It was the morning after christmas, and snoring sounds filled the Chitrakaar family house.. Their dreams were just like expected, with Laranya dreaming about music, and Bodil dreaming about her new computer...
It must have snowed a lot during the night, because the ground was once again covered in a blanket of white, and someone had even taken the time to stop by their house on the way home to make a snowman.... and yesterday must have taken it's toll on everyone, because in spite of this being in the middle of winter and the sun not rising for well into the day, everyone still slept way past sunrise...
Well, everyone except one, of course.. I wonder if the little toddler man can understand what's going. If he knows that he's in grandmas house and what he's doing there.. that he is sitting in a crib in his uncle Bhavan's old bedroom.. I can only imagine that most things would be pretty alien to him still at this point..
Leya was the first of the adults to wake up, and immediately left her old bedroom to go check up on her son. Bodil was still sleeping in Deepak and Laranyas bedroom at the end of the hallway to the right.
Even though Deepak was now back in the home, and everything was good, Laranya still kept the habit of sleeping with the bedroom door open, so she woke up to the sound of her daughters footsteps in the hallway. She got out of bed and gently closed the bedroom door behind her, so as to not wake up Bodil. She followed Leya into what was now temporarily Gaute and Orinders bedroom to say good morning and have a chat with her, a chat that would soon end up in another conversation about art and painting.
The ladies chatter woke up Gaute, and made him immediately spring out of bed to flex his muscles, but the ladies paid him no mind. They've seen that many times before. :P
The day after christmas eve has always been a day to relax and do as little as possible. A day which, depending on the weather, can be spent inside, or outside, checking out your new gifts and playing with your toys, or just plain sitting back with something warm to drink by a cozy fire place (if you have one). A day with nothing in particular on the schedual...
For the Chitrakaar family the day was off to a slow start with everyone still staying in their sleepwear. Deepak had found his way downstairs to his bedroom to finish a painting he had started way earlier, before he had to go to the hospital. He tried to list his way in as silently as he could, which can be a little tricky walking with a cane on a wooden floor. "Morning grandpa" Bodil said after sluggishly crawling out of bed to and walking towards the hallway to see if anyone else was up.
She woke up a little more as she saw her grandma in the hallway about to go upstairs, and quickly walked over to engage her in a pillow fight.
Bodil: Take that grandma!
Laranya: Ooof! Why you...
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While they were pillow fighting, Gaute had gone outside to the trampoline to spend some of his excess energy, and Leya had gone upstairs with Orinder to watch another rerun of an old christmas movie with her sister.
And this is how the first half of their christmas day went by. It was a "spend time indoors wearing your pyjamas day". Gaute even changed back to his sleepwear once he went back inside again to pillow fight with Bodil. ;)
Laranya is the only one that doesn't fully relax as she goes around cleaning up around the house after yesterdays party. Someone has to dispose of all the christmas paper, the left over food, and do all the laundry.. Deepak and Laranya is a bit of an old school couple in that sense, leaving most of this work to the woman in the house, besides, Laranya doesn't mind as much, or atleast that's how it appears, because it has always been this way.. and Deepak has an excuse now as well. He's old, frail and walking with a cane... even though Laranya at age 71 is the oldest in the house...
..but she can't be particularly frail, though, because after all that, she still found time to jump on the trampoline, and the Narrator is impressed. :P
Soon, however, their little winter holiday would be over, and Gaute thought they couldn't be spending all day inside, regardless of how relaxed and cosy it was, so he decided to bring them all to the park to enjoy the local winter festival.
Nitya absolutely loved the idea of going to the park. Of course she did, it was Gautes idea. Nitya always thought that whatever idea Gaute had, was always the best one.. Her sister got a good man there, she thought..
It was nice to see that everyone stood there and patiently waited for Deepak that had to walk through the snow with his cane, before they all decided to go together to the skating rink.
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Leya was a little uneasy on the skating rink compared to her sister Nitya that appeared to be a lot more skilled, but..
..Deepak was the one that impressed me the most. Proving that the old man still got it, doing pirouettes and all. You go! ;)
Laranya was the only one of the family that didn't go skating, and instead met up with her neighbour Kari Stabell-Jones, before making a snow man.
Laranya is a celebrity, a well known hit movie composer, so people in town are of course excited to see her, and ask for her autograph.. :P
Gaute noticed that Leya wasn't to steady on the ice, and decided to give her a pair of hands one last time, before they had to say goodbye and go back to the hotel to pack their bags...
Bodil: Bye, bye grandma! We have to go now, but.. I'll miss you grandma!
Laranya: Bye, bye Bodil! I'll miss you too.. you take care, and do well in school now!
Bodil: I will.. and grandma, don't forget to log on to your racing game like you promised..
Bodil: Bye, bye grandpa! I love you, you're the best grandpa..
Deepak: And you're the best Bodil, I love you too... and maybe we'll come over to visit you next time..
Bodil: Will you grandpa, will you?
Deepak: I'm sure grandma would want that, too. It's been such a long time since we've traveled anywhere, so maybe we'll see you again for summer, if not sooner.
Bodil: You're the best grandpa!
Leya: Bye for now, mom.. take care of yourself.. and dad.. (..for me.. and you..)
Laranya: I will..
Leya: You know we'll be right back here if something should...
... Leya: ... I love you, mom...
Laranya: I love you too, sweetheart...
Leya: Dad.. you take care of yourself, dad..
Deepak: Don't worry, Leya, it's alright.. your old man haven't given up yet! No, far from it..
Leya: Thanks, dad.. oh..
Deepak: Look, Leya, it'll be alright.. I got your mom, both of your sisters and brothers.. You don't need to worry...
Leya: Yeah, I guess I know dad, but..
Deepak: ..and you know, I've been thinking that we might just come on over and visit you for summer next year. I think we have to, because I already told Bodil...
Leya: Oh, that would be great, dad, if it's not to much for..
Deepak: Not at all. You know, the hospital, they did a really good job, and I feel just as young as before, well...almost.. so really, don't think about it..
Leya: Thanks, dad.. this has been a lovely christmas, and it was nice to see all of you again..
Deepak: It's always a great pleasure to have family over...
Leya: Love you, dad..
Deepak: Love you too, take care...
***
With that their christmas holiday had come to an end, and it was time to leave the community of Bewickton behind – until next time. Leya was a little anxious on the way, that they would get stuck in winter traffic and miss their plane, but her worry there was without reason.
They caught to the last ferry to the mainland and made it to the airport just in time – to find that their plane was delayed by about half an hour. Not bad, considering they were travelling in winter after all.
So once again they were back at the flat and soggy (but now frozen) landscape on the countrys east coast where the small town of Sprottenham was allowed to exist – by the grace of the ocean...
A quiet and small town, where the only thing that fell from the sky were small and peaceful snowflakes...
A little town were people had just celebrated christmas in their homes – all together with their families – warm.. and safe...
Well, most of them. Not everyone – even in this town - was that fortunate, but atleast they still had warmth and safety.
When Leya and her family returned to their home, they found it exactly like they left it. They had just managed to put up the christmas lights outside before they got the message which led them to pack their bags in a hurry..
Even their tv-set was still broken – just like they left it, but no worries there. Calling a repair man to come over is both quick and easy...
All was good in this home. Gaute found the trampoline as usual, Leya went for a game of darts, and Bodil sat down with her new computer to race her grandma, like promised..
---
The repair man fixed the tv, Orinder practiced his skills on the peg toy box and soiled his diaper.. yes, everything was by the normal...
The year of 2022 was drawing to a close, and Leya and Gaute had gone outside to welcome the new year and enjoy this one last moment in the fresh cold winter air..
..and in Cliffon Park just behind them, Bodils father and local klepto, Glenn Hoddelås and his girlfriend, Maiken Strøm, had gone to do the same while watching the stars..
What a year it had been.. good night.. ;)
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