The Covids - 12. Mayday, May Day

“Hi Steve, Kev here, how’s things with you?”

“Oh a bit of excitement here today, tomorrow’s May Day and because of our family name we celebrate May Day, although this year will be a bit different.”

“Why is your dad a communist?”

“No, not at all, he’s a conservative through and through.”

“So why celebrate May Day?”

“Well basically because our family name is May, but we celebrate in the manner of the northern hemisphere tradition of welcoming the arrival of spring, new life and such.”

“That’s sounds great, I might see if we can do something here to brighten our day. Not much to celebrate about our family name, even though it is the most commonly used word around the world today.”

Kevin went online, did some quick research about May Day in England and quickly put together a plan for the day. From his research he chose three items that we wanted to be the focus of his family activities. He gathered the family around for a lunch time conference and allocated jobs to each, in typical Kevin manner. Item one was singing, so he put Christine in charge of that. Cake was the next item on his plan, so it was obvious his mother would be allocated that responsibility. Last item was dance and of course that would be his, but he needed his father’s help to construct a maypole for the dancing. In an effort to keep Kevin happy and with some belief that a party of sorts might lift their spirits, the family went about their assigned tasks enthusiastically.

Come the day all was in readiness. Christine had downloaded words and music for songs she thought appropriate. Jenny had been baking until midnight and Daniel converted the Hills Hoist into a maypole.

Christine presented her list of songs to Kevin but was rebuked for her choice of, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, Tennessee Ernie Ford’s 16 Tons, Billy Bragg’s, There Is Power in a Union, Bruce Springsteen’s, Youngstown, Pete Seeger’s, Solidarity Forever, Loretta Lynn’s, Coal Miner’s Daughter and Woody Guthrie’s, Union Burying Ground.

“What’s wrong with those songs?” she asked “They’re all great songs of labour solidarity and worker’s struggles.”

“I think you’ve missed the point Chris. This is not a left wing campus protest; we’re trying to celebrate the spirit of spring and new life.”

“Yeah right, in the middle of winter, what a great idea. Do it yourself you crazy queen.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The ‘do it yourself ‘ bit?”

“NO! the‘crazy queen’ bit.”

“I think you’d make a fabulous May Queen.”

Kevin thought ‘I’m not going to let her spoil my fun, I’m sure Mum and Dad will still join in. So, next we went off to check on the cake situation and was furious when he found his mother piping the finishing touches to her hammer and sickle decoration on the cake.

“What’s that supposed to be Mum?”

“Well I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but you didn’t give me much notice.”

“Don’t bother, I know this whole family is out to sabotage my day.”

As Kevin stormed off, Jenny laughed till she was almost in tears. Then Daniel came into the kitchen and asked “What’s got you so amused?”

“Oh, Kevin as usual.”

“What’s he done now?”

“Just him being Kevin is enough.”

Kevin then had another internal conversation with himself. ‘What’s a man got to do to get through to these women? I’m sure Dad won’t have let me down. I’d better go and check his maypole is not a coal mining tower.’

Kevin was relieved to see that the maypole was indeed a single straight pole attached to the centre of the Hills Hoist, after his father had removed the arms and clothes wire. He was however, a little disappointed that it had been decorated in only white ribbons but excused his father’s lack of imagination given the short notice and no opportunity to shop for coloured ribbons.

As Kevin took the end of a ribbon in each hand he heard the sound of Greensleeves coming from the house and started a slow waltz around the maypole. As the tempo picked up a little he began to enjoy the solo waltz. He then noticed Christine standing on the back deck and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled. As Kevin continued to twirl around, the ribbons wrapped around him. Then his father joined Christine and gave Kevin his best Stalin salute. He continued to twirl and as Jenny watched from the kitchen window she thought he seemed to be going into a whirling dervish trance. But as long as he was having fun she let him do it and returned to finish decorating the real cake for the day with sugar flowers. She scraped the hammer and sickle icing off the upturned cake tin and threw it in the sink.

While Kevin continued with his dancing the family set up the deck table for a celebratory morning tea and waited for Kevin.

When he finished his dancing, he walked towards his family looking like a mummy raised from the dead and Daniel said “Jen, while I didn’t approve of you stockpiling all those toilet rolls, it has proven to be of some use after all.”

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