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“I think Dad’s lost it,” Bright said, pacing back and forth in his office. “Like really lost his marbles, Bern.”
“I don’t get what you mean,” his brother said. “So he thinks he’s Santa? For real?”
“It all makes sense now,” Bright said. “All the gumboots and red pyjamas and not wanting to cut his hair.” Bright picked up the cat and sat down, settling Buddy on his lap.
“Mary says I should just let him think it. But why? Why does he think he’s bloody Santa?”
“I’ve no idea,” Bern said. “But it is a bit of a worry. Wait, who’s Mary?”
“She’s ...” Bright had the stupid urge to say something like ‘the woman I’m going to marry’ or at least ‘the woman I think I might be in love with’. “... she’s our activities coor- dinator,” he said instead. Which really didn’t seem enough.
“Right, well, she might have a point,” Bern said. “It’s only a couple of days until Christmas, so maybe we should play along? It’s not like we can do anything at this time of year anyway, can we?”
“I suppose not,” Bright said doubtfully. “But honestly, Bern, the boxes of sex toys, and the stealing of people’s socks, and he’s deliberately putting on weight, I think. We should have invested shares in mince tarts.”
“Or vibrators,” Bern said, making Bright laugh.
“Dad? What’s a bibrator?” Lucy asked, and Bright cracked up.
“I’d better leave you to it,” he said.
“Thanks, mate,” Bern said drily. “I am sorry that I’m not there to help though. I wish there was something more help- ful I could say.”
“We’ll work it out.” He hung up. Buddy was contentedly purring on his lap so he sat there for a while, stroking his soft fur and thinking. Was all this Santa stuff something to do with his mum? With the video he’d found on his dad’s
TV? He thought about Mary and her love for Christmas. How would he feel if she was gone? Would he want to shut out Christmas altogether? Or keep it alive for her?
“I’ll play the ivories,” Dougal said, interrupting his thoughts. He was standing in the doorway, his back a bit stooped, permanent frown lines on his forehead.
I’ll end up like him, Bright thought, if I keep being such a Grinch.
“Did you hear me? I said I’ll play the piano. On Christmas Day.”
Bright wondered if could even play. Perhaps he was like Klaus and had decided he was a concert pianist. But they didn’t have anything else lined up.
“Thank you, Dougal, that sounds ... most helpful.”
“I can play,” Dougal said, perhaps hearing the hesitation in Bright’s voice. “Haven’t done it for a few years, but it’s like riding a bike, isn’t it?”
Bright tried to imagine Dougal on a ten-speed and failed. A penny-farthing maybe? “I’m sure it will be wonderful,” he said. “And I appreciate your offering to help.”
Dougal shuffled a bit in his slippers. “Well, I might have been a bit rude to that Mary, in hindsight,” he said. “Bad time of year.”
“I know what you mean,” Bright said. “But Mary is very forgiving. And I’m sorry for your loss.”
Dougal just nodded and left. He was going to make sure he didn’t become a bitter old man, Bright decided. Starting now.
Dallas pulled up by the front entrance and Bright helped him unload the music equipment and cart it into the main lounge where they planned to set up for the party.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” Bright told him. “We really appreciate it.”
“No worries, mate,” Dallas said, “happy to help. I’m sorry I can’t do the music on the day, but we have to be at Akira’s folks for lunch and they’re an hour away, so ...”
“No, no. This is great.” Bright cleared his throat. “Listen, Dallas, I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit of a jerk to you. I think maybe I got the wrong end of the stick over you and Mary and ...”
“Honestly, mate, I hadn’t noticed,” Dallas said.
Shit, maybe he’d only thought to himself that Dallas was a cheating jerk? Had he never said anything to Dallas?
“Hello, Dallas,” Mary said, coming through from the side door. “Thought I heard your voice.”
“Just dropping off the deejay gear,” Dallas said, arranging the deck and speakers on a table.
“I hope you’ll get a chance to join us for the Christmas party,” Mary said. “I’m keen to reconnect with Akira.”
“Yeah, we might pop in on our way, if that’s all right? Have a drink with Nan.” He looked at his phone. “Crap, I have to get going. I’m supposed to be picking Akira up.”
He gave them a wave and left Bright and Mary standing in
the lounge looking at each other.
“I was thinking ...” Bright said, a bit distracted. It was an elf, he realised. On her ankle. A cute little cartoon elf with pointy ears and bells on its shoes. He couldn’t stop looking at it. Or at her legs which seemed much longer up close and
...
“I don’t want to rush you,” Mary said, but I do have medi- tation class in ten minutes.”
“Right, yes.” Bright tried to think what he had been plan- ning to say. “Right, umm, I was thinking. About the boxes in Dad’s garage.”
“Okay?”
“I wondered if any of them might be of use, for the par- ty?” he asked. “Not the sex stuff, obviously.” He felt the heat rising up his neck. “But the food or any of the other stuff really.”
Mary looked excited. “Oh, yes, that could be good. I no- ticed there were some cute snowglobes we could use on the tables, and I’m sure we can repurpose some of the other things.” This time it was her that looked a bit embarrassed. “Maybe not the rude ones ... But thanks.”
“My pleasure,” he said. “Let me know if you want some help with it.” He headed out the door, then changed his mind and went back. “Actually, Mary, I was wondering if you were free tomorrow?”
CHAPTER 32