Page 9 of Christmas at the Movies
Sarah shook her head wearily. She kept waking up in the middle of the night, pyjamas and sheets soaked through with sweat. The washing machine had never worked harder. Once she was awake, she couldn’t fall back asleep, as worries about the kids, and her mum, and the cinema spiralled through her head.
‘You don’t think it could be—’
‘No,’ said Sarah, cutting him off. ‘I’m fine. Just tired. And stressed because of, well … everything.’
Everyone felt anxious sometimes. That was normal. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
‘If you’re sure …’ said James, not sounding convinced.
‘We’d better get back downstairs,’ said Sarah, not liking where the conversation was heading. She hurried out of the projection room and arrived in the lobby just as the film ended.
Parents streamed out of the auditorium and into the lobby, which was decorated with framed film memorabilia. Sarah gathered up her dustpan and broom, bracing herself for the usual carnage after the Baby and Me screenings – teething biscuit crumbs, lost dummies, tiny socks and discarded teddies. The baby-friendly movies had been her idea – a brainwave when she’d been expecting Holly. She was proud of how popular the screenings had become.
Near the back of the cinema, a mother with a sleek bob was sound asleep. A baby in a sling, with a shock of jet-black hair, dozed against her chest, long lashes resting against his chubby cheeks. They looked so peaceful, it felt cruel to wake her, but there was another movie starting shortly.
Reaching out, Sarah touched the woman’s shoulder lightly. She just murmured and nestled deeper into her seat. Sarah smiled – she’d often slept through Baby and Me screenings when her kids had been tiny. The seats were so comfy, it was hard not to nod off in the warm, dark auditorium.
‘Hey,’ Sarah whispered. ‘Time to wake up.’
The woman’s eyes opened and she sat up with a start. ‘Oh, my goodness,’ she said, blinking. ‘I was out like a light.’
Sarah smiled. ‘It happens a lot. I’m sure some parents come to the cinema hoping their baby will sleep so they can nap too.’
‘I really wanted to see the movie,’ protested the woman. ‘But I’m just so tired. Henry is really colicky in the evenings.’ She stroked her baby’s downy head.
Sarah nodded sympathetically. ‘I’ve been there.’ Nick had been a fussy baby, too. She extended her hand, to help the woman to her feet. ‘I’m Sarah, by the way. My husband and I own the cinema. I don’t think I’ve seen you at the Baby and Me screenings before.’
‘Iris,’ said the woman. She studied Sarah intently. ‘It’s weird – I feel like we’ve met before, but I only moved here at the end of the summer.’
Sarah shrugged. ‘I guess I just have one of those faces.’
James used to say she was beautiful, but the last time she’d had a haircut he hadn’t even noticed. Sometimes Sarah felt invisible. Even when she was standing right in front of her husband, he didn’t seem to see her any more.
Iris gathered up her things, including a still-full cup of coffee. ‘I didn’t even get to drink it – I was out like a light before the trailers even finished.’
‘Let me treat you to another one.’
‘Oh, you don’t need to do that,’ said Iris.
‘I insist,’ said Sarah, as they walked into the lobby. She glanced down at the sleeping baby. ‘How old is Henry?’
‘Five months.’
James had come downstairs and was manning the concession stand, serving hot drinks to the post-movie crowd.
‘I’m taking a quick break,’ Sarah told her husband, slipping behind the counter.
He nodded distractedly, while ringing up an order.
Sarah went over to the coffee machine and made lattes for herself and Iris. The machine wheezed asthmatically as it brewed their drinks. Then she carried them over to the café area, where Iris had grabbed a free table. Most of the other tables were filled with parents chatting and feeding their babies.
‘So what brought you to Plumdale?’ asked Sarah as she sat down opposite Iris.
‘My husband,’ Iris replied. ‘We’re from Hong Kong, but he went to boarding school in the Cotswolds. A job came up in the area and he jumped at the opportunity to come back here.’
‘The Cotswolds must seem so provincial compared to Hong Kong.’ Sarah took a sip of her coffee, savouring the jolt of caffeine.
‘We wanted a change from big city life,’ explained Iris. ‘We thought it would be nice for Henry to grow up in the countryside, with fresh air and plenty of space.’
