Ruth's First Christmas Tree: A Ruth Galloway Short Story

trying to poison him.’
    Ruth laughs. The pretensions of the Head of the Department are a continual source of entertainment to his team.
    ‘He’s joined the arts crowd now,’ says Ruth. ‘He’s even wearing a velvet jacket.’
    ‘I know,’ says Bob in awe. ‘Sybil thought he was wearing lifts. I’m sure he’s a good few inches taller than he used to be.’
    They look across the room to where Phil is laughing heartily with two arty types dressed entirely in black. He is certainly walking tall these days. Maybe it’s the joy of impending fatherhood, maybe it’s pride at having the beautiful Shona as his partner. Or maybe it’s heels after all.
    ‘Where’s Sybil?’
    ‘She got trapped in the kitchen talking about phonics. She didn’t really want to come tonight. Thought it would be disloyal to Sue.’
    Sue is Phil’s ex-wife, with whom he already has two children. Ruth never really liked Sue but she does feel that it’s slightly sinister, the way she’s been completely erased from the picture. Phil talks about the coming child as if he’s never known parenthood before and the years with Sue have vanished as if they have never been. It’s not a good sign when an archaeologist starts to rewrite the past.
    ‘Does Sybil still see Sue?’ she asks. She likes Sybil, a cheerful primary school teacher (hence the phonics discussion), and can’t really see that she has much in common with Sue, whose main topic of conversation seemed to be aromatherapy oils.
    ‘Sometimes,’ says Bob, trying to eat a falafel and balance his glass at the same time. ‘Sue’s still really bitter about …’ He inclines his head towards Phil, now throwing his head back in riotous mirth.
    ‘I’m not surprised,’ says Ruth. She thinks of Michelle and Nelson. If Nelson ever left Michelle for her, the guilt would be unbearable. But Nelson would never leave his wife and that, too, sometimes feels unbearable.
    ‘How Kate?’ asks Bob. ‘She must be growing up quickly.’
    ‘She’s just over a year old.’ Ruth is grateful for the change of subject. ‘How’s …’ She can’t remember the names of Bob’s children. Luckily, he can.
    ‘Sam’s in sixth form. Becca’s at Sussex, reading sociology. Libby’s in her last year at Sheffield.’
    ‘Do any of them want to be archaeologists?’
    ‘God, I hope not.’ Bob looks almost guiltily round the room. ‘Why would anyone do a backbreaking job that pays hardly any money?’
    Why indeed, thinks Ruth. She just knows that, despite the lack of money and the days spent digging in the freezing cold, she would never do anything else.
    ‘How’s your friend?’ asks Bob. ‘The warlock in the chemistry department.’
    ‘Cathbad? He’s babysitting.’
    Bob looks suitably discomfited. Ruth takes pity on him. ‘Cathbad’s Kate’s godfather. He’s really good with her.’
    Bob is obviously trying to think of something to say and is saved by the appearance of Shona, a vision in a gold smock and lots of dangly jewellery.
    ‘Ruth! So this is where you’ve been hiding.’
    A remark which, like many of Shona’s comments, combines to make Ruth feel both childlike and stupid. She hasn’t been hiding, she is simply chatting with a workmate, and it was Shona who ignored her in the first place. Still, she knows that there’s no point in saying any of this.
    ‘Hi Shona. You look great.’
    ‘Thanks. I feel like a whale. A great big golden whale. Did you feel like this in the last months?’
    I feel like that all the time, Ruth wants to tell her. Instead she says, brightly, ‘Not long now. Are you all prepared?’
    ‘Almost. Do you want to see the baby’s room?’
    Before Ruth can answer, Shona has dragged her away without a word to Bob. Ruth mouths ‘’Bye’ over her shoulder.
    The hallway and the stairs are now full of people. Ruth sees Liam, Shona’s ex-lover, as well as Freya, a druid friend of Cathbad’s, and several graduate students. For a lunatic moment, she almost thinks that she sees Erik, though he has been dead almost two years. But it’s just another man with long grey hair and a faintly piratical expression. Shona weaves her way through the crowd, kissing cheeks and pressing hands. Ruth plods in her wake, nodding and smiling at people she knows. Surely she can go home soon.
    Shona opens the door on a little room at the top of the stairs. ‘We were going to use the spare room but Phil needs that for his office. Anyway, this is plenty big enough for a baby.