Extract from The Watchman

Chapter 3 – Adam’s Gran falls down holes

December 1988

…I just carried on with my cake.  It tasted so nice.  It had cream.  And cherries.  I thought so hard about which part of the cake to eat next that I hardly felt it when somebody touched me on the shoulder.  I ignored them, though, because my cake tasted so nice.  Somebody touched my shoulder again.  The cherries…

“Look who’s here, Adam,” said Mum.

I wanted to be left alone.  My cake tasted so nice.  The cherries were really sweet.  Then I smelt a smell that I knew really well.  A nice smell – I always felt happy with that smell.  I felt another touch on my shoulder.  The smell was really strong.  It smelt like the flowers in the wood and the burnt logs from our fire – both at the same time.  I put my special spoon down and turned around to see the person touching me.  Gran!  My Gran!  She’d got off a train and come to see me.  My Gran.  A little while before I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see her again – and then she was stood right behind me.  My Gran.

I screamed, jumped out of my chair and gave her the biggest hug I’d ever given anybody.  I kissed her on the cheek and looked at her.  She had my cake stuck all over her face.  She laughed quietly – she always laughs quietly.  I hugged her again and said all the words I knew so that she knew that I was trying to talk to her.  I said ‘alloaw’, ‘tomorrow’, ‘Pom-Pom Parlar tomorrow’, “MaMummy tomorrow, ‘toylou’ and ‘dinnaow’.  I put them all together and kept laughing.  Gran stroked my cheek and said something.

“Ohh, you’re a lovely boy.  Give me another hug.”

She hugged me again.  I squeezed her really tight.  I felt so happy my Gran had come to see me.  I kept talking to her and hugging her.  She carried on laughing quietly and I grabbed her hand.  I could see her little suitcase on the floor by her feet – the same suitcase she always brought with her.  Next to that was a bag with prezzies.  She’d come to stay for Chrimbo.  That made me feel even happier, but just to make sure she stayed and didn’t get back on the train I let go of her hand, picked up her suitcase and gave it to Dad.  I then picked up the bag with the prezzies and gave it to Mum.  I then grabbed my Gran’s hand and started to walk her back to the car – this way we would all be at the car with all Gran’s stuff.  I didn’t care about the rest of my cake.  The quicker we all got in the car the sooner we’d be at home in Adinna and I’d be sure that she was definitely staying for Chrimbo.

In fact, I went back and finished my cake.  I kissed her again and got cake all over her face.  She smiled and pulled a tissue from her sleeve.