21 DECEMBER, HAMBURG, GERMANY
At 10a.m. we meet the others from the Unlucky in Love Travel Club on the platform. Jasper’s trying his best to be subtle about it, but he keeps me in his direct line of sight as if I might suddenly dart away, never to be seen again. And truthfully, I might, if only to hide from him.
I cannot believe I let my emotions get the better of me like that, and in front of him, no less. My body is betraying me in the worst way and even now tears threaten to spill again. Being surrounded by people who have found their plus one is hard. I’m happy for them, and for Katya and Igor, but boy oh boy, it’s not easy. That sadness stealthily crept up behind me and popped out when I least expected it.
When Jasper’s concerned gaze lands on me again, I give him a small smile. I’m mortified – not only did I suffer a crying jag, but it was a bad one, a full ugly cry of epic proportions. The whole gasping, wheezing sob-fest. Jasper put his arms around me and told me death isn’t final – I’ll meet Miles again one day, and I had to blurt out I very much hope not after what he’s bloody well done and so now Jasper claims that I’m dealing with my grief in a very healthy way and that anger is a natural part of the healing process. I assume that means Jasper isn’t sceptical about Miles’s faux death any more, and that is yet another complication.
When there’s a tap on my shoulder, I turn and find Sabrina standing there. She’s wearing casual clothes, athleisure; a girl after my own heart. ‘Um… would you guys mind if I tag along with you today?’
‘Sure, we’d love that. There’s plenty of room in the limo, right, Princess?’
Princess grins and pulls Sabrina into a tight hug. ‘Plenty, darling girl! We’d love to have you with us.’
Sabrina nods. ‘Great. Usually I’d catch some Zs in the downtime but I haven’t been rostered off in Hamburg before, so I’ve never been able to see it.’ From what Sabrina’s told me, staff work long hours morning and night but are on a rota system to get time off during the day when most passengers disembark.
‘Great!’ I loop my arm through hers, excited to spend the day with Sabrina where she gets to have fun for a change.
The car picks us up and drives around the centre of the historical maritime city of Hamburg. It’s a snowy winter wonderland, decorated to the hilt for Christmas.
Hamburg is a blur as we spend the day zigzagging around trying to fit in as many sights as possible. We’re taken on a boat tour along the Elbe River and learn about the festive traditions of Hamburg. Advent wreaths were invented here in the nineteenth century by Johann Hinrich Wichern, a local pastor.
Off the boat, we’re dropped at the Rathausmarkt, the famous Christmas market in front of City Hall. The festive atmosphere is electric as we go from stall to stall. I buy some roasted almonds to munch on as we meander.
‘I want one of everything,’ Sabrina says, pointing out handmade Christmas ornaments and keepsakes. There are wooden miniature sleighs and villages that are intricate and beautifully made. When Princess pulls Sabrina ahead to the gingerbread stall, I quickly make a purchase of a tiny snow globe keychain to surprise her with later. When I spot a little wooden library scene miniature, I buy it for Jasper, hoping being a writer he’ll get a kick out of the tiny typewriter that sits on a table inside the small decoration. Like Sabrina, I’d love to buy them all; they’re extraordinary and like nothing I’ve seen before being handcrafted as they are. Really, I wish I could find him a souvenir teaspoon, because I have a small suspicion when we spoke that day about it, it was really his collection and not his mum’s, like he said. Which is kind of adorable.
Jasper sidles up next to me just as I’m stuffing my purchases in my handbag.
‘For the lady,’ he says with a grin and hands me a rather oddly shaped Christmas mug. ‘Is it… a reindeer?’ The mug handle looks like a tail gone wrong, and because of its ugliness I like it even more.
‘It is indeed. It reminded me of your Christmas jumper. I can’t believe you didn’t win. Yours was the best.’ The winner of the ugly Christmas jumper was a guy from table three named Silas who wore a festive knit that saidI do it for the ho’s. While we all had a laugh at his jumper, that laughter wore off quick when he did the old winky face at every woman with a heartbeat for the remainder of the night. Actually, I must bring that up with the Unlucky in Love Travel Club – could Silas be one half of the couple in trouble? And if so, I’m sure we’ll be in agreement that an intervention is best avoided, since he is such a letch.
‘Ha! Thank you, Jasper. I love it in all its clunky glory. Is it filled with mulled wine?’
‘Glühwein, yes. And there’s plenty more where that came from.’
I raise my brows. ‘Are you trying to get me drunk?’
He blanches, puts up his hands. ‘No, no, God that sounded creepy, didn’t it? I just love these European Christmas markets where you buy a mug and then get it refilled at every pit stop. Usually I have hot chocolate because I’ve got a major sweet tooth.’
I grin. ‘You’re going to share this wine with me, because quite honestly, this is plenty big enough for two.’ Is it too intimate sharing a mug of mulled wine like this? Jasper doesn’t seem to care. He takes it from me and has a sip.
‘Warms the cockles of my heart.’
When he hands it back to me, I follow suit. The warmth of the wine heats my blood, or maybe that’s the Jasper effect. I take his gift from my bag. ‘I got you a gift too.’
His face breaks into a wide smile. ‘Ooh, look at that tiny typewriter! The little Hamburg library. Thank you, that’s going straight on the shelf with my souvenir spoons.’
Aha! I mock frown. ‘Weren’t they your mum’s spoons? You said you collected magnets!’
‘Umm…’
Laughter burbles out. ‘I knew it! I could see ten-year-old Jasper clutching his holiday teaspoon, marvelling at his new treasure.’
‘Look, what can I say, I was a kid ahead of his time. And if you ever visit me for afternoon tea I might even let you use one.’
I gasp dramatically. ‘You would?’
‘Well, maybe not actually use it for its intended purpose, but I’d let you take it out of the display cabinet and look at it up close.’
