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Isak is tired walking home from work. It’s late in the afternoon, which means it’s already pitch black in Oslo. Not even the many Christmas lights that have been put up around the city manage to lift his mood. It feels like he hasn’t seen day light for weeks.
It’s getting really cold as well, but no snow yet.
When the snow finally arrives it will change the settings of the whole city, lighting up the streets and the moods of everyone.
When he was younger he loved the snow because of all the fun it would bring, like skiing, going sledding, building snow forts or starting snowball fights.
But now, all he can think about is the light. The city needs the light the snow will bring in the middle of dark December.
He’s walking on the pavement wrapped up in his big scarf that is covering half of his face. He just really wants to get home, so he can crash on the sofa and not move before he needs to crawl into bed.
And then get up in the dark the next morning and repeat it all over again. Oh life.
People are rushing past him, busy with their own lives, arms full of bags from the grocery store or with headphones on to keep the reality out.
Behind him he hears a man and a child talking. Isak can feel their present close behind him, the child in a pram and the man, he assumes pushing it.
“When we get home we’re gonna make mashed potatoes and sausage. We bought a lot of nice food.”
“So much food!”
“Yes, lots of food.”
“And ice cream!”
“No, no ice cream today. But cucumber. You can have cucumber before dinner.”
“Happy birds day you you, happy birds day you you,” the child starts to sing with the wrong lyrics, making the man laugh.
It’s a nice laugh, Isak notices.
He still doesn’t really want to be listening to people talking right now. Since the pram is slower than other walkers on the street he picks up the pace himself to loose the pram-man and the child.
He still hear them laughing at something when he distances himself with a few fast steps. He knows he’s being grumpy but he hates when people are walking too close to him so he has to listen in to other people’s conversations.
Some days it’s really more that he can take. He knows he is on his way home alone; he doesn’t need to be reminded.
But Isak gets stopped by a red light and soon the pram-man and his child has caught up with him.
“Maybe this weekend,” the man says.
Isak is wondering if they are still talking about ice cream.
At least this father is present and seems to have a nice conversation going on with his child, Isak thinks. Hopefully he won’t ditch the family when the kid gets older.
When the light turns green Isak changes his strategy and slows his steps instead, letting the pram-man rush ahead of him. He catches a glimpse of a tall lanky man and a child in a yellow beanie and red overall in the pram disappearing over the crossing.
Before Isak can start to cross himself something on the street catches his eyes. He bends down to pick it up.
It’s a mitten. And not just any mitten, this is clearly a hand made very personal mitten with a small flowery pattern knitted by some one who put a lot of love in the work. On top of the mitten “Emil” is embroidered.
Shit.
Isak snaps his head up but the pram-man with child is gone. Where did they go? He looks around but he can’t see them anymore. Either they disappeared in one of the front doors or they turned another corner. Isak has no idea.
For a few seconds he stands still, unsure of what to do. He looks around to see if there is anyway he can put the mitten, but there is no good place for it. Put it back on the street just feels plain wrong. He sighs and without further thinking he puts it in his pocket and reverts to walking home.
***
After he’s made himself something easy to eat (an omelette) he sits with the now empty plate on the table turning the mitten around in his hands. He retrieved it from his pocket to look for an address, phone number or something in the mitten. He remembered that parents usually have their kid’s belongings tagged for kindergarten. But the small white nametag inside only says “Emil” and well, he already knew that.
Well, he brought it home, so he needs to do something.
Suddenly he gets an idea. He puts the mitten on the table where it is well lightened. Then he snaps a few pictures of it with his phone and e-mails them to his job address. This might be the old fashion way, be he can’t really come up with anything else.
***
Next day at work he retrieves the pictures and chooses one, inserts it into a word document and writes an inquiry under the picture.
MITTEN FOUND
Does any one recognize this mitten? Found on the street.
Please call to get it back.
Then he adds his phone number. That will have to do.
Maybe it’s crazy, but he figures that if the man and his family live close to the crossing they must be frequenting one of the two big grocery stores in the areas. He prints 2 copies and puts it in his bag. He’ll put them up on his way home.
***
It takes a week and a half before he gets a call from an unknown number. He’s just about to decline the call when he suddenly remembers the notes and answers.
“Isak.”
“Yes.. Hi. I’m calling about the mitten.”
Isak instantly recognizes the voice of the pram-man. He did get to hear him talk for a bit on the street after all. And he’s got a really nice deep voice.
“Yes, that’s right. I have it.”
“Oh my god, that’s so good news. Julie will be so happy.”
Isak assumes he is talking about his wife.
The voice on the phone continues:
“How can we get it back?”
“If you live in the area I could just meet up with either you or Julie.”
The voice on the other end laughs. It is a really nice laugh.
“Well, I think you’ll have to meet up with both of us.”
Okay, so maybe this is some co-dependent shit where they have to do everything together. But hey, Isak’s not one to judge. If both the mother and the father of a child with a lost mitten want to meet up, that’s their problem.
“Okay, when and were?”
They decide on a street corner outside a small coffee shop the next day around the same time as when Isak found the mitten.
He doesn’t actually say anything about the fact that he has an idea of what to look for, that he’s seen him before. He wonders about that when they hang up and he’s still sitting with the phone in his hand. He’s sure he will recognize the guy, if only by pure height. But the pram-man didn’t question it. After all, maybe there won’t be so many lonely men standing outside a coffee shop that time a day with a knitted mitten in his hands.
***
Isak sees him straight away where he comes, pushing the pram with the child in front of him, just like the other night.
This is the first time Isak has seen his face, and it’s a nice face, he realises, a reallynice face. The man approaching him is fucking gorgeous.
No wife insight yet.
Isak waves a little with the mitten and smiles towards them when they are closing in.
“Hi! Oh God, look at that!” the other man laughs and takes the mitten from Isak’s hand.
He then takes of his own glove and offers his hand to Isak.
“I’m Even by the way,” he says smiling.
“Isak.”
“Oh, and this is Julie.” He points to the child in the pram. “Say hi, Jules.”
What?
The child looks suspiciously at Isak for a few seconds before she breaks out in a big smile, much resembling here father.
“Hi, I’m Julie and you found my mitten!”
“I sure did. And now I’m glad you got it back.”
“Me too!” She grabs the mitten out of her father’s hand and kisses it.
“I’m sorry,” Isak frowns, “but the name on the mitten..” He turns to Even.
“Haha, yeah well, she inherited them from here favourite cousin and therefor she wants to wear them all the time. You have no idea what we have gone through since it went missing…”
No, Isak really doesn’t have any idea.
“She can be really stubborn,” Even explains but at the same time puts an affectionate hand on top of her beanie.
“You promised!” Julie cries out at the same time.
Isak looks between them confused while Even squirms a little.
“I know, sweetheart.” He looks at Isak.
“You see, I kind of had to promise her that we would get something at the coffee shop if we went here, to get her to put her clothes on.”
“And buy a coffee for you!” Julie points at Isak.
It seems like he is no better at denying her anything she wants, so he just nods.
“Would you please let us buy you a coffee, as a thank you?” Even asks.
“Okay.”
***
Some minutes later they are cramped down at a small table, Julie busy with a huge cinnamon bun, Isak and Even with two coffees.
Isak doesn’t know much about raising children, but he can’t help but wonder how she will be able to eat any dinner in a short while. Even sees his eyes.
“I know, I know, but sometimes it’s just easier to let her have her way. As long as it doesn’t kill her.” Even raises his eyebrows, like it’s a challenge.
“I don’t judge.”
“Good, because we might do things a little unorthodox at times, but as long as the whole family is happy…”
Even tilts his head, smiling at Isak. It makes him feel a little out of breath, it surely was a long time since someone so beautiful smiled at him.
“And..” he can’t help but ask, “…and the rest of the family?”
The question hangs between them for a few seconds while Even squints his eyes looking at him.
“It’s just us. Me and Julie,” he answers in a low voice.
Oh.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Julie’s mum is living with another woman, and Julie is with them every second week. I knew what I was getting myself into.”
Oh.
“Like I said, unorthodox.”
“Well that’s…” before Isak can continue Julie is trying to put a piece of cinnamon bun in Even’s mouth, making him laugh.
“Okay, Jules, do you think we talk to much without you?”
“Yes!”
After which she begins to crawl up into Even’s lap.
Their conversation after that mainly revolts around what happened at kindergarten today, and what they need to borrow at their next trip to the library.
Once both his and Even’s attention is directed towards her she doesn’t seem to mind Isak being there with them. In fact, at one point she puts her little hand on top of his and claims him as her new grown up friend, which makes Even’s eyes sparkle which is causing all kinds of strange feelings inside of Isak.
To his surprise, Isak finds himself enjoying it quite a bit. It’s like he can play pretend that he somehow belongs with this little family, even though they are practically strangers to him.
When they finally leave, Julie stuffed back into the pram basically half sleeping; they end up standing awkwardly outside.
“So… thank you for the coffee.”
“My pleasure. After all you’ve done for the mitten.”
They go quiet, just looking at each other. Even is starring at him intensely and Isak wonders if maybe, maybe he might just be interested in meeting Isak again. Isak would surely want that.
“I,” Even starts, but then diverts his eyes.
“She’s lovely,” Isak says. He doesn’t know why, but he somehow feels the need to reassure Even that him having a child is not an issue.
Even looks back at him.
“I wanted to ask you if you would consider having another coffee sometime soon. Only with me.”
Now it’s Isak’s turn to break into a big smile.
“Yeah, I would very much like that.”
***