A surprise next to my bed
London
Jed
The door opens on the ground floor. I hear voices I knew from before. I turn back, and fall asleep again. It’s a voice I hadn’t heard for more than six months that wakes me up. “Salut grand frère!”
Vincent is beside my bed, shaking me from left to write.
“What – what are you doing in London?”
“Ben, on est là! Papa et Maman t’attendent en bas! Dépêche-toi. ”
Oh my god. My entire family is here for Christmas. Why didn’t Ariane tell me?
“Pourquoi Ariane… ?”
That was the surprise she was holding in her eyes. What a surprise.
I step out of my bed, take some clothes and put them on. I follow Vincent downstairs.
Ariane is in the living room, with Father and Mother.
“Surprise!”
I don’t really know what to answer.
“Ariane, why haven’t you – ? Thanks everyone. Thanks for coming.”
“You’re welcome,” Mother says, nodding her scarf-rounded head.
Granny enters the living room with a grin on her face.
“I hope you’re feeling better, Jed.”
“Yes, granny. Everything is fine. It’s good to be with my family for Christmas.”
I kiss everyone, and we all go towards the kitchen to help Granny.
A huge British Christmas dinner is cooking there. Casseroles, something in the oven smells ginger, and I can feel there is some porridge in the fridge.
We go back to the living room to put the cutlery and the napkins on the table. I can see crackers by the Christmas tree. When everything is ready, we sit round the table, as a perfect British family, ready for the turkey.
But the doorbell rings.
For a second, my heart starts to beat faster. My imagination runs wild.
Could it be Julian, with some Christmas present, or something to say to beg my forgiveness? Maybe he understood he went mad, that we were made for being together. I can see through my mind his dark brown eyes staring at me, his slim body towering my entrance. I can see him asking if he could be forgiven; that what he did was crazy.
I quickly open the door on my fantasy.
My heart beats even faster...