Christmas Is Coming

With all the mess, noise and disruption, she was seriously struggling to embrace the festive spirit

- Linda Lewis

Sally pulled the cotton wool out of her ears. Trying to block out the din was useless. Whatever she did, she could still hear the banging and the sawing. Normally she wouldn’t mind, but Christmas was only three weeks away.

‘Robert!’ she shouted. ‘Are you going to stop working soon?’

When there was no reply, she put down her magazine and went out into the kitchen to find out just what was going on.

It wasn’t an easy journey. Great care was needed to avoid putting a foot through one of several gaping holes in the floor. When she did get there, Robert ignored her and carried on cutting up lengths of laminate.

In the end, Sally got his attention the only way she knew how.

‘Hey! What’s happened?’ he complained. ‘The saw’s stopped working!’

‘I pulled out the plug,’ she said. ‘Don’t you think you’ve done enough for today?’

‘It’s not that late,’ he replied, glancing at his watch. ‘I thought you wanted the kitchen finished in time for Christmas?’

‘Of course,’ she said, biting her tongue. The truth was she hadn’t wanted it done at all, especially not now.