see anything suspicious from your windows tonight?'

Gill decided a lawyer would clear her in court. He had said Did you see anything looking out?' not Did you see anything looking in?'

No, and I only sold cigarettes today.' She laughed to ease the tension. And besides, half my customers look suspicious in one way or another.'

The officer told her to ring or take a trip to the station if she remembered anything useful.

I will,' she said.

Once back inside the newsagents, she made her way behind the counter and headed for the stairs.

Where are you going?'

Gary trailed in her wake.

I need to have a word with young Luke.'

Why? You don' t think he did it, do you? Do you want me to throw him out?'

Will you stop trying to take over when you don' t know what you' re talking about.' Gill pulled him up short. Wait down here, will you?'

She took to the stairs, knowing Luke could easily have slipped out earlier unseen, using the rear exit, then the alley that led into the street.

When she reached the landing and Flat 10A, she knocked on the door.

Can I have a word?' she asked when it opened up a crack.

Luke, skinny and darkhaired and no more than 22, opened the door wider and moved back out of her way.

Sure, come in.'

Usually, the Christmas tree sparkled. Now it crackled, a plume of smoke drifting towards the stars

Inside, the place stood neat and tidy. It wasn' t huge, a bedsit really, but fine for a single man. She noted the photos he' d blue-tacked to the magnolia walls all of a fresh-faced young woman, a sure sign he didn' t consider his split a lost cause.

I won' t waste your time

with pointless chitchat,' she said. I simply wondered if you set light to the Christmas tree tonight?'

He gave a jolt as if poked with a stick.

What? No, of course not. Why would I do that?'

He looked pale and dour and certainly not full of Christmas cheer. She' d never seen him look anything else, except for that big wide grin she' d witnessed earlier.

You' re all set for the big day then?' She motioned to a pile of presents stacked against the TV stand. The robin-and-holly-covered paper being the only clue to the time of year up here.

You definitely don' t have a score to settle with Santa?'

He shifted from foot to foot uneasily, then cleared his throat.

OK, so all that lot' s for Laura, except now Christmas is a disaster. That doesn' t mean I turned to arson.'

Gill took a deep breath, trying to catch a whiff of lighter fuel. In truth, young men, if upset, might get up to all sorts. Instead, she deduced he' d bought fish and chips for supper.

I know relationships can be tricky, especially at this time of year, but sometimes Christmas helps out. It' s supposed to make people more forgiving.'

That' s true,' he admitted. I wanted to go round to see Laura tonight, but a friend rang me at work today and told me she' s already gone up to Wales to her parents' place. I don' t have a car and I' m skint.' He nodded towards the presents. I spent all my money on those.'

Gill' s brow furrowed. Did she invite you to go up and see her by any chance?'

He shrugged. I did text tonight. She didn' t exactly say I never want to see you againº , but she didn' t say We ought to get back togetherº either.'

Another shrug and he stared down at his socks.

Gill' s mind churned. Where in Wales is she precisely?'

Raglan, a village close to Pontypool.'

Let me see what I can do.' Sorry?'

Gill replied as if she ought to explain everything: It' s Christmas time, remember.'

What are you up to?' Gary asked as she descended the stairs.

She explained as quickly as possible, then he blinked. You want us to do what?' We' re going up to see your mother on Christmas Eve anyway and he only needs a lift.'

To Wales? It' s not on the way, is it?'

No, but it' s in the right general direction.'

Just give him some money for a train ticket if you want to help out that much.'

I can' t. He' s not exactly been invited. If he gets there and gets turned away, well, he' s young and young people do silly things sometimes. They' re hotheaded, they' re passionate.'

So, not only do we have to drive him, we have to look after him as well?' Gary waved a hand back towards the shop. Did you sell lighter fuel to anybody today, Gill? I know, let' s call the police instead of getting involved in this rigmarole.'

Gary, I' m taking him up to Wales. Are you coming or not?'

On Christmas Eve, outside his bungalow a few streets away, Gary levered his case into the boot of Gill' s car. Afterwards, he gave the passenger seat a wary glance

Luke sat back there already, his pile of presents beside him, collected into a black bin bag.

This is a bad idea,' Gary whispered to Gill by his side. They' re still looking for whoever set the tree alight, you know, and now we' re carting off one of the prime suspects. That tree cost thousands. They shipped it over from Norway.'

Lovely.' She cut him dead and he pressed his lips tight together.

Are you going to obey the satnav all the way as usual?' she asked.

We' ll

TheyÕre still looking for whoever set the tree alight, and weÕ re carting off a prime suspect

have to get on to the M4.'

I' d prefer a more scenic route.'

No,' he said, climbing into the car and clipping on his seat belt. No. No. No.'

He was still saying it when she clipped herself in too. You know what happens when you get bossy¼'

He glowered, while she took a glance over her shoulder. Luke sat with a pensive expression.

`Are you all right?'

He nodded. Yes. Thanks again for this.'

It' s no trouble.'

As she drove them out of town, she decided to chance a few questions, in between squabbles with Gary over whether to take a left or a right.

Luke, why did you two break up?'

We had an argument at our new flat. We' d only been going out for a few months, but it felt right to move in together.'

Gill shared a glance with her other half, Gary' s brows rising in a really, a few months' expression.

Well, we argue all the time as well,' he said.

We don' t argue, we discuss,' Gill corrected him. We debate. A relationship is all about teamwork.'

What are we, Manchester United?'' Gary guffawed.

You know what I mean.'' Take a right here, love.''

I' m turning left.''

They always squabbled

over which routes to take. It got rather heated too, until she reminded Gary who was driving. In between rebuttals, she gave Luke another glance. He looked disgusted with their antics, shaking his head and tutting to himself.

Eventually, after one motorway, some scenic routes and a rest stop at a service station, they crossed the border into Wales. After that, they passed through a few towns, then they drove down narrow lanes that snaked across the valleys.

By the time they reached the right village, Luke sat forward in his seat giving Gill directions.

It' s down here, then a left, then a right. You' ll see a bluepainted gate and a cottage standing back. It' s there.'

Gill drew up on to the drive. A Christmas tree stood on a square of lawn on her right. Not as tall as the one from Norway, but it reminded her of it all the same. Another tree stood in the window, full of baubles.

Come on, Christmas, do your thing,' she said, as Luke pulled his sack of presents out of the car.

She and Gary walked to the porch of the large bungalow. They stood well back as Luke rang the bell.

The slim, pretty girl from Luke' s photos answered the door. When she saw him she gasped.

What are you doing here? How dare you just turn up like this?'' Slam went the door. Well that was short and sweet,'' Gary observed.

Luke pressed the bell over and over, red-faced, embarrassed and frustrated. Then he gritted his teeth and kicked at the gravel. With the grimace he wore, Gill could just imagine him setting fire to a Christmas tree like a toddler in a tantrum.

Back in the car, she fished her flask out of her travel bag and poured some coffee, the comforting scent filling the air.

She' d taken the car off the drive and parked it in a side street.

Let' s give Laura time to calm down,' she said, as Luke sat hunched in the back seat, his presents still in their rubbish sack. This might be a good time to tell us what you argued about.'

Yes, it was clearly something big,' Gary chipped in. Was it the classic

which family to see at Christmas, yours or hers?'

Was it money?' Gill asked. Christmas can take a toll.'

Luke sipped at his coffee, then set his cup aside.

It had nothing to do with Christmas or money. It was paint.'

Paint,' Gary said.

Paint?' Gill echoed. I suspect you mean on the surface it seemed to be about paint, while underneath it was something far more serious?'

No.' Luke shook his head. She wanted beige for the lounge and I wanted blue. We wandered up and down the shop arguing about it for 40 minutes before she lost it and flounced off. Or maybe I did the flouncing¼ Anyway, when we got home it all started up again. She said we' d never agree. She locked herself in the loo, so I packed and left.'

Right,' Gary sounded nonplussed. You really shouldn' t let little spats reach a deadlock like that.'

Luke peered at him as if he' d gone mad. I' m not taking any advice from you. I wouldn' t be surprise if you two don' t split up next.

You' ve argued over everything all day. You' re a terrible example.'

Gary recoiled as if stung. We are not. Have you seen either of us set fire to a Christmas tree after bickering over the M4? You need to learn to pick your battles, son.'

No, he doesn' t,' Gill

Come on, do your thing,ÕÕ she said, as Luke pulled his sack of presents out of the car

argued yet again. It' s not about picking your battles, Gary it' s learning how to handle them. We might bicker, but we know what to take seriously, and if it comes down to a deadlock, we have our own strategy.' She nudged at him. Remember Crete and Scrabble?'

He chuckled. We decided our last holiday over a game. Winner takes it all. That' s why we ended up in Crete when I wanted to go to Switzerland. Still, I had a good time. Anyway, Gill' s right. We know what we' re doing at our age we' ve both got one divorce behind us already. We don' t let our emotions get the better of us these days. We wouldn' t explode like a bomb over a can of emulsion. We know how to stop silly stuff getting out of hand.'

If you' re so perfect, why aren' t you married?' Luke asked. Did you decide not to bother over a game of chess?'

He just about flung himself back out of the car, carting his sack of gifts.

Gill almost flung herself out after him, but Gary' s hand landed on her arm.

Leave him. I expect he' s not going to do anything childish. Likely he' ll go back to the bungalow to try again.'

Gill settled back into her seat, watching Luke stomp off past a row of houses.

Why aren' t we married?' she asked Gary a little sullenly. Luke rushed into moving in with his girlfriend unprepared, but we seem the total opposite. Those two are fiery and hot-headed and we' re like a couple of tortoises.'

Gary blinked in shock.

I am not a tortoise,' he disagreed. How dare you even suggest it!'

They didn' t leave the car for a while after that, sorting things out.

When they did, a little snow squeezed itself out of the heavens. It landed on

Gill' s glove and she watched it melt.

That's relationships, she thought, so endlessly delicate.

She and Gary followed in Luke' s trail. They needed to find out what had happened to him. When they finally scrunched across the gravel of the bungalow, they couldn' t see him anywhere.

Where did he go? Oh, Gary, I told you we needed to keep an eye on him. Young people do stupid things. If she' s told him where to go again, he could be anywhere, doing anything.'

Gary hurried towards the door, only then he came to a halt. He pointed through the window, past the glossy decorations.

Gill stepped closer. Inside, sat Luke, right next to Laura. They seemed engrossed in conversation. They held hands, their fingers entwined.

It was then Luke noticed them gawping like a couple of rubberneckers on the motorway. He bounded to his feet. When the front door opened, he came dashing out, his face all flushed, breathing rapidly. He reminded Gill of an excited puppy.

Blue,' he blurted. We sorted it. Thanks so much. We tossed a coin.' He frowned. That sounds really stupid when I say it out loud. It seemed ridiculous when we did it too, but it worked. We had a good laugh at how wound up and over-the-top we' d acted.'

He paused as Gill removed the glove on her left hand and flashed her ring finger. What' s that?' he asked.

It' s an elastic band,' Gary explained. We did have a bit of a spat trying to decide whether to use a ring-pull from a cola can. Only Gill did point out the ring-pull would be far too big, so the elastic band solved the problem.'

You' re engaged?' asked Luke.

Yes, and we' d like to thank you for that.' Gill smiled.

And Christmas, of course. You see, helping you helped us as well. We had a long heated discussion in the car about young love and how it' s so passionate and explosive and how many arguments break out. Whereas older love is slower, very tolerant, and kind of cautious. And sometimes it grinds to a complete halt.'

I couldn' t argue over that point,' Gary said. Seeing as we' ve been going out since 2012. Anyway, you' ve taught us a lesson there. I popped the question and Gill said yes straightaway, so after eight years, we' ll be moving in together before our wedding next June.'

That' s great,' Luke said with a big smile.

Anyway, we' ll be off now,' said Gary, We need to get to my mother' s. She' s roasting the biggest turkey she can find. We' ll pick you up in the New Year, if you like, then we can take you straight to the police station.'

Luke' s face fell half a foot. What? I didn' t burn the tree. I told you.'

He shook his head, while Gary pulled out his phone.

Teenager Arrested For Setting Fire to Xmas Tree Number Four, said the headline on the website he showed off.

I was pulling your leg, lad,' Gary laughed. Merry Christmas!' He leant down and kissed Gill. Merry Christmas to you too. Now things are moving again at last, I can' t wait for you to become Mrs Gillian Scott Meers.'

Actually, I prefer Gillian Meers Scott.'

Oh, heck,' Gary replied. She laughed. I know, when we get to your mother' s, let' s have another game of Scrabble. That always works like a charm.'

Gary came to a halt. He pointed through the window, past the glossy decorations