Maudie's First Christmas

With all her dreams of a family Christmas dashed, it seemed that Ruth would have to adjust to a very different festive season this year...

- Sue McVerry

Lifting his tiny daughter’s hand, Joe waggled it at Ruth, who was smiling at her computer screen on the other side of the world. ‘Let’s wave to Grandma.’

‘We’ll call you on the big day, Mum. You can watch Maudie open her presents.’

Ruth laughed and blew kisses at her son and new granddaughter.

‘I shouldn’t think she’ll be opening them herself at barely two months old!’

‘Well, she’s very advanced, of course,’ Joe grinned. ‘See you on Christmas Day, Mum. Lauren says hi, too. She’s busy cooking dinner at the moment.’

His face vanished from the screen and Ruth had a fleeting thought of the Cheshire Cat fading, leaving his smile behind. She sighed. This wasn’t what she had expected of grandparenthood.

When Joe’s company sent him to Australia it was meant to be for two years only. But Joe had fallen in love with that vast country and then he had met Lauren and fallen in love with her, too. Now Australia was his home.

Ruth knew she must count her blessings. Since she and Phil retired they were free to visit whenever they liked and this wonderful technology allowed them to keep in touch. She couldn’t begin to imagine what it must have been like years ago. In those days, separated families just had to wait for the postman to deliver a flimsy airmail letter that took weeks to arrive.

‘You OK, love?’ Phil was back from last-minute Christmas shopping. ‘How are they doing over there?’

She gave him a shaky smile.