Chapter 3
On Friday the 19th December Tommy was waiting in Barbara´s living-room as she did some last minute packing. It was a bit after 1 pm and they would fly to Germany later this afternoon. While Barbara was swearing in the bedroom he looked around her living-room. She hadn´t any obvious Christmas decorations up only one bright yellow little star was shining in the window and to his total astonishment there were nearly blooming cherry branches in a vase on the table.
Somehow he had expect some kitschy decorations or nothing at all. He noticed that her flat was surprisingly tidy today.
"Okay, I´m ready, Sir!" Barbara came to the room with her backpack and already wearing her anorak.
"Good, off we go. I hope you have packed some warm clothes. The forecast said it should be quite cold over there. Oh and what are these?" Tommy asked curiously pointing at the cherry branches.
"Cherry branches," was Barbara´s answer when she opened the door.
"I know that! But why cherry branches in December?" Tommy said stepping out taking her backpack and went to his car.
When they were settled in the car and Tommy started the car Barbara told him:
"When we moved to the house in Acton, my parents, Terry and me it was the end of November. Our new neighbour came over to welcome us and when she heard my name was Barbara she told my mom about an old German tradition seeing she was or better is German. In Germany it´s tradition to cut cherry branches on the 4th December the feast of St. Barbara and put them in a vase. If they are blooming on Christmas Eve it should bring luck the coming year. It also should bring something blooming and green in the house in the dark time of the year.
From that year on our neighbour always brought us cherry branches on the 4th December. It´s somehow the only tradition I kept after Terry died and seeing that I visit Gerda, our old neighbour, 4 or 5 times each year since I sold the house I still get my Barbara branches each year!"
Tommy listened totally enchanted to learn something about his sergeant he didn´t know before. She really was a box of wonderful surprises for him.
"That´s a nice tradition," he answered quietly giving her a quick look before concentrating on the traffic again.
The rest of the trip they spend mostly in agreeable silence something both valued about the other that is was just okay to say nothing at all at some times.
As Tommy had arranged the flight it was business class and they could spend the waiting time in a private lounge. As she didn´t want to spoil the trip already on the way there Barbara held her tongue and didn´t objected at all. She was also quite tired as the last days had been stressful.
Tommy looked over to her seeing she had closed her eyes and was relaxing as good as possible. He was glad that she tried to relax at least and that she wasn´t objecting. He hoped he could show her this weekend what she meant to him and that perhaps if they managed to go on a step in their relationship as he hoped they would, perhaps he could convince her to come with him to Howenstowe after all seeing that she was not going to work as planned.
The flight was pleasant as was the ride in the taxi to the hotel. Tommy had chosen an exquisite one and had insisted on two rooms side by side. After having a little fresh up in their rooms they went down to the bar to have something to eat. As it was already quite late and Tommy noticed that Barbara was extremely tired they called it a day at 11 pm and went to their rooms.
"Good night, Barbara!" Tommy said when they reached her door debating with himself if he could give her a goodnight kiss or if better not.
"Good night, Sir!" Barbara answered and then surprised him by giving him a light quick kiss on his cheek before she entered her room and closed the door.
Tommy looked at the closed door and a little hope that perhaps she also felt more than friendship for him rose in him. Humming the "Hallelujah" from the "Messiah" he went to his room looking forward to the next day with pleasant anticipation.
A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews so far, this one is just a short chapter but I hope I will finish this story tomorrow or latest on the 24th, Christmas eve the day you get your presents here in Germany.
