Remember When: Remember, #2

By Vida Li Sik

Will the magic of Christmas give their love a second chance?

Gérard

My life is great, and my immediate family is all I need. There is no place for romance. Or is there? A decade ago Santi turned down my marriage proposal. When meddling family members find a way to bring us together the week before Christmas, I remember why I fell in love with her, but can't forget how easily she walked away before.

Santi

Long ago I gave up my dreams of marriage and playing with the London Symphony Orchestra when my family needed me. Now, with my ill parents finally at peace and my baby sister grown, I'm ready to reclaim my life. I don't need Gérard to remind me about the joys of love, family, and Christmas I learned to live without. Or do I?

Remember When is book 2 in a series of standalone novellas set in the City of Gold, Johannesburg. While it can be enjoyed on its own, the books are best read in order. If you enjoy short holiday romances set in summer, then click buy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vida Li Sik
• Release date: Nov 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201528270

Vida Li Sik

Vida Li Sik is a wife, mother, award-winning journalist and multi-genre author. She grew up in a small town, Nigel, in sunny South Africa. Together with her family, she is actively involved in a youth and family ministry in Johannesburg, the City of Gold. She has no pets and has yet to find a weird and wonderful hobby. In the meantime, she loves to write about people, real ones and imagined.  For updates, contact Vida through her website: https://www.vidalisik.com/ or on social media. She would love to hear from you. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vidalswriter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vidalisik Twitter: https://twitter.com/vidalisik

Book preview

Cover Photo: (courtesy of www.DepositPhotos.com)

Cover Art: Francine Beaton

(British spelling is used throughout the book)

Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Glossary

Afrikaans—a Germanic language similar to Dutch and one of the eleven official languages in South Africa

Ag—Afrikaans word meaning oh

Bakkie—truck

Biltong—dried cured meat flavoured with spices

Bobotie—a dish made with ground beef with curry and condiments such as apricot jam

Boerie roll—a sausage made of ground beef, and often enjoyed with caramelised onions and either tomato, mustard or spicy sauce

Braai—barbecue

Braaied—barbecued

Braaivleis—barbecued meat

Dam—lake

Eish! —an exclamation used to express a range of emotions, such as surprise, annoyance, or resignation

Hooted—beeped

Howzit—a common informal greeting meaning hello and/or how’s it going?

Ja—Afrikaans word for yes

Jam—a preserve made from boiled fruit and sugar

Joburg—abbreviated name for the city of Johannesburg

Lapa—a structure that usually consists of a thatched roof supported by wooden poles creating an open-sided enclosure, commonly used as semi-open entertainment areas

Lekker—Afrikaans slang for nice or extremely well

Malva pudding—a sweet pudding containing apricot jam, with a spongy caramelised texture. A cream sauce is poured over while it’s hot, and it’s served hot with custard and/or ice-cream

Mealie—Corn

Pap—stiff porridge served as a side dish

Petrol—gasoline

Potjiekos—a meal slow-cooked over hot coals

Serviettes—napkins

Snoek—a popular thin, mackerel type of fish found in the Southern hemisphere and popular in South Africa

Takkies—canvas shoes

Varsity—university

Vetkoek—A small, unsweetened cake of deep-fried dough

Zol—a hand-rolled cigarette, especially of cannabis

Chapter One

Gérard

The month of December is the worst time to be stuck in a car in South Africa, but here I am and I find myself stumped for ideas on how to make myself more comfortable. The inside of my double cab Toyota Hilux bakkie felt like a twin oven baking three of us under the summer sun. I mopped up the sweat on my forehead with the sleeve of my T-shirt. The air conditioner waited on my list of must-fix things. A snake-like queue stretched all the way down a dusty dirt road as an assortment of vehicles waited to enter the Cob Music Festival. The delay made us all cranky and short of conversation.

Flirting with two young guys on the back of a bakkie in front of us has lost its appeal to my niece. I realised my misgivings about allowing Raven and her twin brother to arrange a fun getaway four days before Christmas, the following moment when they dropped a bombshell on me.

Seated in the front passenger seat, Raven turned sideways to face me. Uncle G! We’ve arranged a blind date for you. You’ll meet her tonight. There was no build up, she simply blurted out her news. Her dark eyes shone with excitement as she waited for my response.

You expect me to go on a blind date? At my age? Absolutely not! I tugged on my already sticky T-shirt as the thought alone drenched me in a fresh load of sweat. I came here for the music. Nothing else.

All I wanted to do was unwind before the crazy family get-together for Christmas. That was and would always remain my favourite time of the year. I thumped my hand down on the steering wheel for emphasis, just in case they missed the stern tone of my voice.

The twins had the audacity to laugh. Raven’s body shook with mirth, then she casually slouched back against the door where she resembled a wilted flower. She flicked away long, dark hair that clung to her oval face, while her hazel eyes danced with merriment. "You’re not that old, Uncle. You’re what, thirty-five?"

I’m thirty-seven, going on thirty-eight. I huffed, but felt happy she thought I was younger. Hard physical work restoring cars in my workshop kept my muscles tight and toned. And there was not a trace of grey in my auburn hair.

I loved nothing more than besting them at activities. Put it down to my competitive nature. Most of the time, I did alright—I was always up for trying something new—but sometimes I felt ancient next to them.

Recently, they’ve signed me up to an online dating website and even took me on speed dates. What a disaster! We did things differently when I was their age. But they were relentless. Since they finished high school a few weeks ago, they became obsessed with the mission to find me a wife.

Her brother, Beau, leaned forward and ruffled my longish curls. Don’t worry, Uncle G, you’re as handsome as ever. Especially since you got rid of your ponytail. That was so yesterday!

When the twins were toddlers, my full name—Gérard—proved to be a mouthful for them, Their compromise, Uncle G, stuck with me ever since.

I grinned, but smacked his hand away. Don’t change the topic. Explain yourself.

My nephew’s eyes collided with mine in the rear-view mirror. He inherited the greenstone colour from my older brother Robert. The high cheekbones and chiselled jaw was his own and what made him a sought-after part-time model. His locks were currently blonde after his last modelling shoot.

His smile faded as he and Raven exchanged a look—one with guilt written all over it. A shiver of worry shot up my arms. I flexed my fingers to relieve the tension and took a deep breath. My calm voice belied my concern.

Okay. Out with it. What have you done?

The cars in front of us moved once more. Distracted, I started the engine. Dust swirled up like mini tornadoes as we inched our way forward on the gravel road. But I waited in expectation and tapped my fingers against the steering wheel.

Raven’s rosy face turned towards Beau. The twins exchanged a silent telepathic message, and she cleared her throat.

Okey-dokey. Our efforts to hook you up with someone via the dating app have been unsuccessful.

Beau poked his head in-between the seats. Don’t be modest, Sis. Call it what it is—an epic fail.

Alright. Don’t rub it in! Her voice was sharp. "As I was saying, we’ve been unsuccessful, because no one met our high standards. So we decided