The promise

Anton woke up to a chilly but beautiful winters Christmas day and lay in bed mentally preparing himself for the day. At 09h00 exactly Mrs Watson knocked on the door, enter he called out and the door opened and in came a rather plump, rosy cheeked Lady wearing an very bright Christmas apron carrying a breakfast tray. Morning Mr T she said setting the tray down on the coffee table in front of the fire. I hope you slept well she asked while pulling back the curtains, I never slept a wink, another wasted Christmas with that ungrateful bunch you call children, it's going to be a long day Mr T if its anything like last year. Merry Christmas Mrs Watson, he said pulling back the covers and reaching for his dressing gown while looking out of the window at the garden covered in new snow. Oh dear Mr T she replied I am sorry for going off at you, but it all seems a big waste of time and energy to entertain that lot not to mention inviting them to a lavish 7 course Christmas lunch every year. Speaking of lunch, I better get back into the kitchen to help Mrs Walker with the last odds and ends on the vegan, wheat free, lactose free, dairy free, free range, vegetarian menu she said sarcastically adding milk and sugar to Antons's coffee, have you ever heard of such nonsense in your life? Thank you for all your efforts in preparing the Christmas lunch Mrs Watson and Please pass on my thanks to Mrs Walker as well Anton said I do appreciate all your hard work. Anton sat in front of the fire sipping his coffee trying to relax enough to untangle the knot in his tummy. He rose and headed to the bathroom pausing at the sideboard to pick up a photo of a very beautiful older women, merry Christmas my love, another Christmas lunch with our children as promised but without you. Margaret had always made a big fuss of Christmas and insisted that all the children come home for Christmas lunch, no excuses, it was not debatable, everyone had to be there, she was the glue that kept them all together especially at Christmas. It had been 5 years since she had lost her battle with cancer and the Christmas before she passed away was the very last happy Christmas Anton had had. The family fractured and split after her death, especially after the reading of her will when all four of their children put as much distance between him, them and each other as they could. Anton had tried to keep in touch with his four children on a regular basis because he knew that it was what his wife and their mother would have wanted more than anything but after many missed calls and unreturned answering machine messages, he gave up but there was one way of getting the family back together once a year for Christmas and it was certainly more out of greed than the sense of family. Anton came downstairs to the wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen, walking into the dining room, the long table had been decorated beautifully in Margrets favored Christmas decoration colors of red, white and green. The sideboard on the left had been set up as a bar with whiskey, brandy, vodka and gin as well as sodas, mixers, white and red wine and 2 very large glass punch bowel filled with the most delicious nonalcoholic eggnog for the grandchildren and tea tootlers and the another with an eggnog for the rest of the family with a rather strong kick to it. Anton then made his way to the sitting room, switching on the lights of a very tall beautifully decorated Christmas tree, the same Christmas tree that Margret had been putting up and decorating at Christmas since the children has been little. I hope it is to your liking my love Anton whispered, there were no Christmas presents under the tree, Anton had tried to make sure that there were always lots of gifts under the tree for his grandchildren but gave up on it after it was turned into a huge argument between his daughters and daughters' in-laws as to which child had received the best and most expensive gifts. Anton had never even picked the children's gifts out himself but enlisted the help of an online service to pick, by gender and age group, wrap and deliver the gifts and only saw what he had bought for each one once the gifts were opened. Margret loved to pick out Christmas gifts for each and every member of the family, lovingly wrapping them in the most beautiful gift-wrapping paper and adding bows and ribbons to each and every one even if the boys though the wrapping was for Sissy's. She was always spot on with the right gift for each of them and there was never any fighting because everyone loved their gifs almost as much as they loved her. Anton awoke from his daydream and walked out of the sitting room, down the passage into the kitchen where Mrs Walker and Mrs Watson were talking up a storm at the top of their voices while Mrs Walkers two daughters who had been hired as servers for the day ran around the kitchen laying the plates and serving bowels out on a separate table, courting and re-counting to make sure that there was enough crockery for all seven courses. How are we doing ladies Anton asked hoping they would hear him over all the chatter. Merry Christmas Mr Thompson, Mrs Walker said stepping towards him to shake his hand, it sure smells delicious in here Mrs Walker Anton said, Merry Christmas girls he said to the two young ladies who has stopped for a moment to acknowledge him, merry Christmas Mr Thompson they said in unison, thank you for having us here today. You are welcome girls thank you for your help. Ladies I am going into Town shortly and I was wondering if you needed anything from the store. Oh yes please Mr Thompson could you please pick up the vegan jelly for me from Mrs Leonard at the deli, Luckily, she pointed out that normal jelly has gelatin in it and gelatin is an animal product, so she offered to make up some vegan jelly for the lunch today. Anton smiled, thank you for all your effort Mrs Walker, I will do so. Anton had always loved winter, the cold, the snow, the warm log fires and lots of warm hot chocolate. He stopped at the deli on the way to the florist to pick up the jelly, it looks exactly like the normal jelly he commented to Mrs Leonard, and they both winked at each other. Anton walked into the florist on the corner and picked up a huge Christmas floral arrangement made up the same way every Christmas for the last 5 years. There were a few cars parked in the cemetery parking lot but not too many. Anton got out of the car opening the boot and putting on his thick hooded winter jacket. He closed the boot, picked up the huge arrangement of flowers from the passenger seat and locked the car. Margrets grave was quite a way away from the carpark and Anton was glad that he had put on his snow boots before he left the house. Hello, my darling he said as he reached the beautiful marble grave and head stone, they had picked out together shortly before Margrets death, of course I want to choose my own coffin, gravestone and head stone before I die, she had argued with Anton, I have seen your taste in furniture she said hiding her grin behind her gloved hand. She had also chosen this burial plot, up on the slope of the hill, under a huge oak tree with space for him when the time comes, and she had been right about the stunning sunsets and beautiful singing of the birds in the tree in the summertime. Merry Christmas he said laying the flowers down on the grave. He sat on the matching Mabel bench he has had specially made in the same marble as her gravestone for him to sit on when visiting her every day. Mrs Walker and Mrs Watson are cooking up a storm for Christmas lunch of all your favorites, including the trifle as per your step for step instructions even though it has never tasted the same as the one you used to make. I miss you my love and I wish with all my heart that you were here with me today. The children will be home soon, not willingly of course, and it will be interesting to see who is divorced, who has remarried, if we have any new grandchildren by marriage or by birth, and like Mrs Watson said this morning it is going to be a long day. I wish you were here with me my love Christmas was always a happy time when you were with us and yes, I can hear you saying, now now Anton only positive thoughts, and besides you will have tons of news for me when you visit tomorrow. After a while Anton checked the time on his watch, well it's time to go my love, wish me luck and I will see you tomorrow, I love you.

Anton heard a car pull up and pulled the curtain back to see who it was, He recognized Lizzy their oldest daughter in the passenger seat of the car but could not place the rather timid looking man in the driver's seat, husband number 4 he thought to himself but did not make his way to the door immediately but rather waited for the bell to ring as it looked like the argument they were having in the cat was going to take a while. Luke was next to arrive and as usual their youngest son made an entrance in the latest sports car and with the newest super model on his arm. Luke did not even ring the doorbell but just entered his childhood home with a Hi Dad, this is Samantha, where is the bar? Hello Son, Hello Samantha welcome. Donna arrived next with double the number of children she had arrived with last Christmas with a frazzeld looking lady in tow holding a baby. Hello Father, the children wanted to bring friends, John had to work, and this is Megan the Nanny, oh you brought your Nanny Anton asked in Suprise trying to be as polite as possible, well of course I did, you can't expect me to look after all these children and a newborn by myself, do you? No of course not dear, Anton replied, may I meet my newest Grandchild, Megan show Jackson to my father please and then Dad can you please show Megan which room she can use to put the baby down to sleep in. Max....Max Donna shouted at the top of her voice grabbing her eldest son by the arm of his jacket, what did I tell you in the car, go straight to the TV lounge with all the other children and stay there until I say that you can come out....I need a drink. Lizzy finally came into the house with a very frazzled looking man in tow, hello Daddy she said this is Miles, hello Miles Anton said extending his hand, hello Sir, Miles replied shaking his hand, the bar is that way he pointed to the dining room feeling very sorry for the poor man. And Last but not least Grant arrived. Grant had always been his mother's favorite, even though she denied it, but he has also been her biggest disappointment. Dad, he said extending his hand for his father to shake. Hello Son Anton said turning to Grants third wife and his long-suffering daughter in law, hello Inge, how are you my dear, I am well thank you Anton she replied wincing in pain when he hugged her and he could not help but notice the busing around her left wrist when she removed her jacket, quickly pulling down her sleeve to hide it. Anton bent down to greet the twins, my but you have both grown so much he said looking into the sad eyes of two very timid but beautiful blond haired blue eyed 6-year-old girls. Margret and Anton had not been aware of Grants very abusive behavior towards his wife and children until a very public and messy divorce from his second wife. They had arranged for him to recover from a severe cocaine addiction in a very exclusive private clinic in Switzerland and he was doing well after that for a while. Anton felt sorry for Inge and the twins, and he had tried to help but all Grant said to him when his father tried to discuss the matter with him was, Mom's dead Dad so I can't be a disappointment to her anymore right...... Anton walked into the kitchen, well they are all here and you were right as usual Mrs Watson we need 1 more adult and 3 more children's place settings at the table please. Three hours later Anton looked at himself in the bathroom mirror while washing his hands, its finally over at last he said to himself. Three hours of brothers insulting sisters and sisters insulting each other. Undisciplined, ill-mannered children running amuck with a very frazzled nanny trying in vain to control them. And if that was not enough then the blame started, how dare Mom die and how dare I let her, it is all my fault that we are not a close family anymore and this charismas lunch tradition was the biggest load of fake rubbish ever. When Anton left the bathroom most of the family were already lined up in front of the Christmas tree for the annual family Christmas photo, can we get this over and done with please Luke shouted, I have better places to be, oh shut it Luke Donna snapped at him, the world does not revolve around you anymore and for piets sake get your girlfriend a burger before she starves to death. Watch your mouth Donna at least I am not a fat pathetic Mother and Wife, where is your Husband Donna, I can only take a guess. Can we get this done Please Grant mumbled pulling Inga towards him so forcefully by the wrist that she winched in pain. The photo was taken and everyone put on their coats ready to leave, well I guess there is only one more thing to get out of the way Anton said picking up a stack of white envelopes off the entrance hall table, Grant, Luke, Donna and Lizzy were each handed an envelope, always the same amount Luke commented putting his cheque back into the envelope, Mom has been dead for 5 years Dad and the cost of living goes up every year it is becoming more and more difficult to live on only $150 000.00 a year and why do we have to come to a fake Christmas lunch every year to pick up our cheque it's a waste of time, can't you just mail us each our cheques? none of us give a rats ass about Christmas anyway. I promised your mother Anton said that I would continue our Christmas lunch tradition after her passing even if we had to pay you all to do it, you all heard the terms and conditions of her will and until the day I die you will have to continue with this tradition if you want to get paid.

The house had finally gone quiet, and Anton was alone at last. He sat in his favorite chair Infront of the fire sipping a glass of whiskey, it is done for another year my love he said, where did we go so wrong with them?

The next morning Anton got up to a sunnier but cold day, Mrs Watson had been given the next few days off to spend with family so Anton Showered and made his own coffee downstairs after which he got into the car and drove into town stopping outside the drug store. Anton greeted the lady behind the counter and headed towards the Kadak Photo machine as he did every year this time, printed out last night's family photo in front of the Christmas tree, chose a beautiful photo frame paid and returned to his car. There we go my Love Anton said as he swopped out last year's family Christmas photo for the new one. What a night he said, where do I begin with all the news. Anton sat talking to Margret for hours bringing her up to date with all the news and happenings with the four children that had been so devastated by their mother's death. They still blame me my Love, almost as much as I blame myself for not being able to save you. You made me promise to make sure that the children and I come together as a family on Christmas "Please don't let the tradition I fought so hard for to die with me, even if you have to pay them you do it." was one of the last requests you made before you left us, I kept that promise to you for another Christmas my love and I promise I will continue to keep my Christmas promise to you until I join you one day. Merry Christmas my Angel, I love you.