Finally, it was Christmas eve. Maija and Vlad were invited for a family dinner with the Costello. Vlad baked a delicious-looking cake.
"You like our neighbours, don"t you, dad?" - asked Maija, as she was combing her hair.
"Oh, of course, dear," - Vlad replied enthusiastically. - "nice people, don"t you think? Of course," - he paused, - "things were so different before Elisa and Erik divorsed. That house used to be full of laughter and happiness. At warm summer evenings, they used to sit together in their little garden and drink lemonade. I would sometimes sit with them and then I wouldn"t feel so lonely anymore. I saw Luna and Mart growing up. Their friendship is very important to me."
This time, there were much more people at the table. Apart from the family, there were also faces unfamiliar to Maija. She supposed those are probably more distant relatives and friends of Elisa. Maija sat with Martin to her right, and her father to her left. Her neighbours from across were Luna and Adrian. Poor Adrian - having such a big crowd of people around him obviously didn"t make him any less shy. He sat in complete silence, the tips of his ears red. To compensate for that, Luna was talking instead of him.
"Yes, uncle. Of course we"re thinking of getting married - but it"s too early, Adrian has to finish his studies first. So we will start planning this more thoroughly in a year or so. No, uncle, there"s no need to fill his glass again, he doesn"t drink much."
Maija didn"t talk much either. Martin was squeezing her fingers quietly under the table. Nobody noticed it, though - Elisa was occupied with the guests, and Vlad was so cheerful, so lively, and kept proposing toasts, one after another. Maija noticed that although both Vlad and Erik seemed happy and friendly, they avoided eye contact with each other, and didn"t exchange a word except for a cold "hello".
That was the first time she attended such a big family dinner. It was extremely nice to feel the warm atmosphere around, to enjoy Elisa"s delicious cooking and to listen to the conversations around. For an instance, Maija wished she had a big family - not just her father and aunt Johanna, but many aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters and sisters" boyfriends. If her mother was alive, today they would probably be having a big family dinner of their own - just as big as this one. A quiet evening, but yet so kind, warm and bright.
The dinner was almost over. They were now eating dessert - a big fruit cake, with whipped cream on top of it - and sipping strong, sweet coffee. The atmosphere at the table became even more pleasant. The discussions weren"t so strong, the phrases - so sharp. Everyone were talking of simple, quiet things, like the weather, today"s dinner and the last game of the local hockey team. It seemed to Maija that her father had drunk a bit too much wine and mead - his nose grew quite red and he was a bit more than just friendly with everyone. Still, in the kind atmosphere that surrounded the table, nobody seemed to mind.
A sudden noise disturbed the silence. One could have thought that a truck full of aluminium pots, plates and spoons turned upside down and all of its contents hit each other with the power of sound no less stronger than a thousand decibells. But a person who knew a bit more couldn"t have any doubt about it. That sort of noise could only have one source -
"The Rippers!" - a loud exclamation was shot into the air. The faces of everyone around the table looked extremely surprised, because it was the first time Adrian talked during this evening, if you don"t count low squeaking sounds that were meant for "hi, how are you doing, very nice to see you again". Besides, Adrian"s face shone with joy and excitement, which was very far from the reaction of everyone else.
"Adrian loves rock music," - explained Luna. - "we went to a concert of The Rippers some time ago."
"Music?" - Martin raised one eyebrow. But that didn"t confuse Adrian, to the surprise of everyone.
"The Rippers are the best young rock band in the area," - said Adrian, still gleaming. - "what do you think, could they be giving another concert somewhere around here?"
"I don"t think so, it"s just a small quiet neighbourhood." - said Rita.
Absolutely right, thought Maija. The screeching of a thousand knives on a thousand plates grew almost unbearable.
"Well, you can"t really apply the word "quiet" to it right now, can you?" - asked Elisa ironically. - "I don"t know what you can possibly find in this kind of music, Adrian dear. Of course, everyone has his own taste, but those boys are just a bunch of highschool dropouts. They live here and I know them all. They"re younger than you!"
"Very talented young artists," - Adrian disagreed politely. - "oh, listen - I think they"re coming closer."
Adrian was right. The best young rock band around now sounded as if it was playing right near everyone"s ears. Throwing quite sharp words at Tommy in her heart, Maija walked after Karo, Elisa and Vlad who went to open the door. The Rippers were standing right on the doorstep, not letting their guitars even a minute of rest.
"Stop that!" - yelled Elisa, but it sounded no louder than a faint whisper. Then, when Maija stepped forward, Tommy made a sign and everyone stopped playing.
"My favorite rock band!" - Adrian screamed happily and pushed everyone away, as he advanced forward to shake Tommy"s hand.
"Tommy," - said Elisa severely. - "we"re having a quiet family dinner here. Could you please tell me what all this is supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing," - Tommy shrugged innocently. - "we just wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas! Merry Christmas to my neighbours and schoolmates - merry Christmas, Maija! Merry Christmas, Martin!"
"We appreciate that," - said Erik dryly. - "but may I tell you, this is completely outrageous."
The Rippers didn"t listen to him - they were too busy dealing with Adrian, who made eager requests for their autographes, cassettess and tickets to their concerts.
"This is amazing," - whispered Elisa to Luna, - "I mean, I"ve never seen Adrian so - so - secure - oh, look, now he"s taking photos with these boys. Dear, I"ve got to tell you one thing, I hope his taste in music improves a bit as time goes by."
And so, to the hidden molest of Elisa, Erik and the old friends, the Rippers entered the living room and spend the rest of the Christmas dinner together with everyone, eating and drinking immense quantities. At the end of the dinner, Maija and Martin slipped away, unnoticed, and disappeared in the little garden behind the house.
"I always knew he"s a jerk," - said Martin half-sardonically, half-angrily. - "from the first time Luna brought him home, I knew - he"s a total idiot. He has a bad taste in hockey, food and clothes, not to mention music. He hardly ever speaks, and when he does, it makes me amazed to see how many stupid things a human being can say in one minute."
"Martin," - Maija said softly, - "I know it"s actually Tommy who makes you annyoed - and I think that today, everyone - well, except Adrian maybe, - would agree with you. I tried to talk to Tommy but apparently, it didn"t make any difference. He will get tired of bothering us eventually."
"I hate family dinners, have I mentioned it already?" - said Martin bitterly. - "the more people, the worse. I wish I could put my finger on what made mom and dad break up. Maybe if they understood it themselves, there would be still hope for them to get together again."
"Don"t worry for that," - said Maija, caressing his shoulder. - "you worry for your parents, for your sister, you worry because of Tommy and his gang - all of those things don"t really depend on you. Why don"t you think of yourself for a change?"
"What do I have in this life anyway?" - he asked, kissing Maija on the forehead. - "things are different since you came here. Why do I feel it will never be the same?"
The skies were bright again. The snow wasn"t falling anymore, and the trees were waving their branches in such a friendly manner. The nearby hill looked like a dark, ancient, sleepy monster.