Christmas to Come: a heartbreaking coming of age saga set in London's East End by Carol Rivers

Author:Carol Rivers [Rivers, Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Carol Rivers Publications
Published: 2017-08-31T22:00:00+00:00

It was Sunday and Bella's kitchen was filled with succulent cooking smells. Whilst Gina set out the sausage rolls, lifting them cleanly from the greased cake tins on to the rack, Bella poured out the lemonade.

'I wish my pastry turned out so crispy and brown,' Bella said wistfully. 'It's not a bit like yours.'

'Course it is. You are a good cook now, girl, even though I say it myself. I taught you well.'

'You taught me everything I know.'

'I still miss you,' Gina said with a sigh. 'Little Tina's a treasure and Lenny pulls his weight, but the two of them put together don't fill your shoes, love.'

Bella knew that Gina meant what she said and she smiled. 'Tina is a sweet girl, Gina. She's a good waitress and likes the customers.'

Now it was Gina's turn to smile. 'Likes them too much, that's the trouble. That little arse has been pinched so many times it must be blue not pink under that tight skirt of hers. I tell her to give them a slap when they do it, but all she does is giggle and encourage them.'

Bella had met Tina when she'd taken Michael to the cafe for a plate of chips. She was a lovely cockney girl, never short of a cheeky answer for her customers. She had been working for Gina since she left school three years ago and they got on well. Lenny continued to act as cleaner and general dogsbody, a role he had become accustomed to. Bella was pleased for Gina and Lenny as business was still booming, attracting the many labourers who worked on the new building sites of the East End.

Gina took off her apron and hung it on the peg behind the door. She glanced in the kitchen mirror, touching her black hair piled up behind her head. Bella smiled as she watched her friend take a lipstick from her bag and smooth it carefully over her full lips.

Gina caught Bella's eye in the mirror. 'Shall I light the candles on the cake? Or do you want to wait for Micky?'

Bella glanced at her watch. Micky had promised to be home for two but it was now four. The children had played all the games and exhausted themselves and now it was time to eat. She nodded to Gina. 'Let's go ahead, shall we?'

Bella watched Gina walk to the sumptuous cream cake standing on the table. She lit each of the five blue candles standing upright in the icing, careful to avoid the message written in big iced loops. "Happy Birthday Michael".

Bella hoped that even at the eleventh hour, Micky would turn up. Ronnie and Joyce, Dolly and Percy, Sean and Ashley and all the mothers of the children invited to the party were waiting expectantly in the sitting room. Lenny and Terry were at present entertaining the group of excited youngsters with magic tricks.

Bella watched each little flame flicker alight. The five blue candles represented the five wonderful years of her marriage to Micky.

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