Wolf Winter*

“Thank you so much, my darling,” I say, as Seb pulls over outside my Office this morning.  My darling boy has driven me to work on his way back to the other side of the country.

“That’s quite alright, my lovely,” Seb says, smiling at me, his turquoise eyes bright.

“Not just for driving me here,” I say, stroking his mane of dirty blond hair.  “For coming to see me and for a lovely weekend.”

“I’ll be back soon,” he says.  “It’s nearly the end of term: just the last little bit to get through.”

“Bye darling,” I say.  “Drive safely.”

We have one last cuddle and then he’s off on his six and a half hour journey.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the streets around my Office, I notice, as I take a walk at lunchtime.   The trees sport strings of fairy lights.  The shop window displays contain reindeer, arctic foxes and tinsel.  There’s a lot of red, gold and green about.  It’s almost dark at three o’clock in the afternoon, which isn’t great.

Love the run-up to Christmas: glitter; sequins; Spin Drinks; mulled wine; brandy butter and so on.  It’s a shame that this year am going to spend mid-December in hospital after my mastectomy on 15th December, but it can’t be helped.   The sooner this operation happens, the sooner can start the long process of recovering from it.  At least will be recuperating at the parental home during the weeks of Christmas Television, cuddling my fluffy monster.  If he lets me.

The attached wolf is in the window display of an underwear shop near the Office.

Happy Monday everyone!

 

*2015.  By Cecilia Ekback.  Crime novel.