Yumi was making breakfast for her and Ulrich when the door knocked.
"Oh, Mr Stern, hi, how are you?" Yumi said opening the door revealing Ulrich's father
"I'm ok, and yourself?" He said pleasantly walking into their flat.
"I'm good, Ulrich's in the living room if you want to speak with him" Yumi said
"Would you join us, Yumi as I would most like to speak to both of you at the same time?"
Yumi nodded and walked into the living room with her father in law.
"Dad!" Ulrich said on seeing his father "What are you doing here?"
"I have come to speak to my son and his wife"
Ulrich looked at Yumi who looked as confused as he felt.
"Now as you may have noticed, your mother and I have not been calling you as often as we usually do, and we did not get you a Christmas present this year either, but now this is our Christmas present to you both"
He handed Ulrich something to which Yumi could not see.
Ulrich looked at his father and smiled.
"Thanks" Ulrich hugged his father.
Ulrich walked over to Yumi.
"What is your one wish right now?" Ulrich asked her wrapping his arms around her.
"To pass successfully on the exams" Yumi said confused.
"Apart from that"
Yumi looked at him confused.
"We're getting out of this flat, we're moving"
Yumi smiled a little but still looked at him confused.
"My dad he's brought us a house!"
Yumi looked over at her father in law and smiled a smile that lightened up the room.
Yumi hugged Mr Stern.
"Thank you, Mr Stern! You don't know how much this means to me. To us" Yumi said hugging him again.
"Oh and your wish that you said to Ulrich"
He handed her an envelope and then one to Ulrich.
They stared at him.
"I have connections and well from what Ulrich has been saying, apart from this flat, Yumi's wanting to know her results has been driving her crazy" he smiled.
"Now in about an hour, a moving truck will arrive on special orders for them to help you pack and move" he again smiled at Yumi's face.
"I will leave you now to find out your results"
Mr Stern left leaving a quite stunned Yumi.
"Well should we do it together?" Ulrich asked her sounding nervous
Yumi nodded and shakily opened her envelope.
She looked down and smiled. She had gotton what she needed and more. She looked up at Ulrich who was also smiling.
"Enough?" Yumi asked knowingly
Ulrich nodded "You?"
"Plenty"
Yumi, unable to contain her excitement over her results and moving to a four bed roomed house, ran over to Ulrich and hugged him fiercely and fondly.
He returned the hug.
"We should start packing you know"
Yumi, still smiling madly, nodded and headed towards the cupboard to get some old boxes to help them pack.
By 9pm that night Ulrich and Yumi had moved from their horrible old flat to their new big house.
The movers, who were paid by Ulrich's father, had helped them put everything away and in place.
Yumi sat down next to Ulrich, who looked at her.
"The gang is coming round, I phoned them to let them know and they want to be nosy"
"Odd and Sam too?"
Yumi nodded "And Twinkle"
Ulrich nodded.
"Tradition back then?" Ulrich asked her
Yumi looked at him confused
"Gang together on for the start of the new year"
Yumi smiled.
When everyone at arrived it was half eleven.
Half an hour to the New Year.
Twinkle had been asleep from when she had come and she still was.
The gang were drinking red wine and talking about Ulrich's and Yumi's pleasing results.
"Guys look, it's 5 minutes 'till 2010" Ulrich said.
Yumi switched on the TV and sure enough every channel you switched to was waiting for the New Year to begin.
When they was 10 seconds to go everyone began the countdown.
"10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
The traditional song of Auld Land Syne began and the gang crossed their arms and took the hand of the person each side of them and began the traditional song:
Should
auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should
auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
For
auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup
of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Should auld
acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld
acquaintance be forgot
and days of auld lang syne?
And here's
a hand, my trusty friend
And gie's a hand o' thine
We'll tak'
a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne
The song finished and the gang released one another and began hugging and kissing each other (Where appropriate) celebrating the New Year.
Unfortunately, all this awoke Twinkle who screamed and cried to get their attention to her.
Everyone laughed and said their farewells to each other.
"Ulrich, do you want to go for a walk?" Yumi asked him in a pleading way
"Err sure if you want to"
Yumi grabbed her white fur coat and walked out of the door with Ulrich who was pulling his coat on.
Yumi cuddled into Ulrich who pulled her closer by wrapping an arm around her.
They walked to the park in silence and sat down on a bench.
Yumi cuddled into Ulrich more pretending she was cold so that he would cuddle her more.
"New year" Ulrich said
"New house" Yumi said
"New experiences to come through work"
"New people to meet"
"New everything" Ulrich looked down at her "Except us and the gang"
Yumi smiled and kissed him.
"New baby"
Ulrich looked down at her in shock and surprise but then smiled.
"A new start" Ulrich said kissing Yumi, who smiled.
They watched the fireworks for a while before heading home. They walked home exactly how they had walked to the park and when they got to their doorstop, Ulrich stopped. Yumi looked up at him.
"You know I never got to do this at our old flat so I'm going to do it now" Ulrich said half to himself.
He picked Yumi up and carried her over the threshold. She giggled and once he had put her down, she kissed him.
She picked up a bottle of wine and poured some in two glasses.
"To a new start" She said raising her glass in the air.
"A new start" Ulrich grinned knocking his glass against Yumi's in the air. They both drank their wine and then went upstairs to their bedroom. Yumi cuddled into Ulrich who, as usual, wrapped his arm around her.
A new start is exactly what they needed.
A new start.