The Meredith Family
Ingrid woke, stretched, yawned, made the bed, drew back the curtains and tweaked the blind to open.. Charles was already up and at the hospital, and she could hear the girls stirring in their bedroom. She looked out at the view and sighed.
Her mind went back to the view she’d woken up to as a child, growing up on her parents’ farm. Even school days had seemed full of promise and adventure. Now Philippa and Lydia only got to experience that during the summer holidays when they went to stay with Morfar and Mormor.
On the plus side, her parents were coming here today, to stay for a few days. Not in their tiny, cramped flat but with Charles’s parents, James and Anne Meredith, who lived outside the city in a much bigger house.
Anne arrived first and without the others. Turned out she’d wanted to chat to her son and daughter-in-law alone.
“I’m worried about your father, Charles. When he gets a cold, it’s going to his chest more than it used to, and it’s taking him longer to shake it off. Nothing really serious yet, but I don’t like this trend.”
Charles thought hard about what his mother had just said.
Ingrid looked out of the window at the grey, polluted fog that swirled around the buildings and thought, I’m not surprised, living here.
Again, she was transported back to her childhood home. She could almost taste the clean, fresh air coming down from the hills, in off the lake.
“I’ll have a chat to him when he gets here,” Charles said. “Where is he anyway?”
“I asked him if he’d pick Ingrid’s parents up from the station – I said I needed to do a bit of last-minute shopping before they arrived, and I’d meet them here, seeing as we’re all eating out in town tonight.”
“That’s James now. He’s picked your parents up, they’ve dropped their luggage off at our house, and they’re on their way. This time of day – it should only be about an hour in the traffic, he reckons.”
“Thank you so much, Anne, for putting my parents up. Again! As you know, we just can’t fit them in here…”
“My dear, it’s a pleasure. Your mother is a darling. Your father has an inexhaustible fund of funny stories. We have a great time whenever they come to stay. It’s not a problem. But I do wish you could move somewhere larger. Philippa and Lydia were sounding off about sharing a room.”
“It’s not that Pip and I don’t like each other,” Lydia had explained earnestly. “It’s just that we like different things.”
“She’s right,” Philippa had said. “I mean all this painting and unicorns and magic castles. I’d rather be outside playing football.”
“I know.” Anne’s very real sympathy encouraged Ingrid to open up. “I’d love to live somewhere with more space, better views, fresher air…And we could afford a bigger place, but only outside the city, not in it. Afford it in money, but not in time. Charles was called out twice last week. It took him ten minutes to get to the hospital from here. On foot. It could be an hour or more from outside the city, in a car.”
Anne nodded. “I know. It’s an insoluble problem, isn’t it?”
It was the last full day of Jake and Sigrid’s visit, and the whole family was going out together that evening. Charles wasn’t home from work yet, but Lydia and Philippa were back from school and attacking their homework with unusual enthusiasm. ,
“It has to be done before we go out – there won’t be time afterwards,” Ingrid had warned them.
Jake drew his daughter to one side.
“There’s something I’d like to run by you, before I mention it to Charles,” he said softly, but not softly enough. Lydia and Philippa pricked up their ears, exchanged a quick glance, and then very obviously Got On With Their Homework.
“There’s a job coming up at the hospital at home. I talked to someone – off the record, of course – but she said they’d love to have Charles apply for it. His experience, and his connections here, would be such a valuable addition to the hospital’s expertise. Plus,” Jake said, with the air of one providing a clincher, “the Petersen place is up for sale. Hillview House – you remember it, of course? The Petersens are moving to be near their children and grandchildren. They’d love to sell to someone local.”
“But the Petersen house is big!”
“Yes. The children could have a bedroom each.”
A bedroom each! Lydia’s eyes grew wide with excitement.
“And how would we furnish it?” Ingrid gestured round the small flat at the sum total of their furniture.
“They’re planning to sell a lot of the furniture – they don’t want such a big house when they move. And they’d much rather just sell it with the house than have to go to the bother of salerooms and auctions and so on. Much less hassle for them.”
Jake seemed to have thought of everything. He’d been planning this, hadn’t he? Ingrid knew her father.
Actually live in the country! Near Morfar and Mormor! That would be a dream come true, Philippa thought. Except for not seeing Grandma and Grandpa so often. That bit would be sad…
Charles missed the evening out – he was called back into work unexpectedly. The girls were in bed and asleep by the time he came home, but everyone else was still there. Waiting. And then Jake told him the plan.
“I think that’s a brilliant idea! Thanks, Jake. I’ll apply for it as soon as the advert is out.”
Jake beamed, and Ingrid’s eyes lit up with joy.
“You’ve been talking about this between the four of you, haven’t you?” Charles glanced round at the four grandparents.
“Well, yes,” Sigrid said softly. “Your parents know you better than we do, so we sought their advice.”
“And James and I have something to tell you as well. If you get the job…” Anne began.
“He will,” Jake interjected confidently.
“Then James and I are going to move there too. After what you said about his chest – the fresh air there would work wonders. And we’re still young enough and active enough to make new friends, to cope with this change. And we’d miss you all so much.”
“We’ll tell the girls tomorrow morning then.”
“We’ll be over for breakfast! Traffic or no traffic!”
There was no mistaking Philippa’s delight when she heard the news first thing the next morning. Go and live in the place that up to now had just been their summer visiting time? Nothing could be better. Except for not seeing Grandma and Grandpa so often…
“But we’re going to move there too,” Anne said to Lydia’s worried face. “We’re going to stay with Jake and Sigrid while we find a place of our own in the town. So you won’t miss seeing us.”
“Then everything is perfect,” Lydia said. And the others agreed with her.
Charles and Ingrid Meredith.
Charles’ parents, and very proud of the way he turned out, of their grandchildren and very fond of Ingrid and her parents too. Bravely abandoning the city life they’ve always known and loved, to come and be nearer the rest of the family, and for the sake of James’ health as well.
Ingrid’s parents, they’ve been farming and living in the area for several generations. The Wainwright farm was well known as a horse place – and now that the grandchildren are living nearby, they might think about getting a horse or two again. Sigrid’s grandmother was a Petersen, so it seem very apt to her that her daughter and grandchildren are going to be living in the family home.
Despite their very different personalities and interests, the girls get on very well together. They’re both thrilled to be moving out of the city.
