‘But, that does leave us with a problem,’ Marcus said.
‘What?’
‘Who’s going to be the wise man now she can’t do it?’ Marcus asked.
‘Jon will have to do it,’ Claire said. Jonathan choked on his drink.
‘No, no way. I’m in charge of—’
‘Budgeting, yes we know but that is all really done now, isn’t it?’ Claire said.
‘What do you mean?’ Jonathan said.
‘Well, we’ve spent all the money we need and now we just have to watch the money coming in,’ Aleksy said.
‘So, I need to be in charge of that,’ Jonathan replied. ‘I absolutely need to be in charge of making sure that the money is all counted and correct.’
‘But it’s all online, mate, so we don’t need to make a song and dance about it,’ Matt said.
‘Good pun, Matt.’ Tomasz laughed.
‘I am not going to sing.’ Jonathan looked panicked.
‘OK, how about you do the speaking but not the singing,’ Connie suggested. ‘We can’t get anyone else at this short notice, the dress rehearsal is only a week away.’
‘Which reminds me, it’s nearly time for the advent calendars and I also want to get started on Christmas shopping,’ Claire said. ‘Who’s in?’
As they discussed Christmas shopping– and to my delight, Christmas lunch – I was reminded of my old plan about the Sunday Lunch Club getting to see the show.
I gestured for Snowball to come with me.
‘What is it, Alfie? You look as if you have something on your mind,’ she said.
‘I was hoping we could get them to realise that the perfect time to have the Sunday Lunch Club to see the show would be on Christmas Day. It would also be such a lovely way to end Christmas.’
‘Right, I remember you saying, but how do we tell them that?’
‘That’s what I can’t figure out,’ I said. ‘I know they have to think of it and I am guessing maybe Harold or Aleksy would be our best bet for coming up with that idea,’ I suggested.
‘Well, I could work on Harold and you work on Aleksy but I’m still not sure …’ Snowball trailed off. She was right, this was a difficult idea to convey. But we had to try.
We returned to find Tommy showing the group some of his latest videos that he’d done for the show.
‘They are so good and they’ve really helped to promote the show. The first show is almost sold out already, and there are really strong sales for the other two,’ Aleksy said.
‘And there’s already been quite a lot of donations, so the shelter will be getting a good amount of money this Christmas,’ Jonathan added.
‘Can we get a cat camera for Alfie?’ Tommy asked.
‘Yowl!’ No, I replied.
‘Why?’ Jonathan asked.
‘We could put the footage on social media, make a story about the show from a cat’s point of view. It’d be so cool,’ Tommy pushed. I did not like where this was going.
‘But the footage was pretty bad – grainy and it wasn’t that easy to see – so unless you’ve got loads of cash—’ Matt said.
‘Which we absolutely do not,’ Jonathan interjected.
‘So that’s a no then,’ Franceska smiled. She was definitely happy to have her lovely son back rather than the terror he was becoming when this all started.
‘No,’ Jonathan said. I felt relieved.
‘Sunday Lunch Club tomorrow,’ Polly said. ‘We’ve got our two coming. I feel bad because they keep asking about the show and I don’t know how to get them to see it.’
‘Yes, Clive and Doris are the same,’ Claire said. ‘But, as we’re all in it, there’s no way to get them there, take care of them and get them home again.’
I looked at Snowball.
‘Mew, mew, mew,’ she said, sweetly, nuzzling Harold.
‘What is it?’ Harold asked, shaking his head.
‘Meow,’ I said.
‘Oh God, here we go, trying to tell us there’s another baddie in our midst?’ Jonathan said. I despaired of him at times.
‘Yowl.’ I did a running leap and jumped onto Aleksy’s lap. He looked at me, and I tilted my head slightly, trying to convey my idea to him.
‘I’ve got it. How about we do a show for them on Christmas Day, after lunch? We’ll all be together then anyways,’ Aleksy said.
‘Meow.’ Yes, thank you, that was my brilliant idea.
‘But we’ve got so much to do on Christmas Day, what with the kids and lunch and then, well, normally we chill out,’ Matt said. ‘It’s sort of like adding more work for us all.’
‘Imagine, how magical it will be if we could do one final show for them though. And if any of the cast want to bring people, we won’t charge, it’ll be like a friends and family show,’ Tommy said. I glanced at him in surprise, he really had turned a very big corner.
‘Not everyone will be able to make it though, as people already may have commitments. It is Christmas Day,’ Sylvie pointed out.
‘But how perfect for those who we have adopted as friends, as family, to do it on Christmas Day afternoon. We’ll still have the evening to chill out. Please say we can do it,’ Aleksy begged. I purred loudly in agreement.
‘It would be a great way to end the show’s run and imagine how the Sunday Lunch Club will enjoy themselves. We can’t get them together any other way, really. While those who need to change into costumes and get ready to perform, those who aren’t in the show can chat to them and keep them entertained. I think it’ll be brilliant,’ Connie added.
‘I would also love to be Santa for them,’ Harold added. ‘In fact, I could wear my costume all day, save me having to change.’
I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Harold as Santa might end up with most of his lunch in his beard, as it was a very big beard.
‘And if I do a film, I’ll be able to do some social media about the Sunday Lunch Club, which we’ve never really done. Harold, I could interview you about how you came up with the idea in the first place!’ Tommy added, sounding excited now.
‘Well, yes, but you’ll also have to interview George, Snowball, and Alfie, as they all helped me.’
‘Fine by me.’ Tommy grinned.
‘We have to transport the Sunday Lunch Club anyway, which means we can easily get them from the restaurant to the hall, I guess,’ Jonathan said. ‘And the others who are with families on Edgar Road could possibly get them there pretty easily. I mean, most could do the short walk, couldn’t they?’ I thought if anyone would object to the idea it would be him, but he seemed quite happy.
‘Oh it would be a brilliant way to bring everyone together on Christmas Day, and these people, who always have to go back to empty homes after being with us, deserve it,’ Harold pushed.
‘How can anyone argue with that, Dad?’ Marcus hugged him.
‘Right, well, I’ll speak to Vic and Heather, and Ralph, and Aleksy, Connie, you speak to the dance group, your school singers and Sienna.’
‘I can ask Sienna,’ Tommy said, and I noticed a blush creep up his cheek.
‘Great, so we’ll have lunch and then don our costumes one last time,’ Claire said.
‘You don’t actually have a costume,’ Jonathan pointed out, as if he’d just remembered he had been roped in to play a wise man.
‘Which reminds me, Jon, Barbara’s costume won’t fit you, so I’ll need to get you sorted this week,’ Sylvie said. Jonathan scowled. And I purred contentedly. This had gone even better than I ever could have hoped for.
Chapter Thirty-One
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Snowball and I had spent a very lovely time at the recreation ground. Cold, frosty mornings were normal now, and the cars on the street wore white blankets most mornings. It wasn’t snowing, but it often felt as if it might. Christmas was evident all around us, the houses decorated – some lit up inside and out – and the way that that made us all smile a bit more was evident on Edgar Road. It was a truly magical time. I loved pausing by the windows to admire the twinkling lights and the decorations that hung in each one. It made me feel so warm inside. Christmas was coming and this cat was getting more and more excited by the day.