‘Oh no.’ I stared at the fluttery flakes landing on the glass and groaned. ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t start laying.’
Grandpa chuckled.
Taking a deep breath, I started the car. ‘Harp Brook here we come, Grandpa,’ I said, as we pulled away from my flat. Reaching for the radio I went to turn it on. It was time to listen to some Christmas tunes, ignore the weather and enjoy a peaceful car journey. Grandpa cleared his throat as my hand travelled towards the radio button. ‘I’ve never liked Frank, Rachel.’
I gasped, taking back my hand. ‘What? Really?’
He nodded. ‘I told Karen about how I feel, and she thought I was going senile. Our family has become blinded by Frank’s money. Maddie should never have married him.’
After blowing the air out of my cheeks I stole a glance at Grandpa. He was trembling and chewing on his thumb. ‘She’s not our Maddie anymore.’ His voice was crackly and tinged with sadness. Instinctively, I reached across and squeezed his hand. The knot in my tummy returned.
‘She used to be bubbly and full of laughter,’ he croaked. ‘Always talking about her friends and her busy life. Maddie was the life and soul of the party. When I talk to her now on the phone, I hear her subdued voice and I listen to how they both sit in that gigantic house as the dust gathers on Frank’s art collection. It breaks my old heart.’
The shock of hearing Grandpa confirm what I’d been thinking about Maddie made beads of sweat gather on my forehead. I wasn’t the only one who was concerned for Maddie.
‘Sorry, Grandpa,’ I said, fighting the urge to pull the car over and hug him.
‘Money isn’t everything, Rachel. Though your mother and your aunty Karen would disagree.’
‘I’ve also been worried about Maddie. When she came over to my flat the other day to ask me to dog sit. I saw something in her eyes. A sadness. I have this awful feeling something’s going on with her.’
Grandpa patted his knee. ‘I knew I wasn’t the only one. The rest of them have lost all their common sense but you and I have kept ours, Rachel.’
He was quiet for a while. I drove and he gazed out of the window. At the motorway services, I stopped so Grandpa could go to the toilet, and I could buy myself a coffee. Once back in the car Grandpa smiled at me. ‘We’re similar souls, you and me, Rachel.’
‘Really, Grandpa?’
He nodded. ‘When your aunty Karen explained that the family wanted me to go spend Christmas with you, I was excited.’
Guilt wrapped itself around me as I drove out of the service station. Excitement had not been my first reaction. I had been more concerned about not being able to have a proper rest.
‘We’re the Christmas Dog Sitters and we are going to have a Christmas adventure,’ he beamed, raising his fist in celebration. ‘It’s going to be great. As Nadine says, “Let’s go large.”’
He was worrying me with all this talk of an adventure and references to ‘going large’. I needed to bring him down to Earth. This was supposed to be a relaxing break. ‘Grandpa, I promised the family I would look after you in Harp Brook so we can’t do too much adventuring.’
‘This could be my last Christmas, Rachel.’
I turned to him. ‘Don’t say that, Grandpa.’
He shrugged. ‘I am in my eighties now. I’m no spring chicken. We need to make the most of the time I have left. Please can we have a Christmas adventure?’
I was curious as to what his definition of aChristmas adventureincluded. For all I knew he could be referring to nipping down the local pub for a shandy, the odd game of darts which I knew he loved, watching the endless rotation of Christmas films on TV and stuffing his face with a Christmas dinner and all the trimmings. ‘Okay, what would your ideal Christmas adventure include, Grandpa?’
‘I would like to save someone’s life, go on a dangerous expedition, dance with a beautiful lady under the stars, and do something amazing.’
I don’t think I have ever gripped the steering wheel so tightly and struggled to remain calm on a motorway before. Aunty Karen’s list of dos and don’ts when caring for Grandpa flashed across my mind. ‘Make sure he has a blanket over his legs, has regular cups of tea brought to him, is fed three good meals and make sure all excitement is kept to a minimum.’
She wanted me to wrap him up in cotton wool and stick him in a chair next to a Christmas tree for three weeks.
He, on the other hand, wanted to spend Christmas living like an action hero from the films Frank used to star in.
A nervous laugh escaped from my lips. ‘Oh, Grandpa, I don’t think Harp Brook is going to be that exciting.’
‘Rachel, I didn’t want to tell you but…’ He paused and I gulped.
‘Tell me what, Grandpa?’ My heart pounded against my ribcage.
‘I’m lonely, Rachel, and it’s making me very sad.’
