Gnik Nus

Chapter 24

Brian liked to surprise us these days. He was always coming home with new things or surprises for us. Just two days ago it was the archaic VCR. Only two weeks ago did he reveal that we were moving house (it was supposed to be this week that we were moving but it got pushed back to next week). This time, he had possibly the most exciting news I would hear.

The whole family sat at the dining table together for dinner. Brian always sat at the head of the table (if he was here for dinner), and the rest of the eight of us did not have a specific seat we sat at. As there were only eight seats and nine people, we had to bring a chair from the four-seater breakfast table in the kitchen. This night, Jenny had prepared meatloaf with a side of vegetables. I only begrudgingly ate it because I was hungry and I didn't want to hurt Jenny's feelings. She thankfully cooked a lot of my favourite vegetable, potato. Sometimes I felt that Jenny pandered to me too much. She knew that I loved to eat but was rather fussy with the foods I liked, a fussiness that had become exacerbated since becoming pregnant. She always tried to cater to everyone. Conversation around the table was light. After the plates were cleared by sweet Jack (his main chore was to set the table and clear the dishes), Jenny brought out dessert. I was excited to see that it was ice cream. For the past week or so my main craving had been cold foods. I drank a lot of milkshakes, and had discovered a milk bar around the corner that I liked to frequent, taking different people with me. Jenny served up the vanilla ice cream, which Jack and I in particular were eager to engulf.

Brian cleared his throat when we had all finished eating. We all looked at him expectantly. He was about to say something important.
"Thank you for that lovely meal, Jenny," he began. "You have all been behaving quite well... well, recently anyway. I would like to reward you. That, and as Benjamin was born the other day I think we should celebrate."
There was a tittering and stiffening around the table. A reward?
"It's not a bloody VCR again is it, Brian?" chuckled Peter.
"No, no, I think you'll like this one far better."
We held our breaths and he certainly took his time in revealing the surprise.
"Firstly, I need to make sure Sophie is planted firmly on her chair," he said, in a somewhat jokingly manner. Heads turned to me, amused, and Adam, who was on my right, put his hands on my shoulders as if to 'plant' me.
"She's all good," he affirmed and I smirked, mildly amused.
"Well, you would all know that tomorrow is the last of the boys' Christmas shows. I thought you might all like to go."
I immediately beamed and squirmed in my seat in excitement. The others all tittered with glee also.
"Jesus, Brian, do you want her to go into premature labour?" Peter remarked.
My dream! To see The Beatles in concert! It was going to happen! Even though they had performed for me in my own living room, it was nothing compared to a full concert. I guess everyone expected me to react a little more loudly for they started looking at me with concern.
"What's the matter, Sophie?" Brian queried tentatively. "Are you not excited about this?"
"What? Of course I am!" I responded. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because that was the most dialed-down reaction we've ever seen from you," Adam chuckled.
"Shut up," I grumbled, crossing my arms and frowning.

"Now, there are some logistical aspects to go over," Brian began. "It's not simple enough to just have you attend."
"Why? We're not going to need bodyguards or anything are we?" Adam joked.
"As a matter of fact, you are. Malcolm will be your bodyguard for the event. I know it might seem to you like you are just attending a simple concert, but it is actually a lot more complicated than that. A bodyguard is necessary, especially to get you in and out of the venue safely and without drawing attention. And if any of the fangirls catch you even interacting with the boys, they will attack. They get extremely jealous and it's not pretty. I've never seen young girls be as brutal as they are at a Beatles show."
"You make it sound like a dangerous spy mission," Ben managed to crack a joke.
"Well, in a way, it is."
"I'm scared," Jack squeaked.
"There's no need to be, honey," crooned Jenny. "We've just got to follow Mal's directions and keep ourselves safe. Right, Brian?"
"Spot on, Jen."
I don't know if I was the only one who noticed, but I happened to pick up on the fact that Brian had called her 'Jen'. She was always Jennifer to him and Jenny to the rest of us.