Page 60 of The Winter We Met
‘Living close to my grandparents I grew up on plenty of Finnish meals. Grams made amazing meatballs with mash, heaps of brown sauce and lingonberry jam.’
‘I’ve eaten Scandinavian meatballs in Ikea.’
Nik tutted. ‘Good thing my grandpa isn’t here. He used to get annoyed whenever anyone assumed Finland was part of Scandinavia.’
‘It isn’t?’
Nik shook his head and picked up one of the olives. He slipped it into his mouth. ‘No. Geographically, determined by the Scandinavian Peninsula, Norway, Sweden and Denmark are the only Scandinavian countries – a subregion of northern Europe. But it gets more complicated from the cultural and historical viewpoints that would require including Iceland and Finland. The latter two would probably refer to themselves more as Nordic than Scandinavian. Grandpa was very precise about these things. It used to make Grams laugh.’
‘How was she… towards the end… if you’re okay talking about it?’ I asked. ‘Betty seems angry or sad a lot of the time whereas Phyllis is, overall, more content.’
Nik stopped eating. ‘We were grateful that she rarely got upset – even when she didn’t know who we were. I remember once, when she was still up to going out, we went to a mall and I took her off in a wheelchair whilst Grandpa went to buy some toiletries she’d run out of. When he came back, she asked who he was. He said her husband. She looked horrified but a flicker of amusement appeared in her eyes. The three of us started laughing – comic tragedy at its best.’ He picked up his fork and his eyes shone. ‘I treasured moments of togetherness like that, even though they were also sad.’ He fell silent for a moment. ‘So, what was your favourite childhood food?’
‘Pizza takeout,’ I said straightaway. ‘Cooking wasn’t Mum’s thing. Often I just made myself sandwiches but when she suggested pizza I knew that meant she was in a really good mood and that made everything taste so much better.’
He placed his hand over mine. I imagined it running down my spine. ‘I guess I was lucky growing up, surrounded by family. I took it for granted at the time. How do you get on with your mother now?’
‘I don’t know – she hasn’t been in touch for years.’
‘Do you know where she is?’
‘No. Now and again, I felt like calling her but… I know it’s stupid… a silly pride stopped me. I gave in just once. I’d just broken up with a boyfriend and was feeling low. I rang her number. It wasn’t valid anymore.’
‘Jeez, Jess, that sucks.’
‘Gran’s made up for a lot. She taught me everything I know about cooking for a start.’
‘That rhubarb crumble was a top pudding – mine won’t come close.’
I groaned. ‘Not sure I’ve got room for dessert.’
‘It contains chocolate.’
I put my fingers in my ears but he cleared away our plates and came back with a dish of square, brown cakes.
‘Lamingtons. Traditional. Reliable. Honest.’
That didn’t surprise me. Nik’s simple taste in food seemed to be like his taste for all things in life.
‘It’s chocolate sponge sandwiched together with jam and cream and then covered in chocolate icing and dipped in desiccated coconut. Traditionalists say there shouldn’t be any jam and cream in the middle. It’s a bit like the English debate about scones and whether the jam goes on first or not.’
‘I suppose just a small one wouldn’t harm,’ I said, even though they were all the same size. After finishing my third, I groaned and stood up.
‘The worst thing after all this food would be lying on the waterbed,’ he said. ‘Talk about a weird sensation. I couldn’t get used to it so have resorted to sleeping on the sofa.’
‘I’ve never been on one. I’d love to try it.’ Heat flooded into my face. I didn’t mean to be as direct as that. In fact, I didn’t mean anything by it – I was genuinely curious.
‘Don’t blame me if you get seasick. Come on then, bring your phone and we can look at some more of those emails.’
I took my mobile out of my bag and followed him into a room past the kitchen. Like the living area it was mainly magnolia with plain sheets and streamlined wardrobes. Tentatively, I sat down on the bed, next to Nik, leaning up against the headboard. I bounced up and down and couldn’t help laughing. Accidentally I fell against him and looked up. He smiled as we gazed at each other.
‘See what I mean?’ he said.
I nodded, not sure what to say, pulse racing as I straightened up.
The bed calmed down and Nik closed his eyes. ‘I’m trying to imagine I’m on my lilo.’
‘Do you miss home?’
