Page 20 of Away With You
One side of his mouth hitches up as he examines me. “You trying to get rid of me again, Kitty Kat?”
I flush, tightening my hair up on top of my head to give my hands something to do. “That’s not it….”
“Then how about I get to work on the lights, and you make me another cup of that wonderful tea?”
I can do that, I think as I make my way to the kitchen, stumbling over Nuke, who’s making a beeline for Nathan. With jealous eyes, I watch her rub her slight body through and around his legs, purring when he reaches over to rub her ears. As I turn away from the reunited lovebirds, I question who I’m jealous of.
“Would you like something to eat?” I ask while the water boils. Given the cancelled bagels and the general craziness of Nathan’s visit, I’ve not eaten anything today. If I don’t feed my stomach something—soon—there’s going to be trouble. “I’ve got cheese.”
Nathan’s laughter fills my flat, and I look up to catch him watching me, his eyes crinkling as he takes me in.
“What?” I ask defensively. “I like cheese.”
“I do, too, Kitty Kat.”
Okay, cheese it is.
I get busy putting together a cheese platter, adding some crackers and a miniature jar of quince paste I got as a sample from the local deli. Remembering Friday night and his reaction to the plate of digestives I presented him, I add a few of them to bulk up the offering. All-in-all, it looks…pathetic. And yet, my grumbling tummy is making joyful noises at the sight of it.
“Lights are all done,” he says, as I finish up in the kitchen. I take the tray of tea and the platter of mismatched food and deposit them on the coffee table, only then taking a minute to examine the tree. He’s strung the lights perfectly, tricky given how mangy the branches are, and they’re now twinkling white and gold in symmetry up and down the tree.
“It’s perfect,” I gush, my fingers twitching to get decorating. “Thank you.”
He takes a sip from his teacup and makes the appropriate appreciative noises before adding, “Now, it just needs a little colour.”
With my mouth full of cheese and crackers, I get to work, winding the tinsel around the tree in the opposite direction of the lights. Nathan sits back on the couch, two digestives in each hand, watching as I add bauble after bauble until the tree looks ready to buckle under the weight of it all. It’s only when the box is empty that I step back and look at my handywork. This is the first tree I’ve decorated in over two years, and tears sting my eyes at the thought that my mum won’t be here to admire it with me.
“It’s the best-looking tree I’ve ever seen,” Nathan says from right beside me. I’m so wrapped up in this wave of grief, I haven’t noticed him move into my space. But now that I have, his nearness, his warmth, his goodness are like a balm tomy tattered edges. Just him being here makes this moment…bearable.
“It’s really not, you liar,” I choke out a laugh. “But thanks anyway. Thanks for all of it."
He holds my gaze, his eyes searching mine. “You’re welcome, Katie. It was a pleasure.”
We stare at each other for a long moment, and my stomach takes a turn on the uneven parallel bars. Being in his company has my stomach feeling all sorts of ways, and I’m not sure what to make of it.
“So, tell me,” he says finally, stepping back and clearing his throat. This time, he’s the one breaking the moment. “What’s the deal with these snow globes?”
I stiffen as he waves to the shelf behind me. It’s in the pride position in my flat, above the TV, where I can always see it. And it houses three of my most precious possessions.
“There’s no real deal,” I tell him, my tone rough with suppressed emotion. “They’re just something I like to collect.”
Head tilted, he steps over to examine them. With careful hands, he picks each one up, shaking it before putting it back.
“Not much of a collection, I know,” I add when he continues to stare at them without speaking. “But it was something my mum started, and I hope to finish.”
Now his attention is back on me. “How so?”
I eat half a wheel of cheese to self-soothe before answering him. “My mum always wanted to travel the world. She had grand plans to visit all the famous sights in Europe, before turning her attention to the rest of the world.” I step over and pick up one snow globe. It’s of the Eiffel Tower and was the one and only globe she owned. “This is one she got when we travelled to Paris together.” Memories threaten to pull me under, and I muster up a sad smile. “It was shortly after her diagnosis. She wanted to go somewhere before her treatment started, and so we hopped onthe train and spent a weekend there. It was supposed to be the start of her travelling journey. At that time, we thought she’d do her treatment and she’d get better. We always thought we’d have time.”
Nathan steps closer to me, not touching, but close enough that I can feel the warmth and sympathy rolling off him.
“And the other two?”
My smile is wistful. “This one was from a conference I presented at in Amsterdam. It was soon after Mum passed away…it was like I was living under water. While I was there, I went through the motions, socialised with colleagues, said and did all the right things. And then I saw this snow globe, filled with clogs and bikes and bridges, and I knew she’d love it. That’s when I decided to continue her tradition.”
I stare at my sad little collection, a sense of failure drifting over me. “Though can I even call it a tradition when it’s so meagre? One from Amsterdam, the other from Malaga, where I went for a Hen’s weekend. A grand total of three places visited. She would have hated that for me.”
He takes my hand and tugs me closer until our bodies are millimetres apart. With his forefinger, he prods my chin up so I’m forced to meet his gaze. “There’s still time, Katie. You can still add to the collection.”
