Dom had been so pleased when she agreed to spend Christmas with his family and Mum had been fine about it, but Sophie felt guilty leaving her on her own. ‘Now you’re engaged you are going to be part of his family and he is in ours, so I think that’s a great idea, darling,’ Mum had enthused, going on to say she’d be fine, after all she’d see her for New Year. ‘Anyway, it’s a good time for you to get to know Dom’s parents… your in-laws to be,’ she’d finished.
Some joke! They were mainly the trouble. She’d met them briefly a couple of times when they’d come to London from their home in Cornwall and it had been fine, but now stuck here in the cold, dark winter, with them and his sister, Jade, and Vince, her creepy boyfriend, Sophie longed to be home with Mum. With Christmas Day fast approaching she felt upset that Mum would be alone. If only Dad was still here.
She put on her coat and woolly hat, and went out in the garden, through the gate and up on to the cliffs above the sea. The waves were crashing on the shore, the smell of salt in the air. It was a beautiful place, the dramatic sweep of the land, the pale, winter sun dancing on the water. If only she and Dom were here alone together, it would be heaven. She took out her mobile and rang home.
‘Hi, Mum, are you okay?’
‘Busy running round after all these animals, but otherwise yes. I’m a bit nervous about Cleo, Jamie and Wilfred’s parrot, she’s quite a diva.’ Her mum laughed. ‘So, how are you? It must be lovely down there, wild and romantic. You said they live by the sea.’
‘It’s beautiful… it’s just…’ She sighed. ‘They fight all the time, squabble over the slightest thing, and Dom’s sister, Jade, has this weird boyfriend, who keeps lurching my way. I’m certainly not encouraging him, but she thinks I am, so she keeps throwing me dirty looks. He’s a creep, positively the last person I’d want to be with.’
There was silence for a moment, and she wondered if Mum could hear her. She wasn’t sure how good the signal was out here. She was about to ask, when she came back.
‘You know what families are like, love. I expect people might say that of us at times. And Christmas is quite a fraught time, Sophie, not to mention all being cooped up together in the winter, with people you hardly know.’ She paused and then went on, ‘Though as Dom’s family, they are sort of yours too, now you are engaged. Dad would remind you of that. It will all work out, you’ll see. And how is Dom? He’s surely looking after you,’ she finished bracingly.
Sophie sighed. Trust Mum not to understand. Dad might not have either, but he was much older, though she couldn’t accuse him of thinking women had to succumb to men, or their husbands or anything bizarre like that. But it was true, now they were engaged to be married she would be part of Dom’s family as he was of hers. That hadn’t crossed her mind when he had proposed. He’d even gone down on one knee though having got a fit of the giggles, he’d fallen over and she’d fallen on top of him and the whole thing had ended up in a joyful muddle of limbs.
‘He is, ’course he is, but he’s off with his mates a lot of the time, men he’s grown up with. They go on pub crawls together, and I could go with them, though I hate doing that. I know he barely sees them now he lives in London and he’s hardly ever here. But I wish I was home with you and all those animals.’ She was hit suddenly by a swirl of homesickness.
Mum put on her ‘sensible’ voice, as she suspected she would. ‘I’m sure things will work out, darling. You’ve just got to all get used to each other, and it’s winter, so more difficult being cooped up inside together, but you and Dom love each other and that’s the most important thing.’
‘I know… but we’re never alone. His mother doesn’t believe in people sleeping in the same room until they are married. He creeps into my bed sometimes. After all we are living together in London and…’ She heard a shout and there was Dom coming towards her, for once on his own.
‘Here he comes now. I’d better go. Love you, Mum, longing to be home again and see all those animals. Hope they’ll still be there when I get back.’
As Dom reached her, she said, ‘Just talking to Mum. She sends her love.’
‘Good, how’s she getting on with her menagerie?’ He hardly waited for her answer. ‘I’m going into St Just. Do you want to come?’
‘Yes, I would.’ She linked arms with him as they turned back towards the house, leaving the sound of the sea behind them. She knew her mother was slightly worried about her becoming engaged so young, being barely twenty. Dom was the only proper boyfriend she’d had, and they’d known each other over four years now. He’d been such a support when Dad had got so ill and died.
Some friends wondered if she shouldn’t ‘play the field’ a bit more while others, tired of being mucked about by errant boyfriends, envied her finding her soul mate so soon.
She stretched up and kissed him, happy to be with him.
‘What’s that for?’ He squeezed her close, laughing down at her.
‘Just happy I’m with you,’ she said, meaning it, wishing they could walk on forever above the sea with the dramatic sound of the waves crashing on the shore beneath them, even though she was getting quite cold.
They reached the gate to the garden and he opened it and they went across the lawn to the house.
‘There you are, Dom! We nearly went without you.’ Two of his friends, Mark and Steve, came towards them, and her heart dropped. She should have guessed it wouldn’t be just the two of them going into the town. He gave her one last kiss, took his arm from her and went forward to join them.
‘Sophie is coming with us, just went to find her,’ he said play-punching Mark. ‘We’re ready to go.’ He turned back and grabbed her hand.
She wanted to say she’d changed her mind and she’d stay here, but Vince came out of the backdoor to empty the dustbin. He stood beside the bin, waiting for them to go past into the house, leering at her as she came closer. She turned away from him. There was quite a squeeze where they were just beside the back door, with a kennel and the dustbins beside the greenhouse.
If only she was at home with Mum, and Dom had come to stay with them instead. Another week seemed like a lifetime. If only Dad were here, they’d always been so close and she could have talked to him about it, though she knew what he’d say – ‘You can’t choose your family, but you can your friends.’
She loved Dom, but if only he came alone.