‘Is he?’ I said, surprised. ‘Greta too? The whole vegan thing is an act?’
Henrik smiled at me. ‘It’s not an act – it’s part of the offering for the retreat.’
‘You watched me suffering through asparagus stew, while you were stuffing down sausage rolls up at the farmhouse? No wonder it was out of bounds for guests,’ I said, swigging my champagne.
‘Yes, sausage rolls day and night – a top Norwegian snack.’
‘Hei, Sara,’ Greta called, waving down the table.
‘You look so beautiful!’ I shouted. ‘Congratulations!’
An army of groovy-looking waiters, with imaginative moustaches surrounded the tables with small plates. They were wearing three-piece tweed in claret and looked like a foodie flash mob, putting on a show.
‘God ettermiddag!’
‘Good afternoon,’ Ethel said, giving me a wink.
Our waiter had a blond handlebar moustache and mischief in his eyes. ‘To start we are having a Nordic shrimp toast, with rye kernel and tarragon salad,’ he said, while two other waiters did the rest of the top table.
‘Takk,’ Henrik said, then leant in and whispered, ‘Jonas went to chef school with these guys. They own a restaurant in Copenhagen and their food is unbelievable.’ He tucked in and did an A-OK sign, his leg wrapped around mine under the table, our chairs as close as they could be. There was no mistaking our body language.
The starters were melt-in-the-mouth delicious and so were the main courses. I’d been unsure about roasted reindeer with pickled herring dumplings, but it was a taste sensation.
Henrik tinkled his champagne flute with his fork, and everyone joined in until Greta and Jonas stood on their chairs and kissed. But the speeches were the real surprise. It was a total free-for-all, and anyone could make a toast. Greta’s parents kicked things off, followed by Tore, Jonas and Greta. I couldn’tunderstand a word, but I could see Henrik shuffling his speech and scribbling in new lines as people told funny stories and offered words of wisdom. I tried to laugh in the right places, but I was always two beats behind everyone else. Eventually Henrik rang the glass for himself and stood up.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, it is my turn to make a toast.’ He turned to me and smiled. ‘I hope you don’t mind it being in English. My girlfriend Sara is here and it’s important to me that she can understand it too.’ The guests tinkled their glasses in approval and my heart leapt. Jonas and Greta stood on their chairs again to kiss, and Henrik kissed me at the same time. Hisgirlfriend?!
‘I want to raise a glass to my little brother Jonas – my Jo-bro – and his beautiful bride Greta. They share the kind of love we all aspire to. They laugh and play together, champion each other, and encourage the best versions of each other to grow. Jonas – thank you for being a wonderful brother to me.Mammawould be so proud of you today… of the man you have become. And I know she is watching over and celebrating with us. Some of you will know thatPappaalways called my mother his little firefly…’
The champagne flutes started tinkling and Tore stood up and raised his glass to the sky.
‘…because she was busy and buzzy and lit up every room she ever walked into. And just as fireflies light the way in the darkness,Mammalit the way for us too.’
Henrik looked down at me with a smile.
‘Greta – I have seen you do the same for Jonas. You are a Nilsen firefly. You carry light and warmth within you, and your kind heart and wonderful spirit radiate energy wherever you go. Even your magic blankets keep us all warm. You’ve looked after not only Jonas, but me andPappaever sinceMorleft us, and I want to thank you for that. For coming into our lives and shining so bright. We love you so much, and even though you’ve beenpart of the family ever since you first put that goofy smile on Jonas’s face, I want to joinPappain officially welcoming you as a Nilsen. Congratulations to Jonas and his firefly bride, Greta! Wishing you both a happy forever and may all your dreams come true.’
Everyone stood up and cheered as Henrik shouted, ‘Takk for maten-tale!’, clinking their glasses and repeating it after him.
‘It meansthank you for the food. We say it at weddings – don’t ask me why,’ Ethel said, as Henrik sat back down. ‘Excellent speech, Henny, well done.’
‘Too cute!’ I said, kissing his cheek. ‘I didn’t know that about your mum. And I heard you got a girlfriend!’
‘Yep,’ he said. ‘And not just any girlfriend – she’s a firefly too. How does it feel?’
‘Surprising.’ The champagne had me answering with complete honesty.
‘Really? In what way?’ Henrik crossed his legs, removing any physical touch between us.
‘Just that we haven’t had the conversation.’
‘What was last night?’
I gave him a coy smile. ‘It certainly wasn’t a conversation. I barely said a word.’
‘Then let’s have it now. I thought I’d been very clear with how I feel, so I’m sorry if you are in any doubt. Shall I kneel?’
‘Absolutely not.’ Oh no. Served me right. My heart was bouncing all over the place. And now he was going to tell me how he felt. And then I’d have to tell him how I felt. Argh!How did I feel?Why had I done this to myself?
