The Mince Pie Mix-Up by Jennifer Joyce

takeout teas and cakes as well as waiting on the tables for those wishing to eat and drink in the warmth of the tea room. He was rushed off his blistered feet for what seemed like hours but luckily Enid took over the baking duties as Calvin doubted he could rustle up a rice krispie cake without one of Judy’s detailed recipes.
    ‘Phew!’ Enid flopped down in a chair as the last of the customers left the tea room. The Christmas lights were about to be switched on, causing a mass exodus out into the chilly evening. ‘I didn’t think that queue was ever going to die down.’ Enid swiped at her brow with the back of her hand. ‘Why don’t you get off now, love? Go and join your family in time for the lights. I’ll be all right on my own now.’
    ‘Are you sure?’ Calvin wanted nothing more than to hang up his apron but the queues of customers had been brutal that evening and Enid Thomas was no spring chicken.
    ‘Positive, love. The rush is over with now. A few more might come in for a cup of tea to warm up after the lights, but most people start to wander home. It’ll be pretty quiet from now on. You go and spend some time with Charlie. Scott’s band will be playing soon, won’t they?’
    ‘Right after the lights are switched on.’
    ‘Well, there you go then.’ Enid rose from her chair and grabbed a damp cloth from behind the counter. ‘You get off and I’ll see you in the morning.’
    ‘Thanks, Enid.’ Calvin untied his apron and tore the hat from his head, hoping to never see the ghastly thing again. It had made his scalp itch as well as making him look like a plonker all evening. ‘Aren’t you going to watch the lights yourself?’
    ‘I’ll watch from the doorway like I usually do.’ Enid started to gather cups and saucers from the tables as she wiped them down. ‘It’s warmer in here.’
    It certainly was warmer inside. Calvin zipped his coat up to his chin and wrapped Judy’s thick woolly scarf around his neck as he stepped outside. He’d never bothered with a scarf before but he was beginning to see their appeal.
    It was fully dark outside now, the village relying on the street lights and the fairy lights draped above the stalls. He caught sight of Charlie immediately, her bright pink hat bobbing up and down as she bounced with excitement.
    ‘Mummy!’ Charlie threw herself into Calvin’s arms as he approached them, almost winding him with the force. ‘I’ve missed you but I’ve had so much fun. Daddy is
loads
more fun this year. He let me have my face painted. See?’ Charlie stuck her chin in the air so that Calvin could see her face, which was painted brown with a red nose and white spots on her cheeks. ‘I’m Rudolph!’
    ‘So you are.’
    ‘And Daddy let me have a hot chocolate with loads of cream and marshmallows. It was delicious.’ Charlie licked her lips – and part of the brown face paint. ‘And we had a go of the tombola but I didn’t win anything. But it doesn’t matter, does it, Mummy?’
    ‘No, of course it doesn’t.’ Calvin rubbed his hands together and turned to Judy. ‘Did you get me that hog roast bap?’
    Judy clapped a hand over her mouth. ‘I’m so sorry. I completely forgot. We didn’t even have time to come and have a cup of tea with you.’
    Calvin glanced over at the hog roast stall, doubting there would be so much as a pig’s trotter left by now. His stomach growled angrily. The thought of that tasty bap had been the only thing getting him through the tea room rush.
    ‘Mummy! Mummy! There’s Mrs Ephron!’ Charlie bounced up and down, her finger jabbing towards the village’s Christmas tree. On the little wooden stage beside it, the school’s choir finished their rendition of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and the headmistress stepped forward to give a short speech about the importance of the community at Christmas.
    What about the importance of a good hog roast bap? Calvin thought gloomily. Mrs Ephron failed to mention
that
in her little