If you're only two years old even if you are the brightest button in the box, climbing onto his bed to say good morning to your Grandad usually requires help. In this particular instance, having a six year old uncle, well actually he's nearly seven because he's told you that he has a birthday in January, who's equally determined and always up for a challenge can prove to be a useful ally. Now though once you've got there and are sitting on the bed together and Grandad's asleep, there's the dilemma as to what to do next. After consideration, Thomas determined and managed to convey to Alice that poking Harry or tickling his feet in an effort to get him to wake up was out of the question. With just two more days before Santa Claus was expected to call by with some presents, this might be construed as naughty and find you eliminated from his visiting list. It was cold at seven o'clock in the morning especially when you were only wearing pyjamas, so rather than climb down again, the only option apart from freezing was to crawl under the covers and join him.
This was how Graham found them and this time it was he who reached for his phone.
Harry slowly stirred into wakefulness smiling that at his favourite time of day with the flight now a distant memory, normality had returned. Ruth's head on his shoulder, her arm slung low across his waist her breathing even and calm. He was surprised how warm he felt considering the temperature, but then it must have been close to mid - morning, so probably the heating had come on. Needing to adjust his position slightly as the longing to wake her in the time honoured way had reached his groin, he concluded that he had plenty of time and that he should let her sleep. He'd coped with the flight as had Thomas, whereas Ruth with her fear of flying had been really stressed even though she'd done her best to hide it. With the promise to his now growing erection that having made himself a cup of coffee that he'd come back to bed and make good his intention, he opened his eyes and tried to move. He couldn't, there were two tiny legs and arms behind him that were pinning him in.
'No they hadn't been naughty and no Grandad Harry wasn't cross, but sometimes he was still tired in the mornings, so until the big hand was on twelve and the small hand was on nine they mustn't come into their bedroom,' was how Ruth who had drawn the short straw, was explaining it to her small audience while Harry laid the table and Graham made them pancakes for their breakfast. A single glare had achieved her objective in stopping Graham laughing, but had no impact on Harry who was standing behind the children's backs with his eyes twinkling at her and mouthing tired.
'We could have been, yes I'm well aware of what we could have been,' had preceded this conversation after they'd opened their eyes to find that they had company.
Lucy who had finished her shift at the hospital had gone home to their small flat in the city to rest for a couple of hours before she set out on her journey. She and Graham had shopped in the run up to Christmas and the food that he hadn't taken with him plus presents for everyone were already loaded in the car. It wasn't ideal that her job as a nurse saw her on a rota of day and night shifts, but now that Graham working from home made it easier and since Alice had arrived had been a godsend. She loved her parents she really did, but it was at times like this that she really cursed them. Jetting all over the world just because they could, had become an obsession and it wasn't as though this current trip was anything special. It was Christmas for goodness sake and they could have easily postponed so that they could have met Graham's father and Ruth. But they'd never pretended that they'd be a help to them despite them having Alice. If what Graham had told her was true, then Harry and Ruth were a totally different kettle of fish, so for the first time in years she was looking forward to a real family Christmas. She needed to ring them before she went to sleep.
'Mummy,' said Alice as soon as the phone rang, holding out her jam covered fingers in expectation.
'If we're here, she always calls us as soon as she gets home,' Graham explained, handing over the phone and going on to tell them that Lucy worked in A&E and that the night shift brought in all sorts of dodgy customers. 'I hate her doing it and I always worry, but she loves it and in Canada, the money's good,' had Harry asking the question about her parents and their ability to help. 'Financially they're loaded, but that's not what counts is it and besides which we want to be independent, but as grandparents they're crap,' was said in a voice that reminded Harry of a younger Graham when he'd been the object of his criticism. His thoughts were interrupted when Alice handed him the jam covered phone and he found himself listening to Lucy.
'I hope you all slept well and Graham's looking after you,' sounded so genuine and unexpectedly concerned, that Harry found himself picturing Lucy to be like Ruth. If she was, then Graham was in safe hands.
'We're really looking forward to meeting you, Thomas is really excited, sleep well,' he heard himself saying, as he handed the phone over to his son.
'Everyone's fine, I'll sort dinner, drive carefully sweetheart,' ended Graham's conversation and he went back to the job in hand.
'This is really Lucy's domain not mine, so if it's OK with you two, we'll leave tour of the outside until tomorrow,' he told them, when they were getting a more extensive look around the house. The huge windows that could be shuttered against the weather offered amazing views of the lake and the mountains. Both the upstairs double bedrooms had an en suite shower room as did their double downstairs, plus an additional bathroom. The lounge was massive with a fireplace and a wood burner, but disappointingly as far as Harry was concerned considering that there were wall to wall trees as far as the eye could see, was that there wasn't a Christmas tree indoors.
'Lucy's the organiser as you will have gathered, I just tag along, a bit like you Dad,' was said after Ruth disappeared to get the children dressed. 'Ruth's awesome, she's lovely and as for Thomas it's great to see you so happy Dad,' appeared to come from nowhere, although Harry guessed was something that Graham had been planning to say and was his way of saying that he had accepted that they had taken on a child. 'Anyway, the weather here can change quickly, so as it's a warmish day there's a nice trek beyond the lake if you fancy stretching your legs?' Graham suggested.
Half an hour later, with Alice strapped into her harness on Graham's back and Thomas walking between Ruth and Harry, they set off.
'If we lived here all the time, I'd choose to be a Park Ranger,' Graham threw into the conversation, as they left the lodge behind them and reached the lake where he pointed out the boathouse and said that they'd visit that another day, before changing direction onto a well maintained path through the forest where apart from the sound of their footsteps, the silence was all consuming. He and Ruth had prepared a picnic which Harry was carrying in a haversack which according to their guide they were going to eat in one of the many tourist shelters that were dotted in and around the Park. Graham's enthusiasm was infectious as he waxed lyrical about the wildlife and what a wonderful place it was for children to learn about preserving the environment.
'Yes there are bears, lots of them,' he told the still inquisitive Thomas, 'but we're quite safe here because they inhabited the mountains and never come over to our side of the valley.'
'But I want to meet one,' had Ruth telling Harry that she didn't, unless it was behind a bloody great fence.
The first of various stops so that they could take in the views and also rest their legs, was at a crossroads of paths at the brow of a small hill.
When it came to Harry, Thomas had developed an unspoken language which usually succeeded in getting him what he wanted and in this case it was no different and in the circumstances didn't apply on their don't spoil Thomas list. Graham had been carrying Alice and Thomas had so far been walking, having announced that he was nearly seven, a hint if ever there was one that he had a birthday that they shouldn't forget and that he was a big boy and didn't need carrying. Harry was standing in front the bench taking photographs and Ruth was sitting with Graham, when Thomas tapped Harry's legs to get his attention and then his own shoulders in rapid succession.
Ruth had no idea about the earlier conversation that Graham had had with Harry and wanted to pave the way. There were going to be many instances when Graham would witness the relationship that Harry had forged with Thomas and if their holiday wasn't going to end in disaster, she needed Graham to be prepared,
'He's formed a real bond with your Father,' she told him nodding towards Thomas, praying that she wasn't lighting the blue touch paper. It was a potential time bomb given Graham's history with his father, but to Ruth it felt as good a time as any to take that chance. 'It's not going to be easy,' she explained, going on to tell him about Thomas's upbringing, his mother's tragic death and how he'd never known his father. 'Whatever happens we won't quit, we've been told to expect months or maybe even years of ups and downs and we've been advised to take it one step at a time and let Thomas deal with life at his own pace.'
Years meant that they were in for the long game as far as Thomas was concerned and re – affirmed Graham's description of Ruth as being awesome.
'Why on earth did you make the decision to take him on,' gave Ruth the chance to give Graham a potted version of her own history and to tell him that she liked to think that had things been different, then she and Harry would have had a child of their own.
'We talked about trying for a baby now but when Thomas came along it felt the right thing to do and it's easier than nappies and night feeds I suspect, although we still get the sleepless nights from time to time when he has nightmares.'
'He used to carry me like that,' Graham said more to himself than to Ruth, as they watched Harry dutifully sit down and a now chatting Thomas climb onto his shoulders.
'Light as a feather,' Harry told them. She doubted that.
The sun had reached its highest by the time that they stopped again at the shelter that Graham had been aiming for. While Ruth poured the hot drinks and Graham sorted out the picnic, Harry continued with his project by going camera crazy as Alice copied Thomas by making funny faces, until Graham took over and took pictures of his new family. Another dusting of snow was forecast overnight and with it the real possibility that they'd be snowed in for a while, but Harry had got what he wanted, a record of each and every day to add to his memories.
As Ruth watched on, 'come on Dad, let's swap,' saw what Ruth suspected was a relieved Harry carrying the much lighter Alice, as Thomas without protest was being hoisted onto Graham's shoulders.
She'd unloaded her concerns and her conversation with Graham had gone so much better than she'd imagined it would, she could finally relax. Still pinching herself that they were in Canada for Christmas, she cast her mind back. A year ago she'd been so lonely and dreading the winter alone until Harry had gate crashed the Christmas service, barely able to put one foot in front of the other, covered in bruises and mentally shattered. And yet here he was now, looking ten years younger and fitter than he'd ever been. She may have been the driving force in the beginning, but now they were equal partners in everything they did. Reunited with his son and with the potential to adopt Thomas, it still pulled her up short as to how lucky they were.
'I hope you're keeping up Ruth,' from Harry saw her running to catch them up as they turned for home, marching in unison to Hi Ho Hi Ho, from the Seven Dwarfs that Graham was encouraging his father to join in. It really did feel like Christmas. On the crest of the final hill with less than a mile to go the lodge came into view, warm and welcoming, but it wasn't until that moment that they'd appreciated how large it was. To one side in what looked like a barn the generator and stuff for all eventualities as Graham described it were stored, but exactly what the stuff was, he didn't elaborate. As soon as they'd received the message that the holiday was on, he and Lucy had spent an entire week plotting and planning surprises, all of which were concealed within its four walls. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and from then on and once Lucy arrived all would be revealed.
'There's a hot tub over there, you should try it,' Graham said pointing and with a wink at his father. Harry thought they should, it would be another very pleasant first.
Once home, a still enthusiastic Graham wanted to do everything but with Lucy arriving in less than two hours, the fires needed to be lit and the children needed to have their baths and be changed into more comfortable clothes. Other when they'd been asleep, Harry and Ruth had barely had a moment on their own and after two days as much as he'd been relaxing and enjoying himself, Harry needed some Ruth time. He'd calculated that if they offered to cook the meal, then he'd get that chance.
'I'm up for that,' said Graham, who after a full day spent watching his Dad and Ruth interact, was reading between the lines and beginning to enjoy himself. 'Coats and boots first please,' was a command to the children, but Harry and Ruth obligingly conformed, lining up their boots along with the rest, before Graham told Thomas that it was bath time and he the chance to splash about with Alice before they had their dinner.
Lucy would be home soon and there was so much more to come and with it what Graham imagined would be the ultimate Christmas surprise for Harry and Ruth.
'Come on you two,' and the children followed him upstairs.
'I understand that you've been talking to my son,' briefly stilled Ruth's fidgety fingers that had been frantically turning the pages of the instruction manual, for a range that had more bells and whistles than Cape Canaveral. Once a spy always a spy he'd crept across the kitchen with the intension of surprising her rather than half scaring her to death. 'It's fine Ruth and I'm glad that you think I'm lovely,' was said in the same gentle voice that he'd always used when he'd caught her unawares, now though with the confidence of knowing that having called him a bastard, that she'd kiss him rather than run. 'Hear that,' he whispered pulling her even closer, referring to the squeals of laughter that were coming from the upstairs bathroom. He was safe in the knowledge that they weren't going to be disturbed any time soon, with Graham's promise that after bath time that he'd keep the children out of their way by finding them a film to watch. He tried again. 'Ruth stop, how long can it possibly take to re heat a casserole and prepare a few veggies?' came with the promise that he guaranteed to be tired later. 'So I'm not a bastard,' was the last thing that he said, as Ruth gave into temptation and joined him on the magic carpet. Their clothes stayed on, both of them aware that it wasn't appropriate to take advantage of the situation no matter how tempting, although it didn't stop jumpers being disturbed and Ruth's bra coming undone as hands went in search of flesh. It was their first proper kiss for more than two days and they were completely lost in each other with any thought of dinner abandoned, until they heard the car arrive.
With no idea as to where anyone else in the house now was, they heard the front door open and Alice shout Mummy, before Ruth, ignoring Harry's order to stay where she was, raced after him in the direction of the screams.