Page 53 of Must Love Christmas

20 Days UntilChristmas

Simon rolled out of the small lift onto the landing outside his flat, just in time for Garen to dash up the last set of stairs and beat him to the door.

“I win!” Garen made cheering-crowd noises as he pranced about the landing in slow motion.

“Congrats,” Simon said, grateful Garen hadn’t purposely lost their race from the ground floor.

Garen pushed open the door to their flat and stepped back. Inside their hallway a dozen balloons of all colors bobbed near the ceiling.

“Wow.” Simon gave his wheel rims a solid push to get over the threshold bump. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Nae bother. I love balloons, and I could never have them living with Luca.”

Simon was about to ask why when he spied the brand-new walking frame he’d ordered online. With a polished-wood-and-chrome finish, the frame looked much less clinical than the ones at the hospital.

“This is pure class, mate.” Garen unfolded it and parked it in front of Simon.

“I wanted one that didn’t make me feel like an old man.” Simon locked his wheels, got to his feet, and grasped the frame with both hands.

Garen carried Simon’s bag ahead of him down the hall. “Surprise for you in your room.”

Spurred by curiosity, Simon began to move forward, trying not to hurry. He recalled his physiotherapist’s instructions, breaking each step down into sub-steps:

1. Bend and lift the right knee, enough to keep the toes from dragging.

2. Bring the right foot forward, but not too far (nose over toes, nose over toes).

3. Put foot down.

4. Shift weight onto aforementioned foot.

5. Repeat on the left side.

How could something so basic as walking require so much conscious effort? He wondered, with bitter amusement, how long it would take him to walk and chew gum at the same time.

The silent hallway—now rug-free, he noticed—echoed with the scrape of his feet and the squeak of the walking frame’s wheels. Sweat broke out at the base of Simon’s neck from the physical effort, along with the self-consciousness of being watched while he struggled.

“Almost forgot.” Garen pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. A jazzy intro to “Winter Wonderland” began to play from what seemed every room in the flat. “I got us a wireless sound system,” Garen said. “There’s a speaker in your room, which you can change to play anything you want by using the app. Each room can play different music, so you won’t have to listen to my incessant Christmas carols.”

“Boss.” Simon instinctively synched his steps with the song’s rhythm, glad his journey had lost its awkward silence.

He reached his bedroom and peered inside. “What the…”

Framing the room were strands of green garland wrapped with white faerie lights, the bulbs casting dozens of steady glows. The strands undulated in long waves along the top of each wall and down to the floor in each corner.

“You…decorated my room?” Simon knew Garen was expecting a thank-you, but it felt a bit like a violation.

“There’s a switch for the lights here.” Garen went to the bedside table. “I thought if you needed up in the middle of the night, the faerie lights might hurt your eyes less than the big light or even the lamp. I unscrewed half the bulbs so it wouldn’t be too bright. You mentioned you were still having a bit of hyperesthesia.” He pronounced the final word carefully. “Your OT said it was a good idea.”

Oh.Garen hadn’t done this out of Christmas obsession—at least not entirely—but rather to accommodate Simon’s ongoing challenges.

“It’s a brilliant idea, literally.” Simon moved toward Poppy’s vivarium.

“I’ve not got a tree for the flat yet,” Garen said. “Maybe we’ll go and buy one this week?”

“Maybe.” Simon peered into the tank and found Poppy curled up in her rock-like “cool hide,” the one away from the heat mat. The python had no doubt been spooked by the vibration of his walking frame against the floor.

“I’ll put the kettle on,” Garen said, “and give you a moment with your wee lassie.”

---