Open Writing

Around midnight the street lights suddenly failed. Total darkness; somewhere a dog barked. The man in the black hat edged toward the front gate.

In order not to disturb the baby, Lindsay turned carefully to get a better look. "Funny! Where's he going?"

"Who's going?" John had been dozing while Lindsay sat in the dark beside the window feeding the baby. A full night's sleep would be a welcome change. He'd felt like a punch-drunk boxer, out for the count every morning for the past six weeks and wondered how long it would be before things got back to normal.

"Across the road at Rosa's, the man in the astrakhan hat and long black overcoat, the one who looks like an anarchist. He opened the door and went down the path to the gate, just after the street lights went out."

"Lights went out! Not again. Who is he, Lindsay?"

"His name's Wladyslaw. He's Rosa's uncle from Krakow He's a doctor."

Simon's eyes closed. "Might get a lie-in tomorrow. That'll be the day."

Lindsay breathed in the warm benison of soft hair and skin as she finally laid him down, then she dropped into bed like a felled tree.

"What's he doing over here?"

"He's working at the hospital. Rosa says he's a specialist paediatrician. The money's better here than it is in Poland".

"Well I'd have thought he'd get good money anywhere for being a paediatrician."

"Apparently not. Anyway we need the doctors. Poor you, look at you. You need your sleep." She kissed him. "Night love!"

"Goo'nigh..." John didn't drift into sleep; he went out like Jonah snatched into the belly of the whale, swiftly and silently.

She lay a few moments thinking how different things were. Time had shrunk immeasurably and things to do had grown larger, but love burgeoned.

Tomorrow she'd ring her mother and ask her to come for a few days. If Mum had her way, she'd have been here at the start. That was quite plain when she'd visited the hospital. That wouldn't have done. She would have taken over completely, 'hogged it' as John put it. Lindsay wouldn't have got a look in. Now was the time. Mum would love it and Simon would get to know his ever-loving Gran.

The street lights went on again. Lindsay crossed to the window to close the curtains. As she did so, she noticed Wladyslaw returning. He had a small dog with him. She hadn't noticed that before. That explained why he'd gone for a midnight stroll - taking it for a walk before turning in. He was here to stay.

Rosa and Adam would be pleased. She'd said his wife had recently died, and that he wanted to make a new life. A man like that doesn't get a dog on a whim.

Lindsay smiled, 'I've always wanted a friend who looked like an anarchist." Getting back into bed, she folded herself comfortably around John and fell fast asleep.