Chapter Thirty-Seven #2
Henrik tinkled his champagne flute with his fork, and everyone joined in until Greta and Jonas stood on their chairs and kissed.
But the speeches were the real surprise.
It was a total free-for-all, and anyone could make a toast. Greta’s parents kicked things off, followed by Tore, Jonas and Greta.
I couldn’t understand a word, but I could see Henrik shuffling his speech and scribbling in new lines as people told funny stories and offered words of wisdom.
I tried to laugh in the right places, but I was always two beats behind everyone else.
Eventually Henrik rang the glass for himself and stood up.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, it is my turn to make a toast.’ He turned to me and smiled.
‘I hope you don’t mind it being in English.
My girlfriend Sara is here and it’s important to me that she can understand it too.
’ The guests tinkled their glasses in approval and my heart leapt.
Jonas and Greta stood on their chairs again to kiss, and Henrik kissed me at the same time. His girlfriend?!
‘I want to raise a glass to my little brother Jonas – my Jo-bro – and his beautiful bride Greta. They share the kind of love we all aspire to. They laugh and play together, champion each other, and encourage the best versions of each other to grow. Jonas – thank you for being a wonderful brother to me. Mamma would be so proud of you today… of the man you have become. And I know she is watching over and celebrating with us. Some of you will know that Pappa always called my mother his little firefly…’
The champagne flutes started tinkling and Tore stood up and raised his glass to the sky.
‘…because she was busy and buzzy and lit up every room she ever walked into. And just as fireflies light the way in the darkness, Mamma lit the way for us too.’
Henrik looked down at me with a smile.
‘Greta – I have seen you do the same for Jonas. You are a Nilsen firefly. You carry light and warmth within you, and your kind heart and wonderful spirit radiate energy wherever you go. Even your magic blankets keep us all warm. You’ve looked after not only Jonas, but me and Pappa ever since Mor left us, and I want to thank you for that.
For coming into our lives and shining so bright.
We love you so much, and even though you’ve been part of the family ever since you first put that goofy smile on Jonas’s face, I want to join Pappa in officially welcoming you as a Nilsen.
Congratulations to Jonas and his firefly bride, Greta!
Wishing you both a happy forever and may all your dreams come true. ’
Everyone stood up and cheered as Henrik shouted, ‘Takk for maten-tale!’, clinking their glasses and repeating it after him.
‘It means thank you for the food. We say it at weddings – don’t ask me why,’ Ethel said, as Henrik sat back down. ‘Excellent speech, Henny, well done.’
‘Too cute!’ I said, kissing his cheek. ‘I didn’t know that about your mum. And I heard you got a girlfriend!’
‘Yep,’ he said. ‘And not just any girlfriend – she’s a firefly too. How does it feel?’
‘Surprising.’ The champagne had me answering with complete honesty.
‘Really? In what way?’ Henrik crossed his legs, removing any physical touch between us.
‘Just that we haven’t had the conversation.’
‘What was last night?’
I gave him a coy smile. ‘It certainly wasn’t a conversation. I barely said a word.’
‘Then let’s have it now. I thought I’d been very clear with how I feel, so I’m sorry if you are in any doubt. Shall I kneel?’
‘Absolutely not.’ Oh no. Served me right. My heart was bouncing all over the place. And now he was going to tell me how he felt. And then I’d have to tell him how I felt. Argh! How did I feel? Why had I done this to myself?
‘Sara Pearson… actually, what is your real name? Your maiden name?’
‘Lee.’
‘As in the gateau?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Sara Lee. You are an enigma to me.’
‘Ooh, this is rhyming,’ I said, giggling.
‘And from the first time I saw… thee, I thought she’s the kind of girl, I want to be… with.’
‘Ahhh, and it was going so well. I thought you might get ha, ha, ha, hee, hee, hee, in there somewhere.’
Henrik laughed. ‘I had to get you smiling somehow when you arrived.’
‘Well, it worked.’
‘Do I need to ask you to be my girlfriend then? Is this a permission thing? Shall I phone your dad and talk him through where we’re up to on the physical front?’
‘Er, no, that won’t be necessary, but feel free to ask me, officially.’
Henrik took my hand and looked at me very seriously. ‘Sara Lee, of the non-gateau Lees, will you make me the happiest man on earth and agree to be my girlfriend?’
I pretended to think about it, then took his other hand. ‘I will. And will you, Henrik Nilsen, of the Firefly Forest Nilsens, consider the position of my boyfriend? To have and to hold?’
‘I do… accept thee’s… proposal.’
‘Then it is done,’ I said, and kissed him.
‘Good. Can we have dessert now?’
There was a table full of cakes in the middle of the tipi and every single one had been made by a member of the family.
Bl?tkake – cream cake – cheesecake, chocolate cake, lemon cake, every flavour and shape and size imaginable was in there somewhere.
And then there was the wedding cake. The kransekake.
An enormous cone of cake rings that got smaller as they reached the top.
‘What a beauty, eh?’ Henrik plucked out one of the decorative Norwegian flags and stuck it in my dessert.
‘In case I forget where I am?’
‘The flag just makes me think of you, now. It’s burnt into my brain.’
‘Funny that,’ I said, raising my eyebrows.
Greta and Jonas cut the cake, laughing as it nearly toppled over and the mustachio-men chopped it up and passed it round with more champagne. Everyone drank and talked and laughed until it was finally time for the first dance.
‘Remember the drill?’ Henrik asked, holding my hand.
I nodded. Greta and Jonas had asked the family to join them once the first dance was a few lines in. They didn’t want to be alone on the dance floor for more than twenty seconds.
Tore was doing well in his role as master of ceremonies, among all the other roles he was performing, as he announced the new Mr and Mrs Nilsen for the final time and invited them onto the dance floor.
Jonas twirled his way into the middle of the crowd and held out his hand to Greta.
Her silver and gold dress sparkling in the candlelight; the train now bustled up at the back as she curled into Jonas’s chest and he put his arms around her.
The violinists had been joined by two guitars and an accordion, and the whole room went quiet as they started to play, watching another Nilsen love story unfold in front of them.
A moment in time that would never be repeated as the newly-weds stared into each other’s eyes, dreamy and lost. I was so touched that I totally missed our cue – not that the happy couple seemed to have any idea who was dancing and who wasn’t.
‘May I have this dance?’ Henrik asked, holding out his hand.
‘Yes you may.’
We joined Tore and Ethel, Fredrik and Ingrid and Bjorn and Nina in a slow dance, full of smiles as the music washed over us all.
‘Have you enjoyed it?’ Henrik asked.
‘Yes. More than enjoyed it. I’ve loved it.’
I glanced behind him at this magical place and felt so lucky to be here. There were ribbons and decorations strewn all over the tipi and candles on every table. A glitter ball slowly turned adding a sparkly light to the dance floor.
‘What are you thinking?’ Henrik asked, holding me close.
‘I’m wondering how easy it would be to bring two dachshunds to Norway and whether they’d need doggie passports. I’m also thinking that I don’t know if Henrik even likes dogs.’
His eyes lit up. ‘Are you? Well, let me reassure you on that,’ he murmured. ‘Henrik likes dogs very much. He loves all animals. He’s a live and let live kind of guy.’
‘I thought he might be.’
‘Do you think you might take the package from work?’
‘I already have,’ I said staring up at him. ‘I won’t get that kind of opportunity again. It was just a shock when they offered it to me out of the blue. I had no idea the firm was struggling so badly.’
‘It’s like I always say – when life offers you a cash lump sum – take it.’
‘I don’t remember that mantra in the meditation sessions?’
‘What?! That’s the lead message in my money meditation. You were probably asleep. It must have been that time you woke yourself up snoring,’ he said, teasing. ‘Don’t worry – you’ll get another job easily.’
‘I might already have one.’
‘See! I knew it. A smart cookie like you doesn’t hang around.’
‘Do you remember I told you Oliver was opening an office in London?’
Henrik nodded, listening carefully.
‘Well, he’s offered me a job.’
‘Of course he has!’ Henrik said, but his tone was flat. ‘Makes perfect sense. Congratulations.’
There was a kerfuffle among the guests as we stared into each other’s eyes, and we looked over at the same time.
Flashes of pink, purple and blue were flying across the sky like rockets, and then came the greens, luminous and rich.
A rainbow of magic spreading out above us, filling the air with colour.
The rare rainbow version of the Northern Lights had appeared to bless the wedding, just as Greta and Jonas had hoped.
Their wedding wish to feel Audhilda was watching over them and celebrating from up above.
Henrik nodded slowly to himself. ‘Hei, Mamma,’ he said, putting his arm around me. We stood completely still, watching the miracle of the Northern Lights as they put on a show.
‘It’s a sign,’ he said, eventually.
‘What is?’
‘This. Mother Nature showing off all her colours at the exact moment you were talking about changing your life.’
‘You think?’
‘I know it. Most people will never witness what we are looking at right now. It’s a sign you’re making the right decision, even if that’s to stay in London and run Oliver’s satellite office. We’ll just have to manage long distance for a while.’
‘Well, that’s the interesting part of the offer, because Oliver wants to set the London office up himself. He’s moving over for six months to recruit the team and get it up and running. The job he’s offered me is as acting partner to look after things in Bergen.’
Henrik’s expression changed completely. ‘Really? In Norway.’
‘Yes,’ I said, feeling giddy. ‘In the Norwegian Bergen. The one and only.’
‘And what did you say?’
‘I said… yes.’
The look on Henrik’s face was so cute, I had to kiss him. ‘It just feels right being here. I love it.’
It was a different triple F to the ‘Financial Freedom Forever’ I’d hoped for with my promotion, but ‘Firefly Forest for the Foreseeable,’ felt just as exciting.
‘And we love you being here. I love you being here. You can loan yourself to Norway for a while and see how it goes. It doesn’t have to be a forever thing.’ I leant in and kissed his handsome face, feeling more at home than I’d ever felt before. ‘Unless you want it to be, of course.’