Christmas with the entire family - what a difference a year makes!

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Provided by PB.
 

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Chapter 12
 

Dave looked at the dashboard clock and saw it was after nine PM. Rubbing his eyes, he took the key out of the ignition before popping the boot. Gran was told to go in to the house while he went to fetch her luggage.

“Hallo, Mama,” Jenny hugged her mum after she got in to the house.

“Hallo, Tochter,” Josy replied. She knew her greeting would surprise a certain pair of young ladies waiting to welcome their Gran.

“Since when did you speak German, Gran?” a puzzled Gaby inquired.

“It's been too long ... but let me get in the house and I’ll tell you,” Josy insisted as she opened her arms to hug both girls.

Passing a box to Gaby, Jenny instructed, “Carefully take this box in to the kitchen. Jules? Please help your father unloading the rest of the car.”

“What’s in the box, Gran?” Gaby asked, noting it wasn’t as light as its small size suggested.

“Mince pies and a Christmas cake … thought you’d be having withdrawal symptoms if you didn’t get your fill,” Gran jokingly replied.

“I was starting to get worried … Danke Gran!” Josy had made Gaby’s Christmas and she gladly showed her appreciation with a peck on the cheek while carefully holding onto the precious box.

After she got settled in the spare bedroom and all her other boxes were brought in, Josy joined the family in the kitchen for a much needed cuppa. Once Josy had got her tea, both girls were anxious to hear how she came to know German.

“Haven’t you ever wondered how your mum became fluent in German so quickly after going to Germany?” Gran now had the undivided attention of both of her granddaughters while their parents looked on.

“You girls never knew your Grampa or much about him … did you?” Josy calmly asked and without waiting for a response, she continued her story.

“He was a pilot in the RAF when we were married and when your mum was three, he was posted to RAF Wildenrath … near the Dutch border … actually it wasn’t too far from Köln as I recall.”

She briefly paused to organize her thoughts and Gaby thought she briefly saw her Gran’s eyes starting to get that far-away look. After a deep breath, she continued.

“We were there for eight years. It’s rather hard for a little girl to live here for so long and not have German friends … or learn the language. Your mum was about the same age as you were Gaby, when she got bit by the cycling bug.”

Both girls heard the hesitation in her weakening voice, so Gaby gently touched her arm letting her know she could stop if she wished.

“Thank you, dear…” Gran whispered. “It’s been a long time since I talked about it … and it still hurts … after all these years.”

Later when Gaby and her mum were alone in Jenny’s study, she brought up the subject again.

“Mum? That wasn’t easy for either you … or Gran … was it?” Gaby softly asked. “I could see it on your faces.”

Jenny broke her silence after pondering her answer for several minutes.

“No … it wasn’t. Dad died in a terrible crash. I remember being excited because he told us that we’d be back in England in time for me to start school ... I just turned 11. It seemed years before Mum and I were able to…”

Jenny looked at her dad’s picture before handing it to her daughter, before quietly continuing.

“That was your Grandfather,” Jenny sofly pointed out as Gaby reverently held the photo.

“After we moved back to England I never let on that I knew any German to my friends … not that I had any reason to use it … until I signed with Apollinaris, anyway. To tell the truth, I’d forgotten a lot of it … but it all came back after a short time with the team.”

“C’mon, kiddo! Let’s go see what Gran and the others are doing,” Jenny cheerfully suggested as she gently took the photo and returned it to it’s place on the wall.

“Somebody’s been busy baking,” Josy announced when the two later reappeared in the kitchen. “This is good!”

“Not me, Mum … that would be Gaby and her friend, Katia Pinger. You’ll meet her later,” Jenny cheerfully admitted.

“I wasn’t going to go through a Christmas without your shortbread cookies an’ since you weren’t here….” Gaby’s voice trailed off as she proudly pointed out the full glass cookie jar.

“And these?” Gran asked as she finished the cookie in her hand.

“Kat taught me how to make Vanillekipferl … Vanilla cookies,” Gaby proudly pointed out.

“Ahhh … should’ve known,” Gran replied with a knowing smile on her face. “It’s a wonder that any survived.”

“It was tough…” Gaby joked as a grin crossed her face.

C’mon girls, you still have one more day of school left … so off you go,” Jenny instructed when the evening got late. “Gran will still be here in the morning … I promise.”

The final day at school was for the most part, a do-nothing kind of day. It seemed none of the teachers or the students wanted to do any class work on the last day before the Christmas holidays. Most of Gaby’s day was taken up with talking about holiday plans with her friends and letting them know about Ally’s visit. By the time school was let out, she felt that she had the entire holidays planned.

The next morning, it was here - the 24th of December - ‘Heiliger Abend or Holy Evening’. When Gaby got out of bed, she was excited not only to be celebrating her first Christmas in Germany, but her first Christmas as Gaby. As she thought about it, Drew’s Christmas’ were always memorable, but they always seemed to revolve around the food and the presents. This year, she was determined to enjoy everything and that included looking her prettiest! First thing she had to do was to beat Jules to the bathroom and shower, then get downstairs for breakfast.

“Morgen … Frohe Weihnachten!” Gaby cheerfully greeted as she entered the kitchen.

“Merry Christmas, Gran” Gaby added as she gave Josy a hug and a peck on the cheek.

Later, after an early breakfast of tea, toast and whatever else everybody felt like getting, Dave took control following a quick inspection of the bare tree in the lounge.

“Okay … I’ve made it easy for everyone this year. I've already put all the tree decorations in the lounge. Gaby and I will start the tree … while you three prepare the kitchen for later. When you’re done that, come through and help us. I doubt that we'll be finished before then and the Pinger’s will be returning with us after church, so everything will have to be done before we go. That gives us a few hours before we have to get ready.”

“I’ve still got some wrapping … so when I’m finished here, I’ll take care of that,” Gran offered.

Since Gran offered to stay behind while the rest went to the church service and tend to the preparation of the potatoes and vegetables, Jenny decided that she would put the goose in to cook.

While Dave and Gaby started on the tree, the other three cleaned up the kitchen and prepared a platter of Gaby’s shortbread, vanilla cookies and slices of Josy’s Christmas cake. When that was done, Jules and Jenny joined the other two finishing up the tree while Josy retired to her room to complete her wrapping.

“Nice timing girls. Gaby an’ I have done all the ‘ard stuff,” Dave jokingly voiced as the two entered the lounge.

“Well, if nothin’s left…” Jules teased.

“Grab some balls, sis!” Gaby quipped without thinking, as she was about to hang a couple of tree ornaments.

“Gaby!” Dave, Jenny and Jules shouted in unison through howls of laughter. As soon as she heard them, she realized what she’d said.

“That didn’t sound right … did it?” Gaby sheepishly asked as she turned deep crimson.

“No!” Again the response came amid laughter.

Somehow they got through decorating the tree, despite the occasional giggling fit.

“I must say the tree looks lovely. I’ll have to thank Maria for showing me where to get those hand crafted ornaments. They certainly do add some uniqueness to the tree. I think we’re going to have to get more for next year and eventually replace all this store-stuff,” Jenny stated as she stood back to admire their collective handiwork.

“What do you think, darling?” Jenny thoughtfully asked Dave.

“I think you’re right,” Dave replied.

“Alright! Let’s get the presents out and get the rest of the place cleaned and decorated … then lunch!” Jenny suggested.

“Here, sis … let’s put this up,” Gaby offered as she handed Jules some mistletoe.

“Now who are you planning to get under here?” Jules asked sarcastically as she grabbed a chair to stand on.

“No one special … ‘scuse me,” Gaby quietly uttered then ran upstairs.

“Juliette Bond!”

Josy had witnessed the entire exchange as she was putting a present under the tree.

“That was uncalled for!” Josy called out from across the room. Without a word in her defense, Jules bounded up the stairs after her sister.

“Kids … lunch!” Jenny called from the kitchen.

“They’re both upstairs. Jules said something to her sister when they were hanging the mistletoe that got Gaby running up to her room in tears,” Josy voiced her disapproval with Jules’ apparent behaviour, as she entered the kitchen.

As Jenny started to head up the stairs, Josy offered to go and get the girls instead.

“No Mum … I’ll go … just leave it … please?”

Jenny reached the doorway of Gaby’s room only to see Jules silently holding Gaby. She thought she could hear the occasional sniffle, but they were so faint, she couldn’t be positive if it was Gaby or Jules.

“You two okay?” she softly asked as she entered the room.

‘Yeah, Mum…” Gaby faintly replied. When she looked up at her mother, Jenny was clearly able to see tear tracks down Gaby’s face.

“What happened? Mum said Jules said something that got you in tears. I think she though Jules was teasing you about a boyfriend.”

“Jules just asked who I wanted under the mistletoe … I was okay until I realized that Maddy wouldn’t be with me, this year.”

“That’s why you came up here?”

“I didn’t want Gran to ask why I was upset…” Gaby quietly replied.

“She can be inquisitive...” Jenny sarcastically agreed.

“Mum? If Gran thought Jules was teasing me about ‘my’ boyfriend … she doesn’t know … does she?” Gaby whispered.

“Good question. I ... don’t know. I wouldn’t put it past her to just assume you finally discovered boys. I know that I’ve not said anything to her specifically about you and Maddy. Do you want me to say something … or do you want to tell her?”

“Maybe you could soften her up if you get the chance … then I’ll tell her.” For a brief moment, Jenny thought she saw a smile of relief cross Gaby’s face.

“Okay then … let me deal with her. If I don’t get a chance when she’s here, I’ll be talking to her other times. Now both of you … fix that make-up before you come downstairs, or she will ask questions... and try to eat some lunch. It’ll be awhile before we sit down to dinner.”

A short time later, both girls made themselves a sandwich and joined the rest at the dining room table, while Jenny took over the kitchen and put the goose in to cook.

“Feeling better, dear?” Gran quietly asked as Gaby sat down next to her, at the table.

“I’m okay, Gran.” Gaby whispered.

“I do hope Jules apologized for teasing you … that was uncalled for.”

“Nothing to apologize for, Gran … she did nothing wrong.”

“Nonsense. It’s hard enough when a young lady starts to get interested in boys only to be constantly teased by her own sister.”

Soon Gaby was starting to get a bit uncomfortable with the conversation and started looking around trying to silently get her mum’s attention.

“Mum … can I have a hand here?” Jenny called out after sensing her daughter’s panic, much to Gaby’s relief.

As she kept looking into the kitchen, Gaby could see her mum going through the motions of talking to her mother. Once everyone was sat at down to lunch, nothing more was mentioned about the earlier incident.

“Gaby … you take first shift in the bathroom while your sister and I do the washing up,” Jenny later suggested as she and Gran took the dishes out to the kitchen.

“You planning to wear your feather?” Jules sweetly asked as Gaby passed her dishes to her mum.

“Not really … why?” Gaby asked.

“I kind of thought that it’d might be rather nice if all three of us wore them … like we did at George’s party,” Jules playfully suggested.

“If you wanted to borrow my earrings again … all you needed to do was ask,” Gaby offered, hoping to ignore her sister’s hint.

“But it looks so nice when we all do it,” Jules pouted.

“Don’t look at me. I happen to agree with your sister,” Jenny quickly added when Gaby looked at her mum for support.

“Sis? Say ‘yes’ … pretty please?” Jules pleaded with her sister.

Gaby, more from habit than anything else, looked to her dad who was half-following the exchange with more than a little amusement as he was trying to follow Heinrich’s recipe for eggnog. Acknowledging her pleading expression, he just shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re on your own, Petal ... but if you want my opinion...” Gaby threw up her hands seeing she was out voted.

“Alright! (sigh) Maybe I should just email Jessica and ask if she could pick up a few more? You guys are getting as bad as Kat … ya know that?” Both Jenny and Jules high-fived each other, then thanked Gaby for her generous offer.

Josy sat quietly at the kitchen table, amused at the conversation in the other room. “I miss something?”

“Whaddya wearing?” Jules innocently asked when she noticed Gaby starting to move.

“I dunno … maybe some jeans...” Gaby calmly replied, not able to resist the chance to wind her mum up. Jenny glared at her daughter from the kichen, but before she could say anything, Gaby sweetly added, “… but my black skirt might be more appropriate … you know … the calf-length one … with a red blouse, some black tight’s and my dress boots … an’ you, sis?”

“My black lace dress” Jules smirked.

“Gaby … one! Jenny … nil! Think I’d better go upstairs and go through my closet, dear…” a red-faced, Jenny smugly suggested. “… or else these two will be complaining their ol’ mum is showing them up!...”

Jenny then remembered she was helping Jules wash up.

“…After Jules and I finish here, of course.”

Gran sat silently at the table, taking it all in. It had been a long time since she’d seen her daughter this happy and carrying on with her children as she was. When those two finally left to go get ready, she cornered Dave before he got to the stairs.

“I’ve not seen her so happy in years. A complete reversal from last year … what changed?”

“She did, Mum. She beat her cancer and the move let us be a family again,” Dave quietly replied. “She still gets a bit emotional when she tells me how lucky she is to have us.”

Josy sat on the couch with her knitting while the family was upstairs getting ready when the doorbell rang. Expecting the Pinger’s, Dave called down and asked her to answer the door.

“Frohe Weihnachten … er … Herr Bond?” Heinrich blindly wished a Merry Christmas before realizing he was addressing someone he didn’t expect and then sheepishly asked for Dave.

“Heinrich! … Maria! C’mon in … you too Kat! Frohe Weihnachten!” Dave enthusiastically allowed as he came up behind Josy.

He greeted each of the Pinger’s as they walked past him by shaking Heinrich’s hand and giving both Maria and Kat a peck on the cheek. Once inside, he quickly performed the introductions.

“We brought some food for tonight’s feast,” Maria explained as she and Kat held up their offerings.

“Take them on through to the kitchen,” Dave insructed and added a tongue-in-cheek warning, “But mind the Mistletoe. Gaby made sure it was put up in a high traffic area … with little room to avoid it.”

“Hmmmm,” replied Maria, as a devilish grin spread over her face. Dave thought he also detected a similar grin on Kat.

“All clear, Mama … she ist not here,” Kat jokingly offered.

Josy followed them in to the kitchen, anxious to see what they brought and also to find out what had to be done while everyone was out.

“First, we haf some rotkohl … that’s your basic red cabbage, then we haf Gurkensalat ... it’s a cucumber salad.” Maria explained to Josy as she proudly displayed their contributions to the evening’s menu. “Next, we haf the dessert … Rote Grütze.”

“Red fruit pudding...” Katia quietly translated to Gaby's Gran.

“Mmmm," Josy moaned approvingly. “I remember making that for Jen and her dad ... many years ago.”

“Gabi...” Katia whined.

“Sorry ... I didn't know myself until she got here,” Gaby offered as her defence.

“Kat und Gabi made both the Gurkensalat und the Rote Grütze, yesterday…” Maria proudly pointed out.

“Und der Sekt!” Heinrich added as he and Dave made their way in to the kitchen. He gently put the bottle down on the counter.

“Can’t toast Christmas without the wine”, Dave whispered to Josy. Not to be outdone, he then brought out one of the bottles Jenny brought back from her wine tasting with Carol.

“And this is for the dinner!” Dave cheerfully announced. Heinrich then examined the new wine Dave added to the menu with an approving nod before letting him place it on the counter beside his Sekt.

“Frohe Weihnachten, Pinger’s!” Jenny enthused as she and the girls entered the kitchen. Josy finally saw the feather’s that her ‘three girls’ were talking about.

After Josy’s assurances that she’d be all right for the short time they’d be gone, Dave, Heinrich and the girls made their way to their cars for the short drive to the Town Church in Bad Neuenahr for Christmas services. A little over an hour later, she heard the cars pull up and everyone noisily coming into the house.

“Mmmmm … smell that goose!” Dave exclaimed. The holiday smells from the kitchen greeted each person as they walked through the opened front door and in to the main hallway.

Soon after hanging up their coats and changing into some more comfortable footwear, Jenny and Maria were ready to assist Josy with the Christmas dinner only to find she had everything under control. It was agreed that the ladies would only allow Dave work his magic with the Yorkshire pudding when the goose was cooked, but until then, the kitchen was deemed off limits to anyone but the cooks!

“Gabi Bond! Get away from the tree und quit snooping … und drag my Katia out here mit you! Since you have nothing to do … you two can set the table … bitte?” Maria ordered, all the while sporting a huge grin.

As soon as Jules entered the dining room to offer her help, she looked at the table and noticed something was amiss.

“Where’s Gaby’s cranberry sauce … don’t need the poor child to go into withdrawal!”

Flash… Josy’s digital camera went off just as Gaby was sticking her tongue out at her sister.

“Graannnn,” Gaby protested in her patented ‘little girl’ whine. Her objection would’ve been more convincing if she wasn’t trying to laugh at the same time.

“Should send that to Maddy,” Kat suggested as she viewed Josy’s photographic efforts.

“Don’t give her any ideas,” Gaby playfully shot back as she moved her Gran’s arm so she could see the preview window of the camera.

At last, Heinrich placed the goose on the table, followed quickly by the rest of the food. Last to be placed on the table was Dave’s Yorkshire puddings. Finally they all sat down and with a glass of Sekt for everyone, Heinrich offered up the Pinger’s traditional Christmas toast before they settled down to enjoy the dinner.

After a time, Jenny surveyed what little was left on the table.

“Okay … for dessert … you have a choice … Mum’s Mince Pie or Gabi and Kat’s Rote Grütze,” Jenny announced as she and Maria started to clear away the dishes. Both women knew full well that it was a loaded question and that any un-biased decision was going to be tough. In any case, the assembled throng diplomatically made short work of both the desert choices and following the washing up, they all adjourned to the lounge.

With Christmas CD’s playing softly in the background, both families settled down to a quiet evening enjoying each other’s company. As the evening wore on, Jules noticed Gaby kept looking at their parents with a dreamy far-away look. It didn’t take her any time to read her sister’s’ mind as she too, took notice of her mum and dad sitting side-by-side. To the girls, they looked more like two kids in love rather than parents. Even though they were in conversation with Heinrich and Maria, Dave had his arm around Jenny and she had her hand on his leg with her head resting on his shoulder.

“Not at all like last year … innit, sis?” Jules had a bit of a lump in her throat as she whispered her observation to Gaby. She also noticed her sister’s eyes were quite moist as Gaby continued to look at their parents.

“Come with me, you two,” Gran whispered as she came up and knelt beside both girls.

“Don’t move … I’ll be right back…” Gaby whispered to Kat as she got up to leave.

Out of sight from the lounge, Josy stopped the girls in the hall, took out a tissue and dabbed both of their eyes.

“Amazing what difference a year makes. It would seem this Christmas is special for a number of reasons.”

The three of them enjoyed a group hug for several minutes before Josy instructed the girls to freshen up in the downstairs washroom then rejoin the others.

“Mum? You fancy a tea? How about you girls?” Jenny asked as the three rejoined the others.

“Everything okay, Gabi?” Kat whispered as Gaby smoothed her skirt and sat back down beside her.

“Just talkin’ with the Ghost of Christmas Past,” Gaby quietly acknowledged as she squeezed Kat’s hand.

Despite the late night, Jules and Gaby were up relatively early the next morning and seeing no other signs of life, decided to each have quick showers and generally freshen up before going downstairs to brew up some tea. They knew that when the others did stir, it would be the first thing they would go for. But this was Christmas morning and they had to look their best! When they finally ventured downstairs, Jenny and her mum were already at the kitchen table, with a tea in front of them.

Although she had kept it on since the family first gave it to her last year - the same day she told them she had cancer, it somehow meant more to the girls when they saw the bracelet on their mum’s wrist as she sat at the table. Gaby quickly went over and tightly hugged her mum.

“What’s that for?”

“You realize it’s been a year?” Gaby softly asked as she pointed to her mum’s bracelet.

“I know!” Jenny barely got it out as a whisper before her eyes started to mist up. She gathered Gaby into a tight hug, before giving her a kiss on the cheek. Gaby only stepped away from her mum when Dave came in to the kitchen.

The four women willingly relinquished the kitchen to him for his traditional Bond Christmas morning fry-up. Following a hearty breakfast and the mandatory wash-up, they all went in to the lounge where Jenny resumed her traditional role of playing Father Christmas and handing out the gifts. After the presents were unwrapped and everyone got to see what the others had received, Dave and Jenny decided they would resurrect another Bond Christmas tradition.

“C’mon kids, best get changed and put your hiking boots on. Could be a little slippery in places,” Dave urged and then added, “Coming Mum? Goin’ out for some fresh air and meet the neighbours.”

“Most certainly … won’t be but a mo’,” Josy replied.

Instead of a leisurely stroll around the neighbourhood like they did back in Warsop, Dave and Jenny walking hand-in-hand, led the family down to the Ahr River. Gran followed a few steps behind with two girls walking arm-in-arm on either side of her.

“Gaby?” Josy asked after hearing a couple of sniffles and noticing a tear running down her granddaughter’s cheek.

“Seeing Mum and Dad … like that …I can’t stop thinking …” Gaby’s voice, already quiet, faded to a whisper.

“I know what you mean, dear,” Gran solemnly replied as she offered Gaby a tissue, at the same time keeping an eye on the two lovebirds walking ahead of them.

“Got another one, Gran?” Jules asked, prompting Josy to turn in her direction.

“You too?” Josy whispered so as not to alert Dave or Jenny. Jules nodded a reply as she gratefully took the offered tissue.

On the return trip to their house, they stopped a few times to chat with neighbours just setting out to do some Christmas visiting of their own.

After what seemed like hours, the family Bond stepped into their own house, removed their winter clothing and ran off to get ready to join the Pinger’s and other members of the Team Apollinaris organization for a bit of a ‘Christmas Day get-together’ at the Müller’s. Before they ran upstairs to get ready, both Jules and Gaby gave their parents an unexpected hug and a kiss on the cheek then quickly disappeared in to their respective rooms.

“Gaby! … Jules! Grab your coats and come along. The Pinger’s are here,” Dave called out as Heinrich pulled up behind the family’s Passat. “You two go ahead. We’ll be right behind you guys.”

Later that night when Dave pulled up beside their van back at their house, everyone was only thinking of crawling into their bed and staying there until the next morning.

“Guten Morgen, Steffie … I presume you’re looking for Gaby?” Jenny asked as she answered a knock at the front door.

“Guten Morgen Frau Bond … ist she around?” Steffie cheerfully replied.

“C’mon in while I get her,” Jenny urged before turning to her mother.

“Mum can you please tell Gaby that Steffie is here?”

While Jenny was taking Steffie’s coat, Gaby came running down the stairs and greeted her friend with a hug.

“Where’s the others?”

“Visiting relatives.”

“How come you’re not?” Gaby wondered.

“Mama got called into work … and I’m letting Papa rest. I remember you saying you were having company stay over, so I thought I would see if you wanted some company of your own…” Steffie explained.

“Oh … I’m sorry, Gran. Steffie, this is my Gran ... er…Großmutter … Frau Peters. Gran, this is Stefanie Brandt. We go to school together.”

“What does your mother do, dear?” Josy asked.

“She’s a nurse in Bad Neuenahr,” Steffie explained.

“Steffie? You’ll stay for lunch, won’t you?” Jenny asked their young visitor.

“Danke, Frau Bond,” Steffie replied as Gaby vigorously nodded her approval. “I’ll leaf Papa a message on der phone.”

When told that lunch would be in a couple of hours, the two girls disappeared in to the kitchen where Gaby grabbed a couple of soft drinks and a few pieces of the remaining Christmas cake before making their way up to Gaby’s room. The two only surfaced for lunch and then after washing up, returned once more to the solitude of her room.

After a few days of not being able to find time to get on the computer, Jenny decided to take advantage of the quiet afternoon and finally logged on to check her email. After reading a few emails from her ‘inbox’, she came across one from Carol that was sent a couple of days before Christmas!

“Gaby!” Jenny called out from the bottom of the stairs, knowing her daughter was still upstairs with Steffie.

“You called Mum?” Gaby replied after coming to the top of the steps.

“Come down please? … I’m on your dad’s computer and I’ve got an email from Carol I think you’d like to see.”

Just as Jen turned to go back to Dave’s study, she heard a flurry of footsteps thundering down the stairs.

“Easy kiddo! … I don’t think you want to spend Ally’s visit in the hospital,” Jen cautioned Gaby. She then turned back down the hall and proceeded back down to Dave’s study.

When Gaby entered the study, Jenny directed her to take the chair in front of the monitor.

“What’re you and Steffie doing?”

“Talking about Ally coming tomorrow … an’ girl stuff.”

“Uh huh.” Jenny replied with a knowing smile. “Here you go … take a look.”

Hi Jen;

Sorry I didn’t get this recipe to you sooner, but better late than never. Also, let Gaby know that Maddy took the bait!

When she looked at the pictures I brought back from my visit, I noticed she lingered longer at the ones that showed Gaby. I also discovered something unexpected. I now have proof she’s looking at Gaby’s photos when John and I aren’t around.

When I went to scan the recipe for you, I found the ‘Bond Christmas portrait’ still in the scanner! I think we must’ve surprised Maddy and made her rush to put things back in order. She not only forgot to remove the photo, but she failed to clear the scanner’s log. The last image saved was a very nice (cropped) photo of my niece.

Carol

“At least she wants my picture, but Auntie Carol says nothing about Maddy saying anything or asking to call.” Gaby quietly stated.

“Maybe Maddy’s not ready to tell the world, yet ... but she’s certainly looking at your photos ... and that’s a good thing.”

“I know, but…” Gaby solemnly replied, as her voice trailed off in mid-sentence. However, Jenny knew exactly what Gaby meant.

“Someday she will, sweetheart,” she confidently replied. “Now you better get back up stairs … Steffie’s probably wondering what’s happened to you.”

“Thanks for showing that to me,” Gaby quietly replied as she gave her mum a quick hug.

As she returned to working thought her emails, Jenny smiled to herself as she heard the fridge door close and the sound of footsteps on the stairs. “Things sound like they’re back to normal.”

“We’re back!” Dave announced as he came in the door, followed by Jules and Josy.

“How long does it take to run some of Mum’s Christmas cake and shortbread to the Pinger’s? Where did you three get to?” Jenny asked.

“Sorry, I meant to call … but I got distracted,” Dave sheepishly explained.

“It was my fault, dear … I convinced your husband to play tour guide and show me some of this beautiful country.”

“Where did you go?” Jen asked.

“Kreuzberg and back,” Jules admitted.

“And ... what did you think of our little part of the world?” Jenny playfully asked her mum.

“I’m about this close to moving here ... it’s lovely.” Josy replied with a smile, holding her thumb and forefinger slightly parted.

“By the way … Heinrich suggested we go over anytime after three,” Dave interjected.

Later that afternoon, as the women were busy getting themselves ready to visit with Maria and her extended family, Gaby found herself reflecting on her first Christmas, both in Germany and as Gaby.

In the end, she decided it had been one of the best Christmas’ in a long time and with more good things yet to come.

“C’mon, sis!” Jules enthused as she poked her head in the doorway of Gaby’s bedroom.

“Be right there!”

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...