Living While I'm Alive

On the morning of the 23^rd of December 2004, I leave Gibraltar to meet my wife and children in London. They will arrive on the morning of the 24^th. We have decided that we will spend a few days in London including Christmas day and then make our way back to Gibraltar. I have not seen them for more than 2 months now and I can barely wait.

MAIN STREET GIBRALTAR DECORATED FOR CHRISTMAS!

IT CAN ALSO BE ONE OF THE MOSTE CROWDED STREETS EVER! 

We meet each other again and the moment is as sweet as it can ever be. They are tired, but we still make our way to a very busy  Oxford street to buy some presents as I have just received a good bonus, I splash out, maybe I started to compensate for what will be waiting for them once we get back to Gibraltar. My oldest son is now 7 years old and the youngest only 4. We enjoyed our time in London but we missed being with friends and family during this special time. Being in a Hotel room does not really make Christmas all that special. On the 26^th we fly out to Gibraltar. The two hour flight takes us over Spain and a short while later we land. My heart is beating in my throat and I know I have to play it very carefully now. If I’m to quite I will make them feel uneasy, if I’m too talkative it might show that I’m trying to hide the fact that this is just not home. The taxi ride is short and although it is cold, the sun shines brightly and all the natural elements seem to be in my favour. We leave the bags in front of our little “bird cage” and I warn them again “Don’t be shocked…we will be okay, I know it is very small, but lets try and make it work” then I let them in. The two boys head straight for the patio as expected, but my wife stays inside. A slow inspection follows, that doesn’t last to long (lets face it there is not much to inspect) I try to learn something from her expression, but its rather blank. “It’s small, but it’s okay… you are right we will make it” and with those words I knew she would be okay.

THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR AT NIGHT

And so our life starts taking its course in Gibraltar, with a few surprises that we never expected, like sending my very small little son to school at the young age of only 4!! I felt so sorry for him, because he just seemed to be way too small for a school uniform, but that is how it’s done in Gibraltar and we had no choice. Yes there were lots and lost of rain and yes living so close to the ocean could be an absolute pain on stormy days, but our visas for Spain kicked in and soon we would start discovering this amazing neighbouring country every second weekend.

GIBRALTAR WITH SPAIN IN THE BACK

My wife opted for the “snip” (sterilization) after the birth of our second son, 4 years ago. So when she said she was not feeling very well in March 2005, we both thought she must have a cold. The only thing was that the common cold does not usually cause such a very familiar “morning sickness” effect. The gynaecologist confirmed her pregnancy two days before her 39^th birthday and it came with an enormous shock. One of the reasons why we decided to embark on this relocation to Gibraltar was because we felt our sons were big enough and yes we never planned to have another child, but hey those decisions are not made by us!!  So have you ever heard about the 99.99% chance of falling pregnant after having the snip? Well we are the evidence of the remaining 00.01% and we had no idea how to deal with it. Back in the “bird cage” the crying started and I felt so sorry for my wife, I think she was so confused, she new that you should be happy when you receive such a wonderful gift, but the emotions of just not being ready for it over-shadowed it all.

I decided to book a trip back to London to celebrate her birthday and just clear our minds! It helped a bit and the kids enjoyed going to the cinema, Lego land and all the other attractions

When we told some of our friends that we were pregnant again, they all wanted to know whether we will be suing the surgeon that performed the “snip” 4 years ago…it left me totally amazed…as if I would ever consider doing that…just imagine how I would explain that to my child one day….. To be continued!