Monday 29 December 2014

and Automobiles



Christmas Eve. We were going nowhere and getting there fast. The line of traffic stretched out in front of us far into the distance. We hadn’t moved for an hour and twenty minutes and looked like we wouldn’t be moving for at least that long again. Sally thumped the steering wheel in frustration.
‘C’mon’ she said hopelessly. Night was drawing in and getting to Sally’s parents in time for Christmas dinner was looking less and less likely. She played with the dial on the radio looking for news while I tried the internet on my phone to find out what was going on.
‘I told you we should have left earlier.’ Sally said. I kept quiet; Sally had said nothing of the sort. If anything it was her fault we were running late, but I knew not to mention that now.
Sally’s family were Czech so the 24th was their big Christmas Day meal and so all the trimmings were being trimmed as we sat in this line of traffic trying to keep warm.
A policeman approached our car. Sally wound down the driver’s window.
‘Get set for the long haul,’ he said. ‘No one's going anywhere for a fair while.’
‘How long’s a fair while?’ Sally asked. ‘Are we talking hours or days?’
‘At least tomorrow morning,’ the copper replied.  
‘You’re joking?’ Sally thumped the wheel again.
He didn’t look like he was joking.
‘Can we turn around anywhere?’ Sally asked. The copper shook his head. 
‘But we have to get to my parents’ for Christmas.’ She said. The cop gave a so doess everyone love look and walked down to the next car.
Sally collapsed onto the wheel in disbelief.
You could see the different emotions on our faces, Sally distraught that she wouldn’t be with her parents and sisters for the big meal, me the relief of not being with her parents and sisters for the big meal. It’s great to try carp once but once is enough.
I’d been arguing for years that we should have Christmas  just the two of us and finally I was getting my way, although not quite how I imagined it, But now wasn’t the time to crow, not unless I wanted to the frosty atmosphere outside the car to creep inside it.
The weak winter sun had set and the temperature had dipped below zero and even with the blankets Sally had brought along with us,  we were struggling to deal with the cold. I’d laughed at Sally earlier in the day when she’d packed blankets and a thermos full of hot drinks for our journey. ‘We’re going to your mum and dad’s not trekking the Antarctic’ I’d teased. But she was having the last laugh now.
Sally was beginning to put a brave face on it, what else could she do? We’d climbed into the back so we could cwtch up together but we were still too cold. 
‘What did you get your mum and dad?’ I asked Sally, knowing the answer already.
‘Those Christmas jumpers,’ she said.
‘Shall we?’ I looked at her. She pulled a face to say no, but she knew that we had to.
Within seconds we were ripping off wrapping paper and wrapping ourselves up in Christmas jumpers, gloves and scarves, munching our way through the chocolate we’d bought for her sister and supping the brandy that was going to be her sister’s husband’s present.
A Christmas dinner of emergency sandwiches and Pringles was washed down with Thermos flask coffee. Our iPhone provided entertainment and our bodies provided warmth, it wasn’t the perfect Christmas but somehow it felt like a right Christmas. Eventually we drifted off to an uncomfortable sleep.
We were woken by the sound of horns and engines, cars were beginning to move. Sally jumped up to the driver’s seat and started the car. Just under an hour later we were pulling up outside Sally’s house.

The family were pleased to see us but the look on their faces changed when we started giving out unwrapped and used presents. For me it made the whole ordeal worth it and even Sally smiled.

1 comment:

  1. Unplanned romantic Christmas Eve, lovely story :-)

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