Page 16 of Christmas at the Movies
‘Things aren’t so bad that we need to feed you to the wolves, Geraldine,’ replied James. ‘Sarah’s bought lamb chops for dinner.’
‘Now, in Ecuador, the Huaorani people believe that elderly people are shamans with magical powers,’ continued Geraldine, ignoring his teasing.
‘In that case, maybe you can magic us up a new sound system,’ joked James. ‘Ours is on the blink.’
‘Throw in a new projector too, while you’re at it,’ added Sarah.
‘If I had magic powers, I’d conjure myself young again,’ said Geraldine. ‘So I wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of nowhere, bored out of my mind.’
‘Oh, Mum,’ said Sarah sadly, a groove appearing in her forehead as she frowned.
James thought that if he had magic powers, he’d use them to make his wife’s worries disappear.
He glanced over at Pam, Vi, Roger and Olwyn, chatting over hot drinks in the café area. Maybe he didn’t need magic powers …
‘A few of our regulars live at Valley Vistas,’ said James. ‘They’re very nice.’
‘Nice,’ said Geraldine, rolling her eyes.
‘Come and meet some of them now,’ he said, taking his mother-in-law’s arm and steering her over to the others before she could object.
‘What a fab-u-lous necklace,’ exclaimed Roger as they approached. ‘Is it from Morocco?’
‘Why, yes, it is,’ said Geraldine, looking pleased. ‘You have a good eye.’
‘That’s where my late husband was from,’ explained Roger.
‘I was a visiting professor at the University of Rabat for a semester,’ said Geraldine.
‘Everyone, this is Sarah’s mum,’ announced James. ‘Geraldine recently moved to Valley Vistas.’
‘We’re neighbours!’ exclaimed Vi. ‘Pam and I live there too.’
‘How are you finding village life, Geraldine?’ asked Roger.
‘A bit dull, I’m afraid,’ said Geraldine stiffly.
‘Oh, there’s plenty of fun to be had, you just have to make your own.’ Pam pulled a silver hip flask out of her handbag and held it up, her eyes twinkling.
‘You should join us for Golden Oldies next week,’ said Olwyn. ‘James is showingThe Godfather.’
‘Perhaps I will,’ replied Geraldine. ‘I’ve always had a soft spot for Al Pacino.’
‘Who doesn’t,’ said Roger and everyone laughed.
James went over to the concession stand to check on the stock levels. The boy working behind the counter had curly hair and wore a T-shirt that saidSal’s Famous Pizzeriaon it.
James pointed at his shirt. ‘Do The Right Thing?’
‘Yeah,’ said Aaron. ‘I’ve been watching a lot of old Spike Lee movies lately.’
James nodded approvingly.
Aaron, who was in the final year of sixth form, worked at the cinema weekends and after school. An avid cinephile, he wanted to direct movies one day. He was a good kid and a hard worker.
James went into the stockroom to get more popcorn boxes. As he was coming out, Holly ran into the cinema, her school backpack slung over her shoulder. Her uniform skirt was rolled up to show off her long legs. Every morning Sarah reminded her that it was against school uniform rules, and every morning Holly retorted that the rules were sexist. Multiple lunchtime detentions were the price their feisty daughter had paid for her principles.
James caught Aaron staring at Holly. James still thought of his daughter as his little girl, but over the past year she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. Embarrassed, Aaron quickly averted his gaze and started vigorously polishing the counter.
