No going back - 16. Family Life: pub lunch

Thankfully we managed to get a table outside the pub. It was an old place, recently done up in a modern style that aimed to emulate what might have once been here. The rear yard, at one time the access for deliveries from the riverside quay, had been turned into an attractive waterside eating area. The quay was still there, but the river was the precinct of canal-boat holidays and little more. Across the river the view opened out and in many ways it was idyllic.

Sorting out food and drinks carried us over any initial awkwardness. I gathered that Mhairi had been bearding Colin about work at her house, evidently, she was thinking of spending some of Grandad's money, before we received it. And we would be going round for a meal on Thursday, which was fine by me. I'd given Colin's hand a squeeze, under the table, when he mentioned this. But having managed to come to a grinding halt, my relations with Mhairi seemed to be going full speed again.

It was interesting that she was thinking in terms of sorting out the old house rather than buying a fancy new one. I could understand that, staying somewhere you knew and where Joe grew up, but I suspected there was something else at work. An unwillingness to trust the new money until it arrived, and a mistrust of making too great a change. Both of us had had the story of the Talents and such ingrained in us, and I think it was still there, niggling in the background, the idea of making the most of what you had. Well, that was a theory, at any rate, I'm sure Mhairi would have just laughed at me.

The performance at the end of Joe's Summer course came up again in conversation and Mhairi made sure that I knew time and date. I had grinned and said that there was no chance of me missing it, I couldn't wait to see Joe making a fool of himself on stage. Luckily, he took that for the joke that it was. When Joe commented that he would be waiting for me to do something similar so he and his Mum could come and laugh, Colin (with a big grin on his face) piped up that I'd been talking about joining a choir. That led to discussion of Colin's choir, and their Summer performance just before the end of term. Their Summer concert always took place on a Saturday afternoon, there was singing from the choir, then a brass band outside with a picnic. Another three-line whip, it seems. But it sounded fun.

That I might join a choir seemed a surprise to Mhairi, but then there were all sorts of bits of each other's life we didn't know. "I'd always enjoyed singing hymns, and Lily used to listen to classical music on the radio, so I'd listen along and picked up something of her enthusiasm. At Uni, I went along to all sorts of events, trying everything out, and at one the choir was recruiting singers. It was a big choir and welcomed all comers. I gave it a try. By the end of Uni, I was singing in a smaller, more adventurous choir. There wasn't time to do it regularly whilst I was working, but I got to do shorter projects. If I hadn't got ill, I had been planning to try and devote more time to singing so..." I shrugged.

"What about the Minster choir?", Mhairi seemed genuinely intrigued.

"I don't think I'd want the commitment of the regular choir with the kids, especially as you'd have to get up early for services every Sunday. But the other, adult choir seemed like a possibility. I need to look into it. I don’t want to take too much on too quickly."

"Mum and Dad regarded music as a means to an end, not something to be enjoyed in its own right. You were lucky that you picked up another attitude from Lily", Mhairi shrugged, "I still don't really listen to music."

Joe rolled his eyes, "Come on, Mum, you barely watch TV either. All she does is listen to the news or read the paper."

"What about hobbies?", I smiled at Mhairi.

She put on a heavier, lower voice, "Come on girl, no time for that, we have God's work to do!", then smiled, "So I never really picked anything up, except plain sewing. Perhaps I should follow your example and take something up."

"You could join a choir with Uncle Owain."

She laughed, "I don't think so, you've not heard my voice. Perhaps I'd start acting." And that comment really got Joe laughing.

Talk of his Summer Course made me think of Summer plans. "What will you do with your Summer, now you don't have to take young 'un on holiday?"

"Oh. Good Lord. I'd not thought about that. I have two weeks holiday allocated and Joe was going to choose."

"You could go anywhere. I'm taking Colin to Italy."

"Italy. Where?"

Colin blushed a bit, "Doesn't really matter. I loved my last holiday there and have been teaching myself to cook some Italian food."

Mhairi smiled and looked at me, "And is he any good? Do you even cook?"

"Yes and No. He's rather good. Certainly a lot better than me, and no, I can't cook. Never picked that skill up."

"I plan to teach him some of the dishes I've learned."

"Good idea, perhaps you should join them, Joe?"

"Me! Cook?"

I shrugged, "It's a good skill if you're living on your own. A lot cheaper than ordering a take-away all the time. And to go back to your question, Mhairi, I'm looking at somewhere a bit away from the tourist meccas and was wondering about the area around Lucca in Tuscany. It's busy, but last time I was there, if you were independent then there was plenty of scope. Mind, that was some time ago. But we might give it a go."

"What's your ideal holiday, Colin?"

"Me? Wandering round old towns, looking at old buildings, I think. I like nice scenery, but you can't beat an old church or a castle."

"Lucca's walls date back to the 16th century, I think."

Colin smiled, "Well, if there's historic brickwork, then we'll have to go."

"What about you?", Mhairi turned to me with an impish smile.

"Well, I have to confess that my ideal holiday is doing very little. I'm a city boy, so its gentle strolls round town, a bit of shopping and sightseeing, and a lot of sitting in cafes", I smiled at Colin, "I can see we'll have to negotiate our time.”

He laughed, "I don't mind a cafe as well, and you can sit outside whilst I wander round the old brickwork."

Joe looked up from his phone, where he had been busy typing away, "Puccini the opera composer was born there and there's a museum dedicated to him."

I smiled at Colin, "There you are, something for everyone", and to everyone's surprise Colin started singing 'Your tiny hand is frozen' in a surprisingly light tenor voice. After a short phrase he shut up and turned bright red. But I squeezed his hand again. It was on the tip of my tongue to suggest Mhairi come with us but no. My sister joining my boyfriend and I on our first proper holiday together was just too bizarre.