Chapter 6
The large 777 taxied down the runway at Heathrow, going faster and faster. Josh was excited. He loved it when planes took off and landed. Maggie, on the other hand, did not like it. She buried her face in her mother's arm and clutched it for dear life. Looking out the window, Katy watched as the landscape of their homeland whizzed by, disappearing as the plane lifted off the ground and into the air. Looking down over the shrinking houses and cars, motorways and fields, she said a silent goodbye to her old home, and the skeletons that lived there, hopefully silenced for good. She was happy to be going back to her new home, and the life they had there in Kingston.
"Say goodbye to England, sweetheart," Katy said to her daughter, who had eased her grip up somewhat. Maggie looked out the tiny plane window and waved at the tiny scenery. Josh tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Will we go back someday, mum?"
Katy smiled at her son and ruffled his hair. "Of course we will."
After their meals were cleared away, Maggie curled up with her mother's arm around her and fell asleep. Josh watched the movie and read his book until he fell asleep. Katy kissed both of them on the tops of their heads and closed her eyes, resting. They had a long voyage to get home to where they belonged, with John.
* * *
Stepping off of the plane at Kingston Airport, they cleared Customs as soon as their bags arrived and stepped out into the hall. Making their way through the people waiting to greet flights, they walked to the car park. Stepping outside from the terminal, there was John, standing by their Jeep, holding a beautiful bouquet of rhododendron, hibiscus, and white lilies.
"Daddy!" both Josh and Maggie yelled and went running towards him, their small suitcases bumping behind them. Katy was dragging hers, and some shopping bags.
John bent down and gave them both hugs and kisses, "How's my little ones doing then?" he asked them. They were both hugging him around his neck. "Easy, easy," he said, "Don't crush your mother's flowers."
Katy stopped in front of them and smiled. John stood up, smiling, and held out the flowers to her.
"Hi," he said.
"Hiya," she said.
They eyed each other for a moment. John had lost a little bit of weight in his face, not having her around to cook for him. He was tanned and sexy looking, and she realised just how much she had missed him.
He reached for her and caressed her cheek, softly. "You look lovely," he said softly.
She wrapped her arms around him and they kissed. It felt like ages since they had been in each other's arms. Josh had fished the key from his father's pocket and unlocked the car door and was trying to put the suitcases and bags in. Maggie had climbed in and was watching her parents out the window. She smiled to herself, happy to see her mummy and daddy together where they belonged.
John looked down to see all the bags gone. He heard Josh grunting and walked around to the other side of the car where Josh was trying to put Katy's exceptionally heavy bag in. The other bags were already loaded in, somewhat haphazardly.
"Have a seat, son. Let me take this one." John pulled up on the case, trying to lift it.
"Bloody hell, Kate, what do you have in here?"
"Bricks. Move it!" Katy nudged John aside and lifted up the bag, sliding it into the boot.
John looked at his wife with a mixture of amazement and amusement. She walked around to the passengers' side and got in. Opening the drivers' side door, he called into the car, "Right, who wants to go home?"
Three voices answered him in unison, "Me!"
* * *
Katy stepped out of the en suite. John was already waiting for her. He had prepared for their homecoming by preparing dinner for them, and had a bottle of champagne just for him and Katy to enjoy after the kids had gone to bed. Katy had slipped into the very sexy nightgown she had bought at Selfridges. It was a white silk gown, that cut very low in the front and back, full length, with the most delicate lace detail. She gave a twirl for John, and he admired how the white silk and lace left just enough to his imagination.
"Come here and let me love you. It's been too long since I had my wife in bed with me," John said, holding out his hand to her. Katy walked over to him and took his hand. He pulled her in close to him and kissed her deeply, letting his hands roam over her body, feeling her through the silk of her gown.
"I'm so glad you're back," he whispered, "Without you, I'm half a person."
She smiled at him and traced her finger down his muscular, tanned arm. He rubbed her back softly and they clinked their champagne glasses together.
He had selected Veuve-Clicquot 1993 Gold Label Brut, a very nice one to drink as a celebratory aperitif to their lovemaking. Classless Scouser, indeed! Katy thought to herself, with some smugness. Up yours, Deakin, you dickhead.
Looking at her husband, whose eyes were focused somewhere between her neck and stomach, she smiled at him, and ran her fingers through his hair. John looked up in her eyes and they kissed again.
For a second, Katy thought back to the night Chris and her had made love. One night, when compared with the years of love between her and John that had come before it, and the years of love that had come since then, was nothing in the end. She was highly surprised that he hand hung onto her for so long, and reckoned that a lot of girls would have been pleased to see Chris get his heart broken, after all the hearts Katy reckoned he had broken over the years, with his philandering ways.
Katy turned to her husband, who had been saying something to her while she was lost in thought.
"Hmm? I didn't get that."
"I'm not bloody surprised, you're miles away. What's on your mind, sweetheart?" John patted the space next to him in the bed. Katy got up and laid down next to him in the empty space.
"Just thinking about England."
"Oh," he said. "Why would you want to do a silly thing like that?"
"It's still our home, John."
He rolled over on top of her, and looked into her eyes. Kissing her gently, he whispered, "Wherever you and I are, together, that's home."
She smiled at him, looking into his big brown eyes. "You're right, you know."
"Of course I am. I'm always right." He grinned and kissed her again, deeply.
"Hark at you!" Katy raised her eyebrows, teasing her husband, "So you've become perfect in my absence?"
"I've always been perfect. Glad you've finally noticed."
He looked in her eyes, and smiled, simply saying, "I love you."
It was enough. No more words needed to be said between them.
Reaching over, Katy managed to turn out the light. They fell asleep in each other's arms, as happy and content as they ever were. They were lovers, friends, confidants and partners, as they always wanted to be, as they are, and as they always will be.
The large 777 taxied down the runway at Heathrow, going faster and faster. Josh was excited. He loved it when planes took off and landed. Maggie, on the other hand, did not like it. She buried her face in her mother's arm and clutched it for dear life. Looking out the window, Katy watched as the landscape of their homeland whizzed by, disappearing as the plane lifted off the ground and into the air. Looking down over the shrinking houses and cars, motorways and fields, she said a silent goodbye to her old home, and the skeletons that lived there, hopefully silenced for good. She was happy to be going back to her new home, and the life they had there in Kingston.
"Say goodbye to England, sweetheart," Katy said to her daughter, who had eased her grip up somewhat. Maggie looked out the tiny plane window and waved at the tiny scenery. Josh tugged on his mother's sleeve. "Will we go back someday, mum?"
Katy smiled at her son and ruffled his hair. "Of course we will."
After their meals were cleared away, Maggie curled up with her mother's arm around her and fell asleep. Josh watched the movie and read his book until he fell asleep. Katy kissed both of them on the tops of their heads and closed her eyes, resting. They had a long voyage to get home to where they belonged, with John.
* * *
Stepping off of the plane at Kingston Airport, they cleared Customs as soon as their bags arrived and stepped out into the hall. Making their way through the people waiting to greet flights, they walked to the car park. Stepping outside from the terminal, there was John, standing by their Jeep, holding a beautiful bouquet of rhododendron, hibiscus, and white lilies.
"Daddy!" both Josh and Maggie yelled and went running towards him, their small suitcases bumping behind them. Katy was dragging hers, and some shopping bags.
John bent down and gave them both hugs and kisses, "How's my little ones doing then?" he asked them. They were both hugging him around his neck. "Easy, easy," he said, "Don't crush your mother's flowers."
Katy stopped in front of them and smiled. John stood up, smiling, and held out the flowers to her.
"Hi," he said.
"Hiya," she said.
They eyed each other for a moment. John had lost a little bit of weight in his face, not having her around to cook for him. He was tanned and sexy looking, and she realised just how much she had missed him.
He reached for her and caressed her cheek, softly. "You look lovely," he said softly.
She wrapped her arms around him and they kissed. It felt like ages since they had been in each other's arms. Josh had fished the key from his father's pocket and unlocked the car door and was trying to put the suitcases and bags in. Maggie had climbed in and was watching her parents out the window. She smiled to herself, happy to see her mummy and daddy together where they belonged.
John looked down to see all the bags gone. He heard Josh grunting and walked around to the other side of the car where Josh was trying to put Katy's exceptionally heavy bag in. The other bags were already loaded in, somewhat haphazardly.
"Have a seat, son. Let me take this one." John pulled up on the case, trying to lift it.
"Bloody hell, Kate, what do you have in here?"
"Bricks. Move it!" Katy nudged John aside and lifted up the bag, sliding it into the boot.
John looked at his wife with a mixture of amazement and amusement. She walked around to the passengers' side and got in. Opening the drivers' side door, he called into the car, "Right, who wants to go home?"
Three voices answered him in unison, "Me!"
* * *
Katy stepped out of the en suite. John was already waiting for her. He had prepared for their homecoming by preparing dinner for them, and had a bottle of champagne just for him and Katy to enjoy after the kids had gone to bed. Katy had slipped into the very sexy nightgown she had bought at Selfridges. It was a white silk gown, that cut very low in the front and back, full length, with the most delicate lace detail. She gave a twirl for John, and he admired how the white silk and lace left just enough to his imagination.
"Come here and let me love you. It's been too long since I had my wife in bed with me," John said, holding out his hand to her. Katy walked over to him and took his hand. He pulled her in close to him and kissed her deeply, letting his hands roam over her body, feeling her through the silk of her gown.
"I'm so glad you're back," he whispered, "Without you, I'm half a person."
She smiled at him and traced her finger down his muscular, tanned arm. He rubbed her back softly and they clinked their champagne glasses together.
He had selected Veuve-Clicquot 1993 Gold Label Brut, a very nice one to drink as a celebratory aperitif to their lovemaking. Classless Scouser, indeed! Katy thought to herself, with some smugness. Up yours, Deakin, you dickhead.
Looking at her husband, whose eyes were focused somewhere between her neck and stomach, she smiled at him, and ran her fingers through his hair. John looked up in her eyes and they kissed again.
For a second, Katy thought back to the night Chris and her had made love. One night, when compared with the years of love between her and John that had come before it, and the years of love that had come since then, was nothing in the end. She was highly surprised that he hand hung onto her for so long, and reckoned that a lot of girls would have been pleased to see Chris get his heart broken, after all the hearts Katy reckoned he had broken over the years, with his philandering ways.
Katy turned to her husband, who had been saying something to her while she was lost in thought.
"Hmm? I didn't get that."
"I'm not bloody surprised, you're miles away. What's on your mind, sweetheart?" John patted the space next to him in the bed. Katy got up and laid down next to him in the empty space.
"Just thinking about England."
"Oh," he said. "Why would you want to do a silly thing like that?"
"It's still our home, John."
He rolled over on top of her, and looked into her eyes. Kissing her gently, he whispered, "Wherever you and I are, together, that's home."
She smiled at him, looking into his big brown eyes. "You're right, you know."
"Of course I am. I'm always right." He grinned and kissed her again, deeply.
"Hark at you!" Katy raised her eyebrows, teasing her husband, "So you've become perfect in my absence?"
"I've always been perfect. Glad you've finally noticed."
He looked in her eyes, and smiled, simply saying, "I love you."
It was enough. No more words needed to be said between them.
Reaching over, Katy managed to turn out the light. They fell asleep in each other's arms, as happy and content as they ever were. They were lovers, friends, confidants and partners, as they always wanted to be, as they are, and as they always will be.
