Free Foreign Affairs by Patricia Scanlan Page A

would be filled
to the brim with goodies.
    Auntie Helen helped her to tie her stocking onto the end of her bed and then her mammy and daddy came in to kiss them and tuck them up and tell them to hurry on and go to sleep. Auntie Helen
gave her one last hug and the light was put out and only the rhythmic beam of the lighthouse illuminated the room. Paula lay cosy and warm in her flannelette sheets and squeezed her eyes tightly
shut. Out there amid the whistling wind and the roar of the sea she was certain she had heard the faint tinkling of sleigh bells. Santa was on his way for sure.
    ‘Now what have I got left to do?’ Maura murmured to herself as she dried up the dishes after the tea. ‘Steep the peas. Parboil the potatoes. Peel the sprouts
and make the brandy butter.’ It had been go, go, go, for the past two weeks. Getting the house spick and span. Washing windows and curtains. Doing the Christmas shopping.
    That was no joke, she smiled to herself. John had changed his mind three times before finally settling on that rescue helicopter. And Louise! Maura was sure she knew there was no Santa. She
couldn’t decide whether she wanted the shiny long boots or a fashion doll with all the accessories. In the end, Maura asked Helen’s advice, and bought the boots for Louise. Helen had
bought her a doll for under the tree. The excitement that had been building in this house for the past month had more energy and power than several atomic bombs, she reflected with a smile.
    They had been rowing and squabbling until she was nearly driven mad. But it was always the same coming up to Christmas, and of course with Pete working all the hours that God sent, it was she
who bore the brunt of it. Still, it would be worth it all in the morning to see their faces, Maura thought happily as she poured a kettle of boiling water over the marrowfats and watched it turn
cloudy.
    It was a real bonus having Helen to stay as well. Poor Helen, unable to bear a child, and she blessed with six of them. God, the huge eyes of Paula as she watched the candle being lit. Those
moments were so precious. And Helen would never have them. No wonder she spoilt Paula rotten. Maura should put her foot down, but Paula was the nearest Helen would have to a child of her own and
there was a strong bond between them. Her sister was an exceptionally kind and good aunt to the other five but Paula was her pet, there was no denying it. If it gave her sister happiness, Maura
wouldn’t interfere.
    ‘How’s it going?’ Pete came in to the kitchen and slipped his arms around her. Maura nuzzled in against him contentedly.
    ‘Not too bad, I just have to do the spuds and sprouts and the brandy butter and then I’m more or less organized.’
    ‘Did you see the faces of them? I thought Joseph was going to burst when he hung up his stocking, he was being ever so particular about the angle of it,’ Pete laughed.
    ‘Wait until Thomas sees the train set,’ Maura grinned. ‘And can you imagine the faces of Rebecca and Paula when they see their Cinderella high-heeled slippers. I love
Christmas.’
    ‘And I love you. Wasn’t I the lucky man the day I married you?’ Pete turned her round to face him and lowered his head and kissed her. Maura returned his kiss ardently. She
loved her husband passionately. He was a kind hard-working man who wanted only the best for his wife and family and even after all these years of marriage and six children, he could still make her
tingle with pleasure when he touched her and kissed her.
    ‘Stop it, Pete.’ She giggled as she felt him respond to her. ‘The turkey’s looking.’
    ‘Let him look, I bet he wishes he was me.’ Her husband grinned down at her.
    ‘Get in there and fix that Christmas tree and Santa might come to you tonight if you’re good.’ Maura’s eyes sparkled with fun and the promise of pleasures to come.
    ‘Oh!’ Helen came into the kitchen and stopped suddenly at the sight of them. ‘You pair! Do