A Woman's War by S. Block

Author:S. Block
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction

Chapter 24

THERE WAS SNOW in the air on the day of Laura’s meticulously well-planned Christmas party. Not a blizzard, but enough to send parents and children hurrying towards the warmth and shelter of the village hall. There, Laura and the women of the WI waited to greet them after working from sunrise to bedeck the hall with as much Christmas spirit as their combined skills could muster. The sight befalling all visitors was certainly one for sore, wind-lashed eyes. The walls and ceiling dripped with colourful bunting in Christmassy red and green, and table after table groaned with pies and cakes and buns and jugs of squash, all miraculously made out of rations, aided by a little added WI hustling of local suppliers to give a bit on the side for a unique occasion. The hall smelled – and looked – delicious. A local four-piece band was tuning up in the corner beside the centrepiece of the entire event: the largest Christmas tree Steph had Stan and Stanley carry back from a local copse. It was two feet short of the ceiling and glittered with stars and reindeer made from twigs and pieces of wood that had been glued together and painted in bright, eye-catching colours.

The children stared around the hall in amazement at the transformation the women had wrought, and their parents put their hands to their mouths and tried not to cry with joy at the wonderful effort that in the darkest time provided them all with some cheer.

Laura and her team greeted everyone with broad smiles, and the promise of an afternoon of unmitigated fun followed by a dance for the young and ‘not so young’. She had persuaded Myra Rosen to come, and had even managed to get Erica out of the house for the first time since Will’s funeral.

Laura had been thorough in her preparation. She had drawn up a list of everyone in the village and had handwritten – and hand-delivered – invites to everyone. A week after delivering the invites, Laura returned to each home to ascertain how many would be attending so the WI could organise itself into sub-groups for food, decorations, Christmas tree, games, and dance. In all, forty-three families said they would be coming. It was more than Laura had anticipated, and the prospect of having to keep so many children entertained and fed left her momentarily paralysed with terror, remembering Teresa once telling her that there was nothing quite as horrifying as a room full of bored children. There were so many constituencies to satisfy. Laura had initially consulted her mother – a woman who had spent quite some time trying to keep her own children entertained over the years.

‘Just keep them busy,’ Erica had advised airily.

‘What if some of them don’t want to “be kept busy”? What if some of them just want to sit at the side and watch?’

‘Then let them.’

Laura didn’t find this satisfactory.

What if all the children decided to sit at the side and not take part in the fun and games? The party would come grinding to a halt.

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