Right behind her was a boy her own age. He was wearing a red shirt with the name of the shop on his chest.
“This is Oskar, it’s his dad’s shop and they need new staff. So I’ve gotten a summer job, mum” she said happily.
The blonde boy behind her looked shyly at Emilie and shook her hand.
“Hello, I’m Oskar,” he said, smiling.
“Hello there, how fun! When do you start? Or perhaps I should askyouthat”, she said, turning to Oskar who smiled and stared longingly at Linn. Jesus Christ, the boy is in love, Emilie thought to herself.
“It would be great if she started tomorrow. I want her as soon as possible.” He cleared his throat and stared down into the floor.
“I mean, the shop wants her, not just me,” he said, turning a shade of tomato red.
Linn giggled.
“When should I be here?”
Emily put her shopping on the belt while Linn and Oskar agreed on the details for her shift the following day. On the way home Linn was bubbling with joy bout her new job, but all Emilie could think about was the old lady in the shop. She was wondering if more people felt the same way, and all the way home she felt as if people where peeking through the curtains, secretly observing them. But maybe it was all just in her imagination.
Back at home, they had started the big clean-out of the kitchen cupboards and parts of what had been inside them was standing on the kitchen table. Cups, bowls, plates, cups for mulled wine, platters and glasses. Everything was decorated with red garlands, elves, pigs and snowy meadows with red cottages. They moved everything out to the living room floor so that Liv could set the table while Emilie was making her popular pasta.
“It’s so funny that it is Christmas on all the plates. I like this pig plate the most. Why did grandma Astrid have so many Christmas things?”
Emilie looked at Liv, who was holding a plate with a plump pig with a red bow tie around its neck.
“I don’t know, it’s a real mystery,” she said, smiling.
She gazed out the window and saw Andreas. He was dragging big bags of dirt across the yard and sometimes he paused and stood still for a while, as if he was thinking about something. Suddenly, he turned around and saw her, grinning and waving. She waved back, then stared down into the pot where the tomato sauce was bubbling. She felt embarrassed. What if he thought that she was standing there, looking at him? Well, she had been, but not like that. But he was quite fit… Oh, stop it! She shook the feeling and started putting olives in the sauce instead.
“Is Andreas eating with us?”
“No!”
She realised that she had answered Liv a bit too fast and added:
“He probably has his own supper. Can you bring out glasses as well?”
Liv nodded and climbed a stool to be able to reach the glasses. She took a glass in each hand, showing them to Emilie.
“Look, mum, pig glasses!”
Chapter 7
Oh, this constant raining! But then again, it was Midsummer’s Eve, and rainy weather was almost part of the tradition. Emelie sighed and put her arm out, trying to find her phone. She got a hold of the grey, fabric cord, pulled it in, sat up in bed and opened the SMHI app – the Swedish weather institute. According to that, it would stop raining and there would even be a bit of sun after 3 p.m. That’s when they would be down at the pier for the traditional Midsummer dance. Birgitta had stopped by – or rather, snuck in and scared Emilie half to death while she was busy packing small elves into a cardboard box marked “Little elves”. The old lady had resolutely offered to help, grabbed a box and marked it “middle-sized elves” and started to pack the ones she could find on shelves and in cupboards. According to Birgitta, Midsummer’s Eve was one of the best days of the year at Sardinön. Everyone had lunch at their own place or at friends’ houses and then they all gathered down at the pier at 3 p.m.
“And there is nothing wrong with a little schnapps for lunch, if you ask me”, Birgitta said.
The pier society would erect a Midsummer pole at the pier and next to it was a small stage where the local orchestra, The Sardines, would play. There were several lottery ticket stands and a place to buy coffee, rolls, hot dogs, popcorn and punch. According to Birgitta, the punch tasted heavenly, though it wasn’t entirely kid friendly.
“First of all, we dance around the Midsummer pole, and then the dancing on the pier will begin and it will continue for as long as the orchestra can play”, Birgitta explained.
Emilie had promised to bring the girls down to the pier, and Birgitta said it was healthy for them to “learn a bit about the traditions”. Emilie shook her head; she wasn’t quite sure how to handle Birgitta’s prejudiced comments. As if her girls had never danced around a Midsummer pole or experienced something uniquely Swedish? Birgitta wasn’t as outspoken as the old lady in the store, and so far, Emilie had chosen not to say anything, but if she kept going, she would have to put her foot down. She stretched and sat on the side of the bed. Time to make breakfast. When she came into the kitchen in her well-worn jogging suit, Linn was standing by the oven.
“Hello, are you awake already? What are you up to?”
Linn turned around quickly, as if Emilie had caught her in the act.
“Christ, you scared me! Mia at the shop gave me a recipe for over-night rolls, I started the dough yesterday and now I just need to bake them in the oven for 15 minutes, and they’re done.”
