‘You know,’ said the mother, as she turned around, Leone ahead so she could peel round the corner and gaze at the train set with those huge eyes of hers. ‘That’s the first time she’s spoken in public since she started school. Thank you.’
And the bell tinged, and Carmen watched them leave, just as the very lanky studenty man came in. He frowned at Sofia’s tear-stained children.
‘There are also a lot of crying children in the street,’ he said, looking bemused.
‘It was a sad Christmas story.’
He looked puzzled.
‘I thought Christmas stories were happy.’
‘So did I,’ said Sofia quietly, trying to haul the children away, even though Jack would have happily sat for several hours watching the train set.
‘The Little Match Girl,’ said Carmen. He shook his head. ‘You don’t know it?’
He smiled.
‘I don’t … I don’t really know any Christmas stories.’
‘What, at all?’
She frowned at him.
‘I don’t celebrate Christmas.’
‘Oh! Sorry,’ said Carmen.
‘No need,’ he said. ‘From where I’m standing, it looks like a full-time job.’
Phoebe had stopped sobbing, her head whipping around.
‘You don’t celebrate CHRISTMAS?’ she said loudly. Sofia grabbed her hand.
‘Lots of people don’t celebrate Christmas, darling, don’t you remember? You learned it at school. Which has lots of people from different backgrounds. So there’s Eid and Hanukkah … ’
But Phoebe wasn’t listening. She marched up to Oke.
‘My friend has Hanukkah AND Christmas,’ she said. ‘I don’t think that’s fair AT ALL.’
Oke smiled.
‘Well, I don’t celebrate Hanukkah either, so don’t worry.’
Her face screwed up.
‘Well, what do you celebrate?’
‘We don’t.’
At this all the children’s mouths fell open.
‘No Christmas?’
‘No Eid?’
‘What about on your birthday?’ This was from Jack.
Oke shook his head.
‘You don’t celebrate YOUR BIRTHDAY?’
‘Don’t you know when it is?’
He smiled.
‘Yes, I do. But we don’t celebrate.’
‘That is SO SAD,’ said Phoebe, her face starting to twist again.
Oke knelt down on his haunches so he was at her level.
‘Not for me,’ he said. ‘I’m a Quaker. We try to live with … ’ His hand batted around as if looking for the right expression. ‘ … a kind of … gentle grace. Every day. So that we don’t have to make a fuss or make ourselves excited.’
‘Because you’re always happy like it’s Christmas?’ said Phoebe disbelievingly.
‘Well, I wouldn’t know,’ said Oke. ‘But yeah. Maybe we just try and average it out throughout the year.’
Jack and Pippa both looked thoughtful.
‘That sounds RUBBISH,’ said Phoebe and Sofia made her apologetic face as she bundled her away. ‘Well, it does! No presents! No Christmas cake! No chipolatas! NO BIRTHDAYS!’