Two months of planning / eight weeks of lies and deception. What started as a simple suggestion in a text message, led to one of the most memorable Christmas Day’s ever. It was going to be a road-trip around NZ. It became a globe-trip.
It was the initial reaction that we’d been particularly looking forward to, and it didn’t disappoint – mainly because there were no heart-attacks or paramedics involved. My parents walked into the room and we came into view. A confused look of strained comprehension fighting against logical thought, forged lines across their brows. Then their jaws dropped, faces lit up, and eyes opened as wide as the doorway. Dad accepted the reality fairly quickly and his smile came easily. Mum, however, seemed to want to cross the room, and make sure we wouldn’t disappear when touched, before giving in to her joy. It was magical. The happiness spread from face to face like wildfire. When they had us in their arms, and resigned to the truth, their eyes shone like the sun, and tears fell to cool their cheeks. 
Sentences were restricted by emotions to single words and monosyllabic exhalations. They held us like a kid hugs ‘Santa’, and we returned the feeling ten-fold. It’s a moment that I believe will stay with me forever, and I’m eternally grateful to my brother for making it possible.
Many similar moments of surprise followed as we saw other family members and friends, but none were as emotionally potent as the first. Some people managed to act casual in their greeting but confusion reined supreme on their faces.
It was obvious that people wondered if it was their eyes, memory, or knowledge that had failed them.
The main afterthought to this surprise was realizing how well, Lucie, I, Stuart, & Em, had all managed to lie so convincingly over the previous 2 months. Granted, this was made distinctly easier by the fact it was highly unlikely to occur, but the web of lies was still intricate and compelling. In our defense, I can only offer that the cause was just.
In total, we only had around 4 full days in England, broken up in the middle by a trip to the Czech Republic. We’d traveled around the world and back again, and barely had time for our bodies to adjust to the time difference. Our reasons for such a short trip is mainly attributed so a limited annual holiday allowance at work. Every extra day we stayed in the UK, would be the loss of a long weekend exploring New Zealand. There was also little point in hanging around into the New Year as people had to return to work. It would only be delaying the inevitable.
I managed to catch up with a couple of friends, but as most had even quicker visits planned to their respective family homes, I missed many more. In truth, we didn’t do all that much when back – we ate loads and slept loads. We lazed around in front of the fire, sank into sofas, and wrapped ourselves around booze. People back in New Zealand asked me afterwards (amongst other questions) what the weather was like. I told them, “it was cold, wet, gray, and miserable – it was perfect.”
There are many different opinions offered on what home is: “where the heart is”; “the place you can never be turned away from” etc. And it is those things, but to us, we noticed it is the place we felt completely relaxed in. When walking into both Stu & Em’s, and my parent’s places, we felt worries dissipate & warmth surround us. Cynics may utter that this is the wonder of central-heating (a novelty not seen in most of New Zealand), but others will think about their homes, and know exactly the sensation I describe.
It was the initial reaction that we’d been particularly looking forward to, and it didn’t disappoint – mainly because there were no heart-attacks or paramedics involved. My parents walked into the room and we came into view. A confused look of strained comprehension fighting against logical thought, forged lines across their brows. Then their jaws dropped, faces lit up, and eyes opened as wide as the doorway. Dad accepted the reality fairly quickly and his smile came easily. Mum, however, seemed to want to cross the room, and make sure we wouldn’t disappear when touched, before giving in to her joy. It was magical. The happiness spread from face to face like wildfire. When they had us in their arms, and resigned to the truth, their eyes shone like the sun, and tears fell to cool their cheeks. 
Sentences were restricted by emotions to single words and monosyllabic exhalations. They held us like a kid hugs ‘Santa’, and we returned the feeling ten-fold. It’s a moment that I believe will stay with me forever, and I’m eternally grateful to my brother for making it possible.Many similar moments of surprise followed as we saw other family members and friends, but none were as emotionally potent as the first. Some people managed to act casual in their greeting but confusion reined supreme on their faces.
It was obvious that people wondered if it was their eyes, memory, or knowledge that had failed them.The main afterthought to this surprise was realizing how well, Lucie, I, Stuart, & Em, had all managed to lie so convincingly over the previous 2 months. Granted, this was made distinctly easier by the fact it was highly unlikely to occur, but the web of lies was still intricate and compelling. In our defense, I can only offer that the cause was just.
In total, we only had around 4 full days in England, broken up in the middle by a trip to the Czech Republic. We’d traveled around the world and back again, and barely had time for our bodies to adjust to the time difference. Our reasons for such a short trip is mainly attributed so a limited annual holiday allowance at work. Every extra day we stayed in the UK, would be the loss of a long weekend exploring New Zealand. There was also little point in hanging around into the New Year as people had to return to work. It would only be delaying the inevitable.I managed to catch up with a couple of friends, but as most had even quicker visits planned to their respective family homes, I missed many more. In truth, we didn’t do all that much when back – we ate loads and slept loads. We lazed around in front of the fire, sank into sofas, and wrapped ourselves around booze. People back in New Zealand asked me afterwards (amongst other questions) what the weather was like. I told them, “it was cold, wet, gray, and miserable – it was perfect.”
There are many different opinions offered on what home is: “where the heart is”; “the place you can never be turned away from” etc. And it is those things, but to us, we noticed it is the place we felt completely relaxed in. When walking into both Stu & Em’s, and my parent’s places, we felt worries dissipate & warmth surround us. Cynics may utter that this is the wonder of central-heating (a novelty not seen in most of New Zealand), but others will think about their homes, and know exactly the sensation I describe.
1 comment:
Hi Nick & Lucie!
We are back in freezing Finland and and have started "normal" life. Riikka got a job for two months and I returned to my old job at the begin of year. Little has changed here while we were away. We are both so happy we took one year off for all this.
Today it was -30 C in the morning when I was cycling to my work. It really makes your miss great time we had last year.
Have a nice summer there!
Olli
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