Countdown
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1...
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Thomas appeared at his mother's side. He had had to arrange something the bar maid had requested and also was delayed when he had to have a polite short-talk with a guest.
"Tommy, where on earth have you been? You are making me nervous! It's high time for your annual speech! You can't - "
"Sorry, mother, but Barbara had made inconvenient contact with our lovely Lady Beatrice. I had to soothe her a bit."
"Oh..." Daze, knowing Beatrice and her nosiness, was concerned. "Is she ok now?!"
"Yes, thank you." At that moment Barbara joined them with Judith following at her heels. "I'm fully recovered but I think Beatrice won't forget my errrm... ungracious words in a hurry."
Judith laughed. "Well, I hope so. Such a - "
"Please keep it!" Daze interrupted and glared at her daughter who rolled her eyes in response.
"Well, at least I know now whose presence I have to avoid." Barbara muttered. "Though I think they'll avoid me likewise."
Quarter to midnight.
It was shortly before midnight when Thomas asked the ensemble to keep silent for a moment. He entered the little podium and knocked on the microphone.
TOC TOC TOC
"Knock knock knock!" Thomas grinned and had his guests' attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends and family." he started and let his eyes wander over the entire room. Some came rushing in from the bar.
Thomas' siblings and Daze stood right next to the podium as well as Stephanie and Emily. Judith also had dragged Barbara with her to stand together with the rest of the family. Barbara tried to become invisible, tried to hide as far away from Thomas as was possible without looking ridiculous. The least she had liked now was being mentioned or even indirectly addressed in his speech.
For her liking she and every aspect of the relationship with Thomas had been mentioned frequently enough on this party.
"Thank you all for being here." Thomas said overlooking the guests. "I hope it has been a nice party until now for all of you. I can assure you the event is not over yet - different, by the way, from the old year. There are left a few minutes only, in which I want to thank my mother for once again organizing this once again lovely event. Thank you, mum."
His mother smiled back at him and nodded her thanks to the small applause.
"I also like to be thankful that the last year had been without greater catastrophes. Instead I had the pleasure to witness some very non-catastrophic moments..." He grinned at Barbara who had liked to disappear when Daze squeezed her elbow and Judith raised her eyebrows in amusement and mumbled "Hear, hear!" to his words.
Daze shot a glare over to her daughter but the twitch in the corners of her mouth told of her own amusement.
"...and I dearly hope that all of you had some of those moments too." He paused. "May the next year start as wonderful as this year ends. Well, and of course it should proceed wonderful." He winked. "Now let's have the band play one more cheerful song, all of you get a glass of champagne and in a few minutes the countdown will start. I'll leave it to my brother Peter this year for it's time we share the family obligations. With this I deliver you from my boring wittering. Still have a nice party, enjoy the midnight-champagne, we'll meet again next year. See you later." He smiled. "Thank you."
The following applause went over into the first beats when the ensemble started their last song for this year. Servants were now walking around with trays full of glasses with champagne.
Thomas had stepped down from the podium to give his mother, then his sister a kiss on the cheek and to pat on his brother's back. Then he took two glasses of champagne from the tray a servant offered the group of family members and motioned Barbara away from the podium.
"Let's move away from here." he whispered.
Three minutes to midnight.
The song ended and Peter jumped onto the podium, grabbing the microphone and twirling it around like a dancing partner.
"Hello, dear guests. Thank you for joining the show!" he said with an Elvis Presley imitation voice. He grinned foolishly and wiggled his eyebrows.
"Ladies and gents. My big brother finally took heart and delegated an important task to me: I am allowed to initiate the new year."
"Hear, hear!" Simon laughed.
"Yes, he can be generous sometimes." Peter grinned. "Dear friends, please don't be afraid when in a few moments exactly at midnight somebody will turn off the lights like it's tradition on our New Year's Eve party. The following fireworks will light and lighten you up anyway. Well, this year I have the pleasure to give proof that my lessons in mathematics weren't a total waste of time and I will count down the seconds - oh, Emily, please come over here, hurry! I'm going to kiss you in a minute!"
He got a laugh from the audience. Peter put his arm around his girlfriend and continued his little speech.
"Yes, because I'm busy at the mike my dear sister Judith stands at the light switch this year. But the darkness, like I told you, won't last long. By the way - how long do I have to continue babbling this nonsense?" he looked at his watch. "What's the exact - oh...
Fifteen seconds to midnight.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you won't believe it... here we go! Ten..."
Thomas had dragged Barbara into the corner of the great hall, had placed the champagne on a table nearby and now pulled her into his arms.
... nine...
Thomas smiled down to her.
... eight...
I am entirely happy.
... seven...
Barbara beamed up to him.
... six...
I'm deliriously happy.
... five...
Thomas' heart raced. A thought shot through his mind.
... four...
We haven't kissed properly the entire evening.
... three...
Thomas bent down to Barbara's face and whispered
"Two..." You and me!
Barbara's heart skipped a beat and she whispered
"One..." We!
The lights went off.
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...