Keeping Love

Chapter 5

That afternoon we got in the car and we drove to my grandparents house where we were staying for the Christmas period.

These were my mums parents and we were the only family coming. My mum had a brother and a sister. Her brother was killed in a bomb attack. Her sister spent every other Christmas with us. This was one of the Christmas' she spent at her husband's family.

This was the first Christmas where Andy really understood what was going on. Or at least understood parts of it.

The whole drive he asked me if Santa was going to be at Granny and Grandpa's house when we got there. It didn't matter how many times I told him that Santa didn't come until Christmas Eve when we were sleeping he would ask again.

When we got to the house I let Andy out of the car. He ran up to the house.

"Is Santa here? Is Santa here?" He shouted running up to the door.

"No son." My dad replied rubbing his head. Any car ride is a long car ride with a three year old in the car.

My granny answered the door.

"Santa!" Andy yelled running past her.

Granny laughed.

"He's very excited for Christmas." Mum explained giving her mum a hug.

"I see that." She looked behind her in the direction Andy had ran then turned to me.

"Come her Joe." She held out her arms for a hug, "you get taller and taller every time I see you."

I gave her a hug and we went inside.

We found Andy sitting on my grandpa's lap.

"He said Santa is coming another day." Andy pointed at Grandpa.

"Yep." I nodded wondering how the message had finally gotten through to the toddler.

Christmas at my grandparents had changed a lot since I had been a small child like Andy. My uncle had been a big character and when he got together with his family it was guaranteed fun. He always went the extra mile to make sure the children in the family had the best Christmas possible. Once he died Joanne and Carol stopped coming to Christmas here and always went to Christmas at Carol's family.

Christmas got quieter.

Now as Andy was getting older it was getting louder again. He didn't know any different. Everyone looked at him for joy.

The next few days moved slowly. I spent most of my time entertaining Andy. I spoke to Olivia everyday. Everyday her grandpa was kept in the hospital for just one more day for just one more test and she got more and more upset. I felt useless.

On Christmas Eve Andy was bouncing off the walls with excitement. "Santa is coming!" He told anyone and everyone.

The phone rang and I picked it up hoping it was Olivia. It was.

"Joe?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah it's me."

"He was let out! This morning!"

"Oh Olivia! I'm so pleased!" I was. I knew she would have been so upset if he'd been kept in over Christmas. It would have hurt me to hear her cry over the phone and know there was nothing I could do to help.

"I know. Me too! I knew he would be! He wouldn't let me down on Christmas! He promised me!" I could feel her joy through her voice on the phone.

"Is he feeling better then?"

"He says he's been feeling fine this whole time! They just kept him in to be careful. Nothing to worry about!"

I knew she would believe anything her grandpa told her but I doubted that was true and thought he was probably sicker than he was letting on to her. "That's good." I said.

"Yeah. I'm so pleased. I've got to go. I'll speak to you later ok? I love you."

I was just happy that she was happy now and not crying anymore, "I'll talk to you later. I love you too."

Christmas morning came early. I was sharing a room with Andy. I was woken up by him shouting. "It was Santa. It was Santa!"

"What is it?" I asked rubbing my eyes and sitting up.

"Look Joe!" He was out of his bed and over to mine. He held out his stocking that looked huge in his small hands.

I smiled. Mum always left the stockings downstairs on Christmas Eve then she would fill them with chocolates and small gifts and set them at the foot of our beds.

"Let's see what you got." I said lifting him up and setting him on my bed.

He turned the stocking upside down and his chocolates and toys fell out as well as the traditional orange that mum insisted went at the bottom of our stockings.

"Wow!" Andy's eyes grew and his hands dived straight for a small toy truck, "look!" He held it up in front of my face.

"I see!" I smiled at him, "look what else you got!" I pointed to the rest of his stuff.

"I got so much!" He said his face showed disbelief, "Santa is so cool!"

"Yeah he is." I laughed, "do you want to see what I got?" I lifted up my stocking.

Andy nodded eagerly.

I moved his stuff to the side and then dumbed my stuff out. It was mainly chocolate.

"We got some the same!" Andy said holding up identical chocolate bars, "that's so funny!" He laughed.

"Yeah it is." I tickled his side to get him to laugh more.

"Can we show mummy?" He asked.

"Sure we can." I nodded. I put all our stuff back in our stockings, "let's go." I handed him his stocking.

We went and I let Andy wake up our parents.

"Could you not have made him sleep a bit longer?" Dad asked me looking grumpy at being woken up.

"Oh give over!" Mum shoved him, "it's Christmas morning with your sons!"

He nodded and they both got up and we went downstairs to open presents.

Andy looked like he was going to fall over when he saw the presents.

After all the wrapping paper was tidied up and we ate breakfast I went into the other room to phone Olivia.

Ethan picked up the phone. I chatted with him for a few minutes, wishing him a happy Christmas before he went to get Olivia.

"Hey!" She sounded excited when she answered the phone.

"Hi!" I smiled at her voice, "Happy Christmas, how's your day going?"

"Happy Christmas to you too! Good! I got some cool presents. Have I ever told you that I love Christmas?"

"You have yeah." I laughed, "what's your plan today?"

"Well all my cousins are coming after noonish and then we have Christmas dinner. The morning visitors will be here pretty soon. Then in the evening more family comes. What about you?"

"Just us and grandparents. It was an early start for us though. Andy has been so excited."

"That must have been so cute though! I miss Andy. Say hi to him from me. Tell him I say Happy Christmas! We started pretty early too."

"I will. Why'd you start early? Were some of your cousins round?"

"No. I just was excited about Christmas."

I laughed, "at 18 years old you woke your house up early for Christmas!"

"Yes I did!" She laughed, "and I regret none of it!"

"Did anyone get up with you?"

"Yes. Because they love me."

"So you're all crazy is what I'm hearing."

"Nope."

We joke around until Olivia's relatives start to arrive and she has to go.

"I love you. I'll speak to you tomorrow." I said to her.

"I love you too. Speak to you tomorrow." I smile and put down the phone going back to join my family for the rest of Christmas Day.