225 Chapter two, 2016, just another Christmas: 6 (2/2)
”Christina, could you come in here? Dishes can wait,” he called.
Amaya stared at the laptop hooked up to her TV. ”Why?” she asked. Shouldn't the two of you get ready for your Christmas date instead?”
”Trust me, Ulf said. Just trust me.”
”Can't it wait?” Christina shouted from the kitchen.
”Sorry, no. It's three pm.”
”Eh?” She came out into the living room with hands still wet from preparing food and washing some dishes.
The TV screen flared into life and lit up the room with a very old Disney cartoon.
”Trust me, Amaya, trust me,” Ulf said again. 'I hope you like it Christina.'
Christina sagged in the door opening. ”Ulf?” Then she dropped to her knees. ”Ulf, no way!”
”I'm sorry I could only get last year's show, but I guess you missed it anyway.”
”Ulf, how could you...”
”How could I not? Merry Christmas Christina!”
She was crying silently when she crawled on her knees across the floor, and she was sobbing loudly enough for Amaya to hear when she grabbed Ulf and pulled him into her arms.
'For once I want you to be a little kid again and just enjoy Christmas. I love you, I love you so very much. Merry Christmas.'
He cradled her tall body in his arms and met Amaya's perplexed look. ”Swedish tradition,” he whispered and nodded at the TV.
”But why?” Amaya mouthed and stared at Christina who lay in his lap smiling and sobbing at the same time.
”When we grew up this was Christmas. Stupid tradition, I know, but the entire nation used to drop everything at three pm sharp and watch this show.”
Amaya smiled and nodded. ”And you wanted to bring some of that back to her?”
Ulf hugged Christina closer to him. ”She deserves it.” Then he burrowed his face in her hair and revelled in the luxury of slowly drying hair full with the smell of the girl he loved.
”You're a good man,” he heard Amaya say. ”I knew that from the beginning. An arrogant and cocky bastard, but a good one.”
He wasn't clear why she heaped this kind of praise over him right now, but he felt grateful for it, and with Christina in his arms some of the feeling of wonder from Christmases past returned to him.
He sat there watching snippets of old animated films flicker on the screen, saw them but didn't really register them. For him that one hour long show had long since become the backdrop for Christmas, and now he just enjoyed silently sharing those memories with Christina.
Somewhere far back in his mind he wondered how the rest of the gang enjoyed their Christmas.