Sweden

A married couple have an old friend over for dinner.

Sweden

 

            “Hi, welcome back,” Joy said. She stretched her hand forward and shook Paul’s hand as he entered through the front door. “It’s so good to see you again.” The sides of her eyes creased as she smiled.

            “Likewise,” Paul said, stepping out of the rain. He removed his taupe trench coat and hung it on a hanger.

            “Hi Paul,” Harald said, entering the cramped foyer. “Great to have you back. Joy has been cooking all day to make sure everything tastes delicious. She looks great in yellow, doesn’t she?”

            “Oh, absolutely,” Paul said, taken a bit back by Harald’s one-eighty. ”And you look great in green Harald!” he said.

            Harald chuckled. “So come on in.” Harald walked them over to the decked table. Joy had used their finest china.

            “I made Harald’s favorite; Swedish meatballs,” Joy said.

            “Well, I don’t know if they’re my favorite,” Harald replied. “They used to be, but now, I find myself enjoying them less and less.”

            Joy smiled nervously. “Well, dinner is ready, so please, dig in.”

            “You know Joy, these aren’t as good as last time you made them,” Harald said, after having taken a few bites.

            “Oh, really,” Joy said. She spilled some brown sauce on her shirt and tried uselessly to clean it off with her white linen napkin.

            “But don’t worry about it. I’m sure the dessert will be up to standard.” He continued to eat.

            Joy smiled, quite reluctantly.

Paul felt sorry for her. Always so critical her husband, he thought. “So tell me about your new project,” Paul asked Joy, trying to change the subject.

            “Yes, go ahead and tell him Joy,” Harald said.

            Joy smiled again and took another bite of her Swedish meatball. She chewed it slowly. “Well, I just got a book contract, but I’m not sure if I’m going to accept it or not. I might go the self-publishing route.”

            “Well congratulations! Sounds like you have achieved a lot,” Paul said.

            Harald laughed sarcastically. “Well, she can’t really say that. Just last year, she had to close her business of five years and is still paying off the debt we incurred for that mistake.”

            Joy, sipping some red wine, spilled some on her napkin and coughed. ”Thank you for reminding me dear. I’m sure I had forgotten by now.”

            Paul shifted nervously in his seat. “So, any other exciting news or events?”

            “Next week is the Swedish national holiday,” Joy said.

            Paul sipped from his wineglass. “Will you celebrate? Oh, you must. I remember in college, you’d always hold a smashing party.”

“Yes, it will be so much fun. We’re going to…” Joy said.

“Don’t bore Paul with your details. He has more important things to talk about.” Harald said.

“Yes, well, I think I must check on the dessert. Please excuse me.” Joy stood up and went to the kitchen.

Paul finished up his potatoes. “You know, you are such a lucky man to have Joy in your life.”

“She’s a beauty isn’t she? I married a ballerina from Scandinavia. It was the greatest sale of my life.” Harald leaned back in his seat.

Joy came back with Lemon Meringue pie. “Something for everyone. We have sweet, and sour, fluffy and solid all in the same dessert.” She set the pie on the table.

“You know, my mother makes the best lemon meringue pie there is,” Harald said. He scooped a generous portion onto his plate. “Is that the baby crying?” Harald asked.

Joy stood up and left the room.

“Last year, Joy got so sick. She wasn’t taking care of herself. It was so hard on me, having to provide and take care of her. Plus, we couldn’t even be intimate for what seemed like ages.” Harald shoveled the yellow fluff into his mouth.

Paul took a bite of his piece of heaven. “This is really great pie,” he said.

Joy came back with the crying child in her arms, and a new red shirt.

“Here, let me help you while you finish eating your pie,” Paul said. He grabbed the infant out of her arms.

“Thanks,” Joy said, sat down and scooped a piece of pie onto her plate. “Harald is such a wonderful provider,” she said. I never have to worry about money.”

“That’s great,” Paul said.

“Hey Joy, would you mind getting me a glass of water?” Harald asked.

Joy huffed. “Sure dear.”

“I just thought since you are closest to the kitchen.”

“I understand, no problem,” Joy said.

“So business is good I take it?” Paul patted the crying child on his back and bounced him up and down.

“Yes. The best it’s ever been in fact. Joy loves having extra money.” Harald leaned forward, both elbows on the table.

Joy came out with a glass of water, half-empty. “Here you are dear.”

“What, is there a water shortage?” Harald asked.

“No, but the filter seems to be broken.” She sat the glass of water down on the table since he didn’t take it.

“Oh. I’ll check on it later.”

“That’s what you always say, and then you never get to it,” Joy said.

“I’ll get to it later, I promise.”

Joy looked tired. She took the child and patted his back. Then, the child spit up all over her. “Excuse me,” she said. She left the room and came back with a black t-shirt on.

 “Yeah, we’ve been through a lot, but things are getting better now, aren’t they dear?” Harald asked Joy.

“Um, sure,” she said, setting the baby in his high chair. “We’re even planning a grand vacation to Africa next summer. It was Harald’s idea.”

“Sounds like the trip of a lifetime,” Paul said.

“I know, doesn’t it?” Harald said. “Joy wanted to go to Sweden, but I thought that would be a bore. It’s too cold and plain for my taste. I mean really, what is there in Sweden anyway?”

“Well, I just wanted to see my Grandmother one last time before she dies. I haven’t been back home in eleven years.” Joy looked sad.

Paul thought he saw her eyes moisten.

“We’ll go some day,” Harald said. “Just not now.”

Joy looked down.

“What happened to your shirt?” Harald asked.

“What do you mean?” Joy said.

“Weren’t you just wearing yellow?”

“Yes, but I spilled sauce on it.”

Harald huffed. “Clumsy as always.”

Paul felt uncomfortable to say the least.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Harald said and stood up from the table.

“So, are you happy?” Paul asked after Harald had left the room.

Joy’s eyes flinched. “Happy?” She sighed.

“You seem a changed woman. I know it’s not my place to say, but the Joy I used to know was quite different.”

“Well, I’m older now. Have been through a rough eleven years of marriage. Marriage is hard, you know. That’s what everyone tells me. Besides, things are getting better between Harald and I. We have money now, and it’s not like he beats me or anything.”

“I could give you so much more Joy,” Paul said.

“Not here, not now, Joy whispered. She stood up and paced the room for a while. “What we had is dead Paul. I thought you would have known that by now.”

“Then why did you invite me over?” Paul stood up and walked over to her.

“I…I just missed…us,” she said.

“Did you ever tell him?”

“Tell me what?” Harald returned and plumped down onto his chair.

Joy beamed over to the table. “We weren’t talking about you dear.”  

“A toast to the beautiful as ever Joy!” He lifted his wineglass up.

Paul hesitated, but didn’t want to cause any upsetness. “To Joy,” he said.

Joy’s eyes wandered to a place beyond this world.

“I need to get going,” Paul said. “Thank you for the meal, Joy. You never cease to impress me.”

“Maybe next time she won’t embarrass us by spilling food all over herself like an infant,” Harald said.

“I didn’t even notice,” Paul said and kissed her on the cheek. “The good thing about Sweden, is that it will be there, waiting for you to return forever.”

Joy’s eyes lit up. “Thank you for your kindness.”

“Anytime, anytime.”

“Maybe I need to think more about going home to Sweden,” Joy said.

“It would be the trip of a lifetime.” Paul nodded and shut the door behind him.