It's Just Fiction

Drowning in Love

"Grandma!" Signe opened the door and quickly swung her arms around her grandmother. It had only been twenty-four hours since she had seen her last, yet she couldn't help it. Twenty-four hours too long without her grandmother. Tilda rolled her eyes at her younger sister. You see her everyday, Signe. You even share her bed when you want to. When will you grow up? Tilda asked herself all of these but they had immediately been washed away from her head when she saw her grandfather behind Agnetha.

"Grandpa!" She screeched in a laughter that had them all laughing, too. "You're back!" For a brief moment she hesitated, her eyes widening. "You're with grandma," stretching the words and giggled. Agnetha's face was flat and she already knew what her eldest grandchild was aiming to do.

"Yes," he said. "We have just come back from Mono Music. Grandma offered me to come and I wanted to see you girls. You know I've been gone a whole week and some and I missed seeing you?" He patted both Signe and Tilda as they walked in.

"Where's Ester?" Agnetha asked, noticing yet another one was missing. "Ah, and there's my little girl," Agnetha crouched and held her arms out to the young Nike who was excited and holding her arms up to be picked up.

"She's with her friend," Tilda explained.

Straight to the veranda they went following the voices of all the adults seated around with beers and snacks surrounding them. They sat with their kids as they caught up until Björn looked along the water at the edge of the yard. He smiled with an idea.

"Do you still have a little paddle boat?" Björn asked.

"Yeah, it's there at the bottom, you see?" Isabella pointed far and suddenly Björn saw it in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah. I see it now," he chuckled. "Agnetha, you know it's been a long time since I've been out to see the sea here," Björn tilted his head at her.

"You're always welcome to see it."

"Let's go on a little boat ride," he suggested.

"But the kids will be leaving soon. I'll have to stay with Nike."

"Yes, but mama, we're not leaving now," Christian said. "Papa wants to see the sea." He smirked a little less obviously.

"We have time before we leave," Linda reassured, too. Agnetha sighed and looked at the toddler in her lap.

"Baby, give me a little while, yeah?" She stood, taking hold of Björn's arm as he helped her down the hilly steps and to the shore. They had laughed along the way, talking about what the kids had planned that night.

"They're all going out, and I'm babysitting," she chuckled. "Now I know how my parents felt when we were their age, you know. And I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"So this is it," he turned the little canoe over and she watched him with a questioning face.

"Björn?"

"Yeah," he answered a bit exasperated.

"You're not thinking to really–"

"Why not?"

"No. I can barely get in that thing and to get out of it... no, it's better not to."

"Anna, baby... live a little," he patted her butt and winked, going on to help her in.

"Björn! You're–"

"Old and ambitious? I know."

"I was going to say out of your mind, but those too." She didn't need much more persuasion. Seeing him already in with a hand extended to her had her trust in him enough to follow.