The gladioli in the centre of the table were obscuring his view. Harry peered round them and Mollie, his wife, lifted her gaze and smiled at him, Her eyes twinkled at him and his heart gave a little lift as it always did, as it had been doing for almost sixty years. Their granddaughter Anna lifted up one of his wife's hands and gently held it towards him,
'What do you think Grandpa ? Do you like the colour? '
Mollie beamed at him looking for approval. Anna had painted her grandmother's nails pink with gold tips.
Harry nodded and grinned. Today was the big event. He was slowly getting used to the idea of having a party for their Golden Wedding anniversary. His daughter Lizzie and his granddaughter Anna had been so busy with the preparations, they talked about nothing else. For weeks now they had been on their phones and looking at magazines and the house was strewn with fifty years worth of photographs.
Lizzie and Anna were very prouid of the album they had created spanning the fifty years of Harry and Mollie's marriage.
The kettle whistled and Mollie looked up as Lizzie rushed into the kitchen,
'Sorry everyone, just been on the phone to the restaurant, everything is ready, just the final touches, what do you think of gold balloons? or red?'
Lizzie bustled about opening cupboards and setting out cups on a tray. She grabbed the biscuit barrel and shoved some chocolate biscuits on a plate. Then she handed round the coffee and put Harry's in front of him. She munched on two biscuits at the same time. Harry took a few sips of coffee then turned to his daughter.
He nodded at the biscuits,
'You'll get tubby.'
Lizzie giggled
'Thanks for the future tense Dad,' but she put the biscuits down and turned her attention to the notepad in front of her.
'Right let's see, I'll run through the list and tell you who is definitely coming.'
Lizzie pulled her long blonde hair up and wound it into a pony tail. She looked up at her father through her fringe, her face eager and intense. He could see so much of himself in her, the passion and enthusiasm and love of family. Her brow furrowed.
'Ok dad, apart from Auntie Susan and Uncle Simon there are quite a few others who were actually at the wedding.'
She read out the names from the list. At the mention of some of them he rolled his eyes.
'Haven't seen him for years, goodness me is he still around? Did you say Bill? Bill Meekes? '
Harry thought about the last time he had seen Bill. It wasn't long after Mollie's diagnosis. The doctor had said it wasn't life threatening but her quality of life would be very limited. She would be in a wheelchair within years. There was a still a lot of research going on, if she was lucky. Harry's world had fallen apart. His beautiful wife with her pretty face and sweet nature. Damn the war, damn all the pain she'd been through. He hadn't known who to turn to. In the end he had confided in Bill, they had been at school together and he had considered him his best friend. On hearing the news Bill had merely shrugged and mumbled a few platitudes then he'd said almost casually,
'She'll end up in a home.'
Harry still felt his blood boil at the memory. His immediate reaction was to say to himself, 'Over my dead body.'
He had watched his wife stumble into the room and vowed there and then that she would never go into a home, she would always be in her own home.
Mollie had saved his life once and now he would save hers.
All those years when he had been stuck in the Middle East, her letters had kept him sane.
They had fallen in love when Mollie was just fifteen and Harry was eighteen, racing round the country lanes on his motorbike and throwing all his enthusiasm into his work as a mechanic, without a care in the world except for winning her heart.
Then the war had come and shattered their plans. For six years he had been away from home.
Mollie's letters had kept him going, a life line and a link to his home. Mollie wrote of bike rides, bluebell woods, beech woods and of how much she loved him and was waiting for the day he came home and how much she longed to hold him.
No, she would never go into a home.
He looked across at her.
Lizzie was speaking again, 'Bill said he'll make a speech about all the bike rides you went on together.'
Harry sighed, ' Bike rides.' He looked across at Mollie and smiled.
'We can go on bike rides whenever we want can't we Mollie, just close our eyes and off we go around the country lanes.'
'Lizzie did you say Cyril was coming? He never liked putting his hand in his pocket. Lost count of how many times he left me to the bill. He fancied your mum he did, but she liked me. I remember playing sardines and he tried to shove me out of the cupboard but I got her.'
He winked across the table at Mollie.
Mollie giggled spilling some of her coffee which Anna gently wiped up.
.
'Okay Grandma, I've finished now, I'll just fix your make up and you’re ready to go.'
Anna blew gently on the nails and touched them to see if they were dry.
The sun shone into the kitchen wrapping a golden ribbon around Anna and Mollie.
Harry and Lizzie looked at each other and smiled, their eyes glistening. The similarity between grandmother and granddaughter was evident, they shone with love for each other, both had the same love of life, of art and music, both had the same kind gentle manner and only saw the good in people.
The doorbell rang making them jump and Lizzie called out 'Come in' and the two carers swept into the kitchen and took Mollie away in her wheelchair.
When she came out Anna did the finishing touches to her hair and sprayed her with Harry's favourite scent, the one he had been buying for her for nearly fifty years.
The taxi arrived and they all set off for the party.
Later that evening the sun was going down and they were gathered in the kitchen. Lizzie making tea and adding a drop of brandy. Mark her husband had joined them and asked to see the Golden Anniversary album.
Anna moved the enormous vase of gladioli and laid the album in the centre of the table so they could all see. She pointed to one of Bill with his arms round Harry and Mollie.
'You can tell that Bill fancies you Mum. He couldn't take his eyes off you at the partty and when he said you were the prettiest then and you're the prettiest now, well I thought he was going to cry.'
Harry rolled his eyes, 'Well she was, she is, look at her.'
Mollie giggled and her face lit up as she gazed around the room, she turned to her son-in-law.
'What did you think of the speeches, Mark?'
Mark smiled across at his mother-in-law,
'The best man did well, I liked his descriptions of your holiday in Devon, all those bike rides. but my favourite speech was yours Mollie, the things you said about Harry, the way you looked at him, I think everyone in that room went away better for having been there. You are amazing, both of you, and I feel so lucky to be your son-in-law.'
Lizzie put her arms round her husband.
Anna jumped up and went to hug her grandfather,
'It's true, looking at you and grandma we know that true love exists, we know it lasts forever.'
Harry squeezed his granddaughter's hand and then slowly turned the pages of the album.
'Thank you for making this album and for this wonderful occasion. ' He looked across at Mollie, 'I do....' His voice caught and he struggled to fight the tears,
'It's only when you see the big picture, the whole picture,..'
The words that were left unspoken, the words that heal, that make life go on, love, trust, loyalty, hope, wrapped themselves around the family, the words pronounced years ago, the promises that were made and kept, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, for better for worse, from this day forward, they shone across the room and became the golden links of a chain held firmly by the anchor of Harry and Mollie's true love.
