The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself

Agnetha and Björn Easter Sunday - part 1

It was 31st March 2024 and it was Easter Sunday. Today the whole family would be gathered at Agnetha's house at Ekerö and together they will celebrate Easter. Nothing too special right, just a normal family celebrating together? Wrong! This will be the first big family gathering since Björ's divorce from Lena which happened more than a year ago. Last year was chaotic to say the least and he missed many celebrations but for the sake of the family he and Lena still both attended them together. This time was the first one that he will be attending alone in quite some time both Emma and Anna had decided to spend this Easter with their mother.

It was 6.30 AM in Västervik, he was staying in his hotel - Slottsholmen. Björn woke up to his alarm going off. He only slept for a couple of hours. He only arrived home late last night it must have been past midnight. His meetings in London about ABBA Voyage had dragged on till 5.00 PM and his flight that was scheduled for 7.00 PM was delayed for another two hours. So it was no wonder he only arrived home in the small hours of the morning. Björn got out of his bed and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, take a shower and get ready. After half an hour he walked back in the bedroom and got dressed. He chose to go simple and wore blue jeans, red shirt and black blazer. He went down into the kitchen and started brewing his morning coffee. He prepared himself some toast with butter and apricot marmalade. He ate and drank his coffee while checking emails, cleared up and was just about to open the front door when he remembered it was still cold outside in Sweden. He decided to take his old winter coat with him just in case. He locked up and got into his car. It was 8.00 AM before Björn pulled out of his driveway and was on his way to Agnetha's house. It was a three and half hour drive.

Agentha couldn't sleep, knowing Björn was flying form London yesterday made he anxious, she just laid in her bed all night looking at the ceiling. It was 5.00 AM and she decided it was as good time as any to get up and so she did. She went into the bathroom attached to her bedroom. She made herself a bath filling it with her favourite bubble bath that reminded her of all the baths she and Björn enjoyed together. When se got in she signed, remembering all the good times and those small moments. It's been so long and she dearly missed it. The water has gone cold so she got out of the bathtub and dried off. She dried her hair and brushed. Brushed her teeth and washed her face. When she was done she walked out of the bathroom back into her bedroom and got dressed into simple outfit. She wasn't expecting anyone till lunch. She chose simple black leggings and light brown sweatshirt. She walked to the kitchen quietly tiptoeing not to wake anyone up as it was still very early in the morning. She looked at the kitchen clock and noticed it wasn't working. She signed, she forgot her phone in her bedroom. She tiptoed back up the stairs again getting her phone and finally making her way back to the kitchen again. She looked at her phone and saw that it was 6.29 AM still very early. She brew herself some coffee. She could barely keep her eyes open, she didn't sleep a wink. She made herself some breakfast. She wasn't really hungry so she only had one slice of toast but she couldn't resist a big spoon of Nutella that was still out on the counter. She chuckled to herself, she was always one for sweets. Once she was finished she washed the dishes and decided to go for a walk. It was only 7.00 AM. She wrote a note to Linda saying she will be back shortly and left it on the kitchen table. She went into the entry room got on mer riding boots and her winter coat and quietly closed the front door.

Björn has been driving for almost 2 hours. Some roads were closed so he had to take a bit longer road. It was almost 10 AM when he arrived in Linköping and he noticed his car tank was almost empty and he had to stop at the gas station. He was annoyed with himself just what he needed, he was already running late. Soon he was back on the road and if he was lucky he would just in time. He remembered his daughter Linda's message from last night:

Linda

Lunch at 2.00 PM , be here at 1.30 PM papa! You know how mama gets when her scheduled is ruined. See you, don't be late!

She walked down to the stables that were near the beach. She fed the horses finally making it to her dearest animal friend Cassandra. Cassandra was an old horse that has been with Agnetha for a long time and she loved her dearly. The sun was just rising and she decided to take Cassandra out for a ride. It felt like she hadn't ridden in such a long time but as soon as she was set on the saddle she felt at home.It was like no time had passed as if it was only yesterday. Agnetha returned back to the house she was sharing with her daughter Linda, her husband Jens and their three daughters: Tilda (23), Esther (17) and Signe (14). Her son Christian also lived in their Ekerö home in the other house on the estate that was just in the middle between the main house and the guest house that was closer to the estate entrance. She opened the front door and was surprised to find the house unusually quiet. It was already 9.30 AM and still no sign of life. She took down the outdoor gear and sat on the couch resting just a little bit. Not five minutes later Signe, Esther and Tilda came running down the stairs soon followed by Linda and Jens. Just as they were all about to sit down for breakfast the doorbell rang. Signe ran for the door and it was Christian with his wife Isabelle and their young daughter Nike (8) coming for their annual Easter breakfast. Nike ran into her grandmothers arms and snuggled into her chest staying there the whole time. The children want to the stables and Jens and Christian decided to follow them. It was only Agnetha, Linda and Isabelle left in the kitchen and it was just the time to prepare the family Easter lunch, it was almost 11 AM and lunch needed to be don by 2.00 PM.

Björn drove another 2 hours and now only had 1 hour left but it was already 12.30 PM. He was really cutting it short. He speed up a bit, he really didn't want Agnetha's wrath on him. To say the least it wasn't pleasant. As his luck would have it he was stopped by the police because he was speeding. The policeman was in a bad mood and Björn was sure the fine was gonna be horrendous but his luck seemed to be turning. The policeman was a huge ABBA fan and let Björn go without any problems but still dared to ask for an autograph. Björn just smiled, signed the ABBA photo that the friendly policeman seemed to be carrying everywhere and wished him a good day. With no time to spear Björn was back on his way although this time much slower cautious of the speed limits. Björn pulled up the driveway at Ekerö and he almost didn't dare look at the time. After a moment he pulled out his phone and there it was 1.47 PM. Björn winced and finally plucked up the courage to go inside.

The smell in the kitchen was amazing, the three women have cooked up quite a feast. Full of traditional Easter foods. It was 1.00 PM when the rest of the lot returned from the stables. Nike was back in her grandmothers arms in no time while Linda ordered everyone to wash up as it was almost time for lunch. Agnetha helped Nike and they all soon returned to the kitchen. Today they would eat in the big dining room and on "the good plates" that barely got used, only for special occasions. Tilda and Esther set the table while Signe and Nike helped their mothers and grandmother do the final touches in the kitchen. It was now 1.20 PM and everything was ready she went back to her bedroom and dressed in the signature blue jeans and wore a grey sweatshirt with a white blazer. She touched up her makeup and headed back downstairs just then the clock struck 1.30 PM. The potatoes will be done in 15 minutes just in time for lunch at 2.00 PM. Where was he, he should be here by now. Agnetha started pacing up and down the entryway. Every couple minutes she would stop and look at the time. She was just about to check the time for the 10th time when the doorbell rang, the front door opened and there in front of her stood Björn.

For a moment there was an awkward silence. There was obvious tension between them. She looked him up and down disapprovingly and said:

You're late