The secret santa project, p.10
The Secret Santa Project, page 10
As soon as he had struck the last chord, Yang got up ready to leave and started to pack his guitar away.
‘It’s the best song, isn’t it?’ Grace asked her mother.
‘It’s great, really is,’ smiled Stacey. ‘Sounds like you have had a good time.’
‘I’d better go,’ said Yang. ‘Places to go, people to see and all that.
‘It’s been a very interesting night,’ he said to Grace. He offered his hand to shake and she took it.
‘It’s been the best fun. I liked everything about it,’ she stated. ‘Don’t bother with the black bean stuff, though, next time. Not great unless you smother it in ketchup.’
‘I’ll pass that on to my father,’ he said. ‘He’s only been cooking that dish for forty years.’
‘You’ll come and babysit again, won’t you?’ Grace said.
Yang looked over at Stacey. She mouthed a sorry.
‘We’ll see,’ he replied. ‘Keep singing our donkey song.’
‘I’m going to sing it at school on Monday,’ she announced.
‘Magic,’ said Yang, edging past her to the door.
‘Now go and brush your teeth,’ said Stacey, ‘whilst I say bye to Yang.
‘You OK?’ she asked Will, who had already knocked back a glass of wine.
He nodded and reached forward to pour another glass.
At the door, Stacey hugged Yang, to his surprise.
‘Thank you so much,’ she said. ‘Can’t tell you how grateful I am. Just … well … to go out and have adult company. It’s just brilliant. I’ve had such a good night, I can’t tell you. Will is great, isn’t he?’
Yang glanced through the door to Will, who had kicked his shoes off and was pointing the remote control at the TV.
Yang nodded. ‘It’s been fun. With Grace, I mean. She’s fun to be with. She made me laugh.’
‘You don’t have to say that,’ she told him. ‘She can be difficult.’
‘I mean it. I see where she gets her bluntness from.’
Stacey smiled. ‘I think I get it from her.’
‘Sorry about the donkey song. I think you might be hearing it a lot.’
‘I’m sure I will, but it’s put a smile on her face so I will enjoy it. The first twenty times.’
‘Well, enjoy the rest of your evening,’ said Yang, nodding awkwardly.
‘Thanks again,’ smiled. Stacey. ‘Really actually very good of you.’ She looked confused. They smiled awkwardly at each other.
‘Good. Well, I’ll see you Monday,’ said Yang.
‘Will do. Bye then.’
‘Say good night to Grace.’
‘I will. Bye, Yang.’
Chapter 12
‘Who are you?’ demanded Cecil, the mayor, the following Monday morning when Jolene walked into his office.
Jolene stuck out her hand and grinned. ‘I’m your Christmas party planner from Accounts. Diane sent me.’
Cecil looked confused. He eyed the elf jumper she had carefully chosen for today’s meeting. It had a hat on it with a real bell. It was one of her favourites.
‘Diane sent you?’
‘Yes,’ nodded Jolene. ‘That’s it. Diane, tall, absolutely stunning, with a heart of gold but slightly scary.’
‘I know who Diane is.’
‘Good, well, she sent me and I come with notepad in hand and I’m ready to hang off your every word.’
That seemed to do the trick. Cecil seemed to like the idea of someone hanging off his every word and so invited her into his wood-panelled office. It was large and spacious and, unlike every other office in the building, was not crammed with desks and filing cabinets. Framed photos of mayors gone by lined the walls. Cecil took his green leather chair behind the desk and indicated for Jolene to take a seat in front of him.
She sat down with a slight jingle of her elf jumper and took off the top of her pen. She grinned. He grimaced back. They sat in silence.
‘So what is your vision?’ asked Jolene eventually.
‘For what?’
‘For the party.’
‘Oh, yes, the party. What I need you to get for me … sorry, what is your name again?’
‘Jolene.’
‘Jolene?’
‘Yes, Jolene.’
‘As in Dolly Parton?’
‘Yes, as in her song.’
‘Right, Jolene, I need you to get a picture of me on the front of the Gazette with local children looking like I’ve made their Christmas.’
Jolene wrote down every word he said. She looked up.
‘That doesn’t sound like a party,’ she said, confused. ‘I thought that’s what you wanted, not newspaper coverage.’
‘It doesn’t have to be a party exactly, just something so bloody amazing, such a spectacle, that the Gazette wants to plaster my face all over their front page.’
Jolene nodded. She bit her lip. She thought the mayor wanted to do something good, not just get his picture in the paper. She thought about the PowerPoint presentation she had prepared at home the night before. She hadn’t been told to put any ideas together by Diane, but she thought it would be helpful nonetheless. To try to take the burden of the mayor’s request off Diane. Think of a solution and present that to the mayor so Diane wouldn’t have to do any more thinking. However, she’d spent all night thinking about what might be magical for the kids. Not what would get the mayor in the paper.
The mayor was looking at her expectantly. She wriggled uncomfortably, which made the bell jingle on the front of her jumper.
‘Well?’ said Cecil. ‘Speak!’
Jolene put her laptop on the mayor’s desk with trembling hands. She wasn’t sure her suggestion was going to be what the mayor wanted at all. But she had no choice. She had to say something. She pulled her chair closer to the desk, turned her computer round and opened it up so that the mayor could see.
‘So,’ she said, showing the mayor a picture of stars and the moon on the screen. ‘I was thinking that the most important person to children at Christmas is …?’
‘Me?’ asked the mayor.
‘I’m sure you’re right up there, but I was actually thinking of Father Christmas and how all children love the idea of him travelling round the sky to deliver all the presents.’
‘Yes, yes, of course, but why are you showing me pictures of stars? What have the stars got to do with it?’
‘I was thinking that we could sort of have a party based on Father Christmas’s journey through the sky to get to the children of Bermondsey from where he lives, and I was thinking: where is the best place to look at the sky and imagine Father Christmas travelling thousands of miles?’
‘Greenwich Observatory?’ said the mayor, shaking his head. ‘What are you on about? What are we doing having a party in Greenwich? I don’t want pictures of Greenwich in the Gazette. I want Bermondsey in the papers. Bloody Greenwich gets far too much coverage as it is. Just because they invented time there or some other nonsense.’
‘No, I wasn’t actually thinking of Greenwich. Well, I was thinking, if it’s not too ambitious, what about the London Eye? We could take over some pods and look into the sky and see if we can see where Santa lives.’
‘And where is that?’ asked the mayor, raising his eyebrows.
‘We could say he lives on the brightest star in the sky and see if we can see it. Then I was thinking that maybe we have Santa ready and waiting when they get off the capsules. Like he’s travelled all across the sky to come to Bermondsey to see them especially.’
The mayor stared at Jolene. She thought perhaps she’d gone too far. She thought it was a magical idea, if she was honest. If someone had taken her on a journey through the sky and Father Christmas was waiting at the end, then that would have been pretty spectacular. She gave the mayor a nervous smile. He’d leaned back in his seat and was looking through narrowed eyes. She noticed a gravy stain on his tie. Bound to happen, she thought, given all the lunches he must be invited to as mayor.
She didn’t know if she should proceed or give him time to process what she had said. She waited a while longer, then flicked onto the next screen.
There was a picture of several smiling elves. ‘What would be amazing is if we could get elves to take them on the capsules,’ she continued. ‘They could be their elf guides through the skies, pointing out where Father Christmas lives and the route he might take. How magical would that be? And then they would disembark their capsule and the elves could escort them to Santa, who had landed behind County Hall and was waiting for them with presents.’
The mayor stared at her. ‘Where do I come in? I don’t want to be Santa. No one will know it’s me.’
‘Of course we’ll have to get a “real” Santa for that role. Er, maybe you could be Chief Elf or – I know – what about Mayor of Lapland. You’ve come along to help Santa out, make sure he gets to Bermondsey safely for this very important party.’
‘So I could just wear what I’m wearing?’ said the mayor. ‘Including my ceremonial chain.’
‘Yes,’ replied Jolene. ‘I mean, we might add a touch of Lapland. A little snow on your shoulders, maybe?’
The mayor was nodding thoughtfully, which Jolene took as a good sign. Abruptly, he stood up. And for the first time offered his hand.
‘Done,’ he said, pumping her arm up and down.
‘What’s done?’ she asked.
‘Your party. I like it. I like it a lot. So just get it done. Off you go. I’ll see you there.’
Jolene felt her jaw drop open. A mixture of shock and delight. He liked it. She could not wait to tell Diane. She would be absolutely over the moon. She was sure.
‘Brilliant, amazing,’ she grinned. ‘So glad you loved it.’
He paused. ‘Oh, I didn’t say I loved it. I’ll only love it if you get me on the front page of the Gazette in front of Bermondsey’s own London Eye with an elf and a small child … and Father Christmas, I suppose. You got that?’
Jolene nodded. ‘Got it,’ she said. ‘You can count on Accounts.’ She threw her head back and laughed. ‘Wow, that’s funny,’ she said.
‘You can go now,’ said the mayor, glancing at his watch. ‘Just tell me what time you want me and which of the press are coming.’
Jerry did not throw his head back and laugh when Jolene debriefed him and Diane later that day on her meeting with the mayor.
‘You told him what?’ he said.
He had started to breathe heavily and looked nervously towards Diane, who was sitting with her eyebrows arched.
‘Let me get this straight,’ Jerry said to Jolene. ‘You told the mayor he could have a trip on the London Eye with a load of children accompanied by elves.’
‘Do you not think that’s good enough?’ Jolene asked Jerry, feeling worried. She really thought she’d done an excellent job. She’d come out of the mayor’s office buzzing, practically doing cartwheels down the corridor.
But now Jerry was facing her and he did not look anywhere near as ecstatic as she was. She cast her mind back to Jerry’s instructions before the meeting with the mayor. A Christmas party he’d said, for the children. That’s what she had done and the mayor had been delighted. Jerry did not look delighted.
‘What did I say before you went into the meeting?’ he said to her.
‘A Christmas party for the children,’ she replied.
‘What else?’
‘Don’t be put off by how much the mayor looks like the Fat Controller?’ she replied.
‘What was the most important thing I said to you?’ he demanded.
Jolene really had no idea.
‘I don’t know,’ said Jolene. ‘Was it to make it really Christmassy?’
‘No,’ said Jerry. ‘That wasn’t it. I said very clearly, I thought, that you were to be very clear with the mayor that there was no money to spend. That whatever he wanted, it had to be cheap. And what you appeared to have agreed to is the hiring of the London’s biggest tourist attraction, the hiring of real-life elves and Father Christmas.’
Jolene blinked back at him.
She nodded. ‘And I promised the mayor his picture on the front of the Gazette.’
‘Of course you did,’ sighed Diane.
‘Surely people will offer to do all that for free, if it’s for the children?’ Jolene said.
‘Do you think?’ asked Jerry.
Jolene bit her lip. Actually she did think, but that didn’t look like the answer Jerry was looking for.
‘Elves!’ he went on. ‘Elves? You going to get elves for free, are you, at Christmas? You going to get elves full stop? Where on earth do you think you are going to rustle up elves at this time of year? Do you not realise how busy they are? It’s Christmas, for goodness’ sake!’
Jolene had to admit that finding elves at any time of year quite frankly might be a stretch.
‘I’m sorry, Diane,’ said Jerry, turning to the boss. ‘I thought I’d been clear.’
Diane was tapping her pen on the table rapidly.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Jolene, looking at Diane. ‘I didn’t mean to bring disrepute to the Accounts team.’
‘Shall I go back to the mayor and tell him it’s all been a big mistake and we can’t possibly do this for him?’ Jerry asked Diane. ‘I mean, what’s he doing asking this department to do this anyway? Why hasn’t he got one of his own team sorting this out?’
‘Because he’s got no money left in his budget and, stupidly, I’ve helped him out in the past,’ sighed Diane. ‘I found him some spare once in the Facilities budget that I keep back for emergencies. But there is no spare any more. Everything is cut back to the very bone.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Jolene. ‘I just thought he wanted to do something nice for the children and I got carried away. And … and … I wanted to show you that I could help. Do something for you because I don’t think I’m doing anything useful at all. And the one thing I can do is organise a party. I was social sec of our college. We had the best parties, everyone said so.’
‘This is a bit different from a disco in a college bar,’ stated Jerry.
Jolene shook her head. ‘I would never just organise a disco in a college bar. We always had a theme; we took socials to a new level. I convinced the dean to let us bring an entire travelling circus onto campus to teach us all circus skills as part of freshers week.’
‘Really,’ said Jerry sarcastically.
‘Why don’t you just let me have a go?’ pleaded Jolene. ‘Please, just let me try. I mean, as he admits, he doesn’t actually want a party, all he wants is a photo opportunity. Let me see what I can do? It’s not like you’ve asked me to do anything else. I’m so bored. Please let me do this.’
Diane continued to tap her pen for a moment. ‘I might be able to get you some elves,’ she said eventually.
‘Are you feeling all right?’ Jerry asked her.
‘Fine,’ said Diane.
‘Then tell us of these mythical elves that you know of,’ said Jerry.
‘You know some elves?’ asked Jolene in awe. She thought she might be sick, she was so excited. Her boss knew elves!
‘Well, my husband, he’s directing Snow White and the Seven Elves in the West End and—’
‘What are the chances?’ said Jerry, wide eyed. ‘I mean, what are the chances.’
‘And he has real elves in the show?’ asked Jolene in absolute awe.
‘No, of course not. They’re not real elves, they’re little people; you know dwarfs.’
‘So you could get hold of seven dwarfs/elves for the party?’ Jolene asked in awe.
‘I think there might be as many as nine, including understudies,’ replied Diane.
‘Would you ask them?’ asked Jolene, her hands clasped together in prayer. ‘Please would you ask them?’
Diane blinked back at her. ‘I can ask my husband to ask them. They might do it as a publicity thing for the pantomime, as well, if we said there would be press there.’
Jolene got up out of her chair and hugged Diane. ‘I knew it. I knew we would be able to find some elves somewhere. Sometimes you just have to dream big, then somehow the stars align and your prayers are answered.’
‘Hang on a minute,’ said Jerry. ‘You still need to hire the London Eye and get a Santa Claus.’
‘And what about the children? What did the mayor say about that?’ Diane asked Jolene.
‘Oh!’ said Jolene. ‘He never said. Will he be getting the children?’
‘Definitely not,’ said Diane. ‘He’ll expect us to just rustle some up out of nowhere. That will be the last thing on his mind.’
‘What about Stacey’s daughter’s class?’ said Jolene. ‘Like an end-of-Nativity party for them. Can we invite them?’
‘I don’t see why not,’ said Diane. ‘It would certainly solve one problem.’
‘I think we’re all forgetting something here,’ said Jerry, looking flustered. ‘The cornerstone of Jolene’s what-shouldn’t-be-epic party plan is the London Eye. And that’s never going to happen.’
‘The mayor said the London Eye is within the Bermondsey Council,’ said Jolene. ‘So would that help? Would the people who run the London Eye want to help the council once in a while – especially if it’s for the children?’
Diane stared at Jolene for a moment.
‘Perhaps you and me should pay them a little visit,’ said Diane to Jolene. ‘Maybe it is worth asking them.’
‘Really?’ said Jolene. ‘I don’t want to put you out at all. I could go on my own.’
‘Barbara, the GM, is a bit of a tough cookie. We’ll both go. You go and get on to her office and set a meeting up.’
‘Thank you,’ said Jolene, backing out of the office. ‘You won’t regret this, I promise. It’s going to be great.’
Jerry stood up and closed the door behind her.
‘Are you sure about this?’ he asked Diane. ‘I can have a word with the mayor’s PA and probably make this all go away.’
Diane shook her head, peering through the glass door at Jolene, already on the phone.
‘She’s showing enthusiasm,’ she said. ‘She wants to make stuff happen and we have done nothing but dampen her down. We should be encouraging people like Jolene, not crushing them.’
