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December, 1970- Glasgow
Garbo heard the front door opening and with a series of excited yips, ran to meet her owner, while a second inhabitant followed, just as eager but much quieter. Delia unwrapped her scarf, took off her coat, picked up the squirming dog and buried her face in the Westie’s fur, murmuring sweet greetings. She tilted her face up to a smiling redhead. “Hello, Pats. How did you get home before me?” She then stretched her neck out and waited for a welcoming kiss.
“Hello, Deels. If you put the dog down I’ll give you a proper greeting.”
Delia gladly exchanged the wriggling canine for her girlfriend’s warm embrace and even hotter kiss. “Oh, my! Keep that up and we’ll save lots of money on our heating bill!”
Patsy smiled and led her into the kitchen, where she put the kettle on and turned to face her girlfriend, although now with a more serious look on her face. “Your mother called. As usual, she wouldn’t talk to me. Didn’t even leave a message- just said she’d try again tonight. She’s never cheerful when she has to talk to me, but this time she seemed really anxious. I do hope everything is all right.”
“Maybe I should go ahead and call her. Do you mind preparing the tea? I know it’s my turn, but I’d rather get this taken care of so we don’t end up sitting around waiting for her ring. I’ll call her as soon as I’ve changed out of my uniform.”
A short time later she was wearing comfortable clothes but feeling very uncomfortable as she waited for the call to go through. Phone calls were rare, usually signaling an emergency of some sort. When she just wanted to stay in touch and share a bit of whatever was going on in her life she wrote letters. And the inevitable lectures she received were much easier to ignore in a letter than in her mam’s disapproving voice. This time the disapproving tone was gone, replaced by one of agitation.
“Oh, cariad. You need to come home as soon as you can. Your tad is very poorly - he’s had a heart attack. He’s in hospital now but they’ll let him come home with proper nursing. Time to put all that fancy London training to good use.”
Oh, mam! Yes, we’ll come as soon as we can get our schedules covered.”
The silence was short but ominous. “Now, cariad- we don’t want too many people in the house. I think it would be best if you came alone.”
Delia’s concern turned to anger. “Mam, that is an insult to Patsy, and likewise to me. I don’t want to go where Patsy isn’t wanted.”
Mrs. Busby tried a different tactic. “You always say how busy the clinic is, and we don’t know how long you’d be here, so wouldn’t it be best if only one had to be away?” Delia grudgingly conceded the point and agreed to come unaccompanied. They said goodbye and Delia went to find Patsy ready to serve their meal.
They ate in silence, with occasional begging from Garbo, always refused. The redhead lived up to her name as she waited patiently for her partner to open the conversation. With a sigh, Delia put down her fork and wrapped her hands around a fresh cup of tea.
“Tad has had a heart attack. He’s still in hospital but they’ll let him go home if he has proper care. Mam wants me to be there for him, and of course, I want to go. She’ll be a nervous wreck hovering over him and that won’t help him at all. I think I would have recovered much faster after my accident without so much attention.”
“I can go and keep her occupied so you can do the major nursing, and I’ll be there if you need me.”
Delia shook her head apologetically. “She asked me to come alone.” Her eyes took on a fierce glint. “After all these years she still won’t accept me for who I am and who I love. She barely acknowledges your existence!”
“Deels, you have to put your father’s needs first. I’ll stay here with Garbo while you take care of him.”
“But it’s Christmas!! How can we be apart at Christmas?”
“Just like when we were apart before. We’ll write. We’ll wait. We’ll love. And your father will get well, unlike mine.” They exchanged sympathetic and loving glances.
“I’ll post the letters myself, so I know you’ll get them. Will you call me sometimes, too, Pats?”
“Of course, sweetheart. You’ll be leaving in the next day or two, so why don’t we start the farewell party now?” She pulled her lover in for a searing kiss and the party moved into the bedroom, where they entertained each other with a variety of party tricks and card games invented over the years of intimacy and desire. Delia was the Christmas season all year long- her blue eyes twinkling like holiday lights, her voice as sweet as a favorite carol, and oh, those sleigh rides!!
They lay contentedly in each other’s arms until the afterglow darkened as they contemplated the impending separation. Delia reached up and stroked her lover’s cheek. “I can’t believe I have to miss Christmas with you. We haven’t even decorated yet!”
Patsy kissed the the fingertips so lovingly caressing her face. “I may not even bother now. It won’t feel like Christmas without you.”
Delia sat up and turned to her. “Oh, but you must! We’ll do it tomorrow night. We don’t have to put everything out, but at least the tree! Even just a small one. We have to decorate the tree so we can share at least one bit of Christmas.” Decorating the tree together was their favorite tradition, because each ornament told a story, be it from their travels, their loved ones, or their lives together. Despite Garbo’s help and the generous amounts of mulled wine that accompanied their efforts, they had not lost a single ornament yet.
“Oh, all right. We can do it tomorrow night. But maybe without the wine. You don’t want to be traveling with a beastly hangover.” Satisfied that Christmas was not completely lost, they finally fell into a deep sleep.
The next day was spent making travel plans and rearranging schedules at the clinic while still seeing the usual round of expectant mothers. Glasgow originally had been one more stop on their round-the-world trip, a chance to meet the last known Mount relative, a cousin of Patsy’s mother. But in equal measures captivated by the city and tired of traveling, they decided to stay on permanently. The East End was strikingly similar to the Poplar they had first encountered, with grinding poverty evidenced in the overcrowded tenements and outdoor toilets, but nevertheless infused with a generous community spirit. There was no Nonnatus House looking after community needs, and the Glasgow Corporation (the city government) was slow in setting up the Health Centers proposed by the NHS, but a generous donation from Mount Enterprises spurred the creation of the Readvale Maternity Clinic. Patsy had no trouble finding midwives eager for the greater autonomy and salary that came from the clinic rather than the hospital system, but she kept hoping for a Sister Julienne to come along and take over the administrative responsibilities. Birthing babies was much more rewarding than balancing budgets. But the best reward was sharing each day (and night!) with the love of her life. They were accepted into the community as hard-working, friendly and gifted midwives, and if there were comments about their lifestyle, the gossip-mongers were quickly shushed.
The biggest disruption to their domestic bliss was the addition of the canine member of the household. Patsy had no desire for a pet, but Delia’s puppy dog eyes and Garbo’s puppy face won her over. It was no secret whom Garbo preferred, but Patsy could hardly blame the dog for thinking that Delia was the most perfect person in the whole world, because she most certainly was!
That night the tree was decorated and the cards signed, but without the usual festiveness. Even Garbo sensed a strain in the atmosphere, as she demanded extra cuddles and nuzzled her nose in Delia’s ear. Later, as they prepared for bed, Delia put her arms around her partner and held her tightly. Murmuring into Patsy’s chest, she fought back tears. “I hate to leave you, cariad. I want to spend Christmas with you. I want to spend every day with you.” Patsy pulled back and let her eyes scan every detail of that enchanting face. “And I want to be with you. But we both know that you need to be with your parents. We may not get another night together for a while, so let me show you how much I’m going to miss you.” Her lips marked every spot on Delia’s body that she was going to miss. Their lovemaking was unhurried and tender, with gentle caresses, soft kisses and whispered endearments until passion overcame tenderness and in keeping with the holiday spirit, they both gave and received their favorite gift.
The next days were a blur. For Delia, each day was spent caring for her father, often just looking at him while he slept, much as he had when she was a baby and again after the accident. A sleeping Tad was much easier to take than a hovering Mam. After enduring multiple snide comments about poor choices and wasted years and not caring about her parents, Delia finally confronted her mother. “I will not hear any more of your negative comments about me, about Patsy, about nursing, about anything that doesn’t fit into your concept of a perfect lifestyle. You’re my mam, and I love you and Tad and Pembrokeshire, but the life I wanted couldn’t be found here. I wanted to get the very best training for nurses, so I went to London, and there I found the very best person in the whole world. I love her, and she loves me, and there’s nothing wrong or unnatural about it. Do you remember when you came to Glasgow- the one time!- and we saw the statue of Buffalo Bill, the Wild West showman? Remember the story of Indians parading down Duke Street? Well, one day the kind of love that Patsy and I have will be accepted. We won’t have to hide. We’ll have our own parade down Duke Street! Us and all the others like us!” Her tirade finished, Delia took a deep breath and waited for her mother’s response. Mrs. Busby also took a deep breath before she spoke.
“Oh, cariad. I only want what’s best for you, what makes you happy. I’m your mam, and I love you. I’ll admit that you and I have very different outlooks, and while I don’t agree with your choices, it’s obvious that I can’t change your mind, so I’ll just have to hope that you’ve made the right ones. Now give me a hug and let’s go check on your tad.” The tension that had been present from the moment of Delia’s arrival was finally dissipated, and they were able to actually enjoy each other’s company, which no doubt hastened Mr. Busby’s recovery.
Patsy had never been as enthusiastic about the holidays as Delia, and this year especially she wanted to ignore them. But that was impossible, as seemingly everyone she encountered, friend or stranger, called out, “Merry Christmas!” The twinkling lights kept reminding her of her favorite blue eyes, and in the barrage of music one particular song caught her attention each time it was played. The voice had a rich, mellow tone, lower than her favorite Welsh lilt, but almost as captivating. An American brother-and-sister act called The Carpenters:
Greeting cards have all been sent
The Christmas rush is through
But I still have one wish to make
A special one for you
Merry Christmas, darling
We're apart, that's true
But I can dream and in my dreams
I'm Christmasing with you.
Holidays are joyful
There's always something new
But every day is a holiday
When I'm near to you
The lights on my tree
I wish you could see
I wish it every day
The logs on the fire
Fill me with desire
To see you and to say
That I wish you merry Christmas
Happy New Year too
I've just one wish on this Christmas Eve
I wish I were with you
The logs on the fire
Fill me with desire
To see you and to say
That I wish you merry Christmas
Happy New Year too
I've just one wish on this Christmas Eve
I wish I were with you
I wish I were with you
Merry Christmas, darling
When she heard it in the shops or on the street, Patsy bit her lip to suppress the emotions that inevitably welled up and instead concentrated on her immediate surroundings. But at home, listening to it on the radio, she reveled in her conflicting feelings. The heartache of being apart, the longing, the desire. Ah, the desire… The memory of that last night together. Their years together - every day with Delia truly was a holiday. Santa could never bring her a gift more precious than Delia’s love. She was fully immersed in the memories, smiles flickering across her face, until she felt a cold dampness in her right ear. Garbo!
“Well, Garbo, I think you miss Delia, too. Why don’t we call her?” Within minutes the voice they loved the best answered the phone with, “Nadolig LLawen!”
“Merry Christmas, darling.” Patsy then held the phone out so Garbo could add her own greetings.
“Oh, Pats! The doctor has given us a wonderful present. He says Tad is doing so well that I can come home on Tuesday. I’ll be home for New Year’s!”
Patsy let out a yelp of delight that was immediately amplified by Garbo’s barks as they danced around the telephone. “That’s wonderful, Deels. I’m not surprised that he is recovering so well. Being with you makes anyone feel better.”
“Oh, cariad- better save that sweet talk for later or I’ll end up saying things that I would not want Mam to hear.”
New Year’s Eve was a festive occasion, with Garbo doing her best happy-dance butt-wiggling, while Patsy and Delia celebrated their reunion in ways that Mrs. Busby definitely would not want to hear about.