Fresh Hope

1 Love

'Thank fuck for coffee'

Sitting in the warm café after a morning shopping in the snow covered streets of Oslo In December, 'Why do I leave theses things to the last minute?' Now that you've sat down you take a long drink from your warm sweet coffee.
Looking through the bags on the seat next to you, there's something for everyone. Your aunt and her family. Your sister and her fiancé and your friends. The message was posted 5 weeks ago. Gifts should be no more than $20 each. The sillier or more obscure, the better. You're family and its weird traditions.

You have a stuffed animal, some ridiculous toilet tissue holder, and 2 sticks that's been made into key rings.
Shopping done.
You're spending a few weeks with your family celebrating the birthdays for the year, with everyone, at one time. Each year, it's taken in turn to host everyone. This year, it was meant to be you, but your kdrama life got in the way, and your aunt took one for the team. 'I love this woman, so fucking much'.

Another caffeine hit and your starting to feel your toes again.
>brain. We could just stay here for another hour then head back to our DNA carriers.
>heart. Family, loved ones, safety. I'm sure that's what you mean.
>kitty. I doesn't matter. The gift budget means I won't get a new tickler.

It's stopped actively snowing and the scene outside the window is magical. You loved visiting when you were younger and seeing the snow makes you feel like a kid again.
Thinking back to when it all felt so easy, so exciting and fresh. 'How I would love to go back just for a day.'

A Christmas ringtone goes off.

"Hey Lee, what's up?",
You greet your friend and now have a grin from ear to ear. You love this chick. It's been a while since you saw her and the other girls.
"Hey, I was, sorry!  We, were wondering what you were doing for the New Year? " We", she must have meant the group. Still smiling, you say "I'm in Oslo with family at the moment, why, what have you got cooking in the spaghetti brain of yours?" and by that you mean all of four of them. As talented as they are they can be a little daft at times.

Lee sighs and explains that it would only be three of them. There's been a parting of the ways in terms of work with the girls but that they all still love each other and all are still friends.

"This is a girls night in and a bottle of wine kind of chat?" You say.  It's not like you all didn't see it coming eventually. "OK, let me get back to you for sure, what dates and where am I flying to?"

Lee says she will send you the details in the next few hours.

Over the next few days, the house is filled with lots of laughter and happy moments. Your sister and her fiancé announce they are expecting, its still very early but since everyone is together it just felt right to share now. What wonderful news! You really love your family. It's  not that big but they are yours. When you tell them that you are going to spend time with friends they don't even mind or cause a fuss. They know you've had a shitty few months, that you have buried yourself in work and, its now that they can see your starting to find yourself again.

Lee sends a text with the details for your new year catch up. "Depart from Oslo 28th Dec, arrive in New York later that day"

The girls have planned a day of sightseeing and shopping. Your going to go ice-skating and around the Park in a buggy. So exciting! To see New York in December, the lights and Christmas trees. It's going to be one to remember. A lovely end to a year that was messy. You think back to when you met the girls. All five of you were young and looking at the world with fresh eyes. The girls had been put together as a group. You were working at a holiday resort as the hotels in house linguistics coordinator, helping the staff to help the guests while they vacationed or worked. There was a VIP, working in one of the villas belonging to the hotel. Filming for some talent show or reality tv, you weren't sure. In truth you didn't need to know the specifics. One evening, it was fairly quiet and you had walked along one of the many paths between the hotel and its gardens and villas. You heard some voices. It was the girls practicing for an audition. They were sweet and when they saw you they asked if you could be their audience. 'Sure, why not'.  keeping in touch was promised, you thought they sounded good but there was a good chance they would disappear in to obscurity like most unsigned groups. The next day however the VIP asked you to help around the villa with the local camera crew helping give instructions.

 The years passed and you did indeed keep in touch with the girls. Its been a busy few years for them as a group, the had their first tour in Europe in 2016 and you were asked to help out in one of the cities. At the end of march 2018 the girls had some tour dates in Japan. They invited you to the last night and you had your first holiday together as friends. Since then, you count them as part of your inner circle. When they filmed scene for a few of their mv in Europe you went with them, even though it was to work as a linguist, it was more like hanging out with friends. 

While in the departure lounge you start watching the other passengers. This is one of your favourite past times. There are some suits, some tourists returning home possibly, also a few families.  A memory of a young boy you once watched flits through you mind.
He married you to your friend. It was funny and cute.
Although his mother was mortified, your friend and you found it funny. Even to the point where your contact ids are now husband and wifeu. 'That was a crazy few days, I hope the hubby is doing well'. You let your mind drift to that hotel room. Its not quiet a smirk but its not a sweet and delicate smile that is on your face now. 

As you board the plane, your mind is going over the last time you went to the US. Yes it was for a contract. But it was also just as your long term boyfriend had taken a wife. What an ass he is.  As far as you are aware, the life he had told her that they would share, was actually filled with your belongings, your car and your apartment. Fuck, he probably introduced her to our mutual friends.  You had since put a stop to that bullshit idea. Evicting him from your apartment, selling your car and cutting him out of your life altogether.  You had also heard that his new wife had asked for a divorce and that his family had cut him off too.  The flight is chilled, there are kids but they are all well behaved and there's not much happening. Your people watching game will have to continue another time. Checking the inflight media, there are a few movies and tv shows that you thought about watching but in the end its the insides of your eyelids that want attention and you fall asleep fairly quickly.

As you get outside you see the car that the girls have sent for you, waiting kerbside, the driver holding a piece of card with your name on it. The driver loads your luggage, its not much just the one case, the girls wanted to gift you a few items so told you not to pack much. Relaxed lounging clothes and some sneakers, a few toiletries and pyjamas. The air is nippy, sliding into the back seat of the car, you start to warm up, and your on the way to the hotel. 

A Christmas ringtone plays.