A Family Christmas Ch. 06

A lot of the street market stalls had remained open late on Leopoldstraβe and Maria-Theresa-Straβe and many of the cafés had put out tables as the weather was cold but dry and there were plenty of customers who were happy to sit outside with hot beverages or mulled wine. We stopped at a café just the other side of the Maria-Theresa Arch for hot chocolates laced with brandy and shared an enormous Schnitzel roll, a huge crusty roll stuffed with hot veal schnitzel which we tore into four pieces and held with paper napkins so that we could eat it with our fingers like a burger.

At mid-night all the church bells in the city rang out and the merry makers shouted and cheered. There was a group of British tourists close by the Weinhaus Happ restaurant who had formed a circle and were belting out "Auld Lang Syne" and we pushed out way in so that we could join them in welcoming in the New Year in the traditional British way. As the crowd began to disperse an Austrian brass and accordion band began to play and several couple started to dance in the centre of the market square.

"I'm going to make your lovely son dance with me again..." Julia announced to Mother grabbing my hand and tugging me into the open plaza.

"Just remember to bring him back..." Mother laughed, "I want a dance as well... It is New Year and boys should dance with their mother at New Year..."

Even bundled up in our thick top coats and snow boots it was fantastic having Julia in my arms again even if we were just shuffling around on the cobbles in approximate time to the music. I buried my face in her hair and breathed in the heady aroma of her herbal shampoo and held her tighter to me than was necessary but she didn't object and we just swayed to the music whilst our bodies caressed.

"Oh, God, James dearest..."She murmured in my ear. "I so wanted you to hold me in your arms just one more time."

It was impossible for us to stay like that for more than a few minutes even though I prayed that the band would just keep playing and that the world would forget that we were gently clutching each other in a desperate embrace.

I finally exchanged my Julia for my mother and we danced a couple of circuits around the town square and then I shuffled through a single smooch with Cora before returning to our table. Mother had ordered warm mulled wine for all of us and we spent a time just sipping from our glasses and watching the dancers whirling to the music.

"I am going to find a taxi..." Mother said eventually, "Cora is starting to get tired now and so I think we should return to the hotel."

"OK..." I said and picked up my glass to finish my drink.

"Why don't you and Julia stay on for a while and dance some more?" She suggested, "You can make your own way back when you have had enough..."

"That would be lovely..." Julia answered for the two of us. "We will try not to wake you if we stagger in pissed..." She joked.

There were taxis waiting at the top of Maria-Theresa-Straβe and we all walked over and I saw Cora and Mother into the cab and then leaned through the window. "Thanks, Mum...we won't be too late..."

She had a strange look on her face and just placed her hand over mine and squeezed gently. "Be careful, darling..." Was all that she said before the taxi pulled away. It was the second time that she had said something like that... I guess that she was still concerned about Julia's health.

I guess that we were both more than willing to grasp the life line that Mum had unwittingly tossed to us and despite the cold spent another two hours just circling the town square in each other's arms with the occasional break to sit at one of the tables outside the Weinhaus Happ and sip hot spiced mulled wine and smoke a cigarette. There was unlikely to be anybody present who recognised us and so neither of us tried to hide our feelings and clung to each other and exchanged kisses just as many of the other celebrating couples were doing. The band finally ceased playing at about 02:45am when it started to snow and trying to dance on the cobbled paving became more like skating. People were dispersing or taking shelter in those bars and café which were still open and so we sat by the fire in the bar and had one last glass of wine.

We ignored the waiting taxis and walked slowly back to the hotel holding hands or with our arms around each other's waists in the pouring snow, neither of us wishing to rush to a parting. That night had been a bonus we had seized a few extra hours alone together but tomorrow would be a family day and then we would be flying back to the UK the day after. It took us almost an hour to walk back to the Tirolerhof, not because of the snow which had started to fall quite heavily, but because we paused every few minutes to linger in a doorway or some secluded spot out of the arc of the street lights to share a long passionate kiss, each pause becoming more urgent and more desperate the closer we got to our destination.

We crept quietly into the hotel suite and found that both Mum and Cora were already in bed and asleep. Their bedroom doors were closed and so I hung our wet coats in the drying closet and we risked a final embrace in the hall outside the door to Julia's room. We whispered our goodnights and exchanged a final soft kiss and I stood and watched her disappear into the darkness of her room and close the door.

To be continued...

*

NOTE TO THIS CHAPTER: The descriptions of places and events in Austria are as they were in 2007 if a restaurant is mentioned it was there and the food was as described. The exceptions are the Tirolerhof Hotel and the Cafeteria Kaspar Josef, there are no establishments of that name in Innsbruck at the time of writing but are based upon a similar establishments which sadly closed some years ago.

GF

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