7Author's Note:
Are you ready for Ken and Rilla's year in Oxford through Hanson's eyes?
Google Maps shows Oxford (actually Jericho) as only being about a 1.25 hour drive from Kensington Palace. (I had initially thought it would be farther away and the PPOs would be required to live away from their families again.)
It is quite a privilege that kslchen has allowed me to introduce you to the new member of the Hanson household…any early guesses on the name kslchen chose to use for this character? (Thank you, kslchen!)
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~ ~ ~ ~ Hanson ~ ~ ~ ~ Hanson ~ ~ ~ ~ Hanson ~ ~ ~ ~
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August 2012 (Current duty location – Oxford)
I feel like I should have had a schoolbag and a lunchbox today…my first day back at school in many years. Maybe it is me feeling old, but some of these 23-, 24-, 25-year-olds look waaay too young to be taking graduate courses! Of course, others are older and have returned to obtain an additional degree (like PoW).
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It is tough on anyone (of any age) to begin at a new school and make new friends, etc. Miss will likely find it challenging – being so far from home, attending a prestigious university, and having everyone want to know/or to avoid her because of her relationship with PoW. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes! But also I can't help imagining being in PoW's shoes – unable to easily sort out those who might truly be decent classmates vs. the rest. I guess he's used to it by now, but it would still be rough. I know he has a core group of true friends, but hopefully he'll find some people in class that he can be comfortable with during this graduate program…
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With PoW only having courses in the morning today, he spent much of the afternoon at home. Of course, that meant that I was essentially off duty until he chose to go out later on. So, I made a list of the remaining tasks I want to accomplish around the house before the baby arrives next month. I don't want any "to do" list items hanging over my head then. Do you already have your own list for me? Maybe we can compare them this evening.
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I'm leaving now. I should be home by 1900 if the traffic remains in good shape.
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September 2012 (Current duty location – Oxford)
[Note on kitchen counter] It was quite late when I got home last night. You were so adorably intertwined amongst all of your pillows…taking up most of the bed, too, I must say. 😊 I was afraid I'd wake you this morning so I slept in the guest room. But I'm sorry I have to leave this morning without any time to talk properly. Have I told you how glad I am that you have started maternity leave so that you can sleep as much as you need to? Please text me when you wake. xoxo
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PoW's engagement today will be only a few hours long, so I should be home perhaps even as early as 1700.
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I was going to tell you that last night was a first for PoW and Miss…a real movie at a real movie theater for a real date in public! It was the new Woody Allen film. I only saw bits of it as we rotated security posts periodically, but the parts I saw were good. Are you interested in going to see it at some point either soon…or after the baby arrives? I've heard that people take tiny babies to movie theatres sometimes since babies sleep so much. But, if we don't end up seeing it on the big screen, we can just wait till it gets released on DVD.
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I'm still glad we chose not to find out the baby's gender, but I do get tired of saying "the baby" instead of "he" or "she." I can hardly wait to finally meet "him" or "her" in person!
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October 2012 (Current duty location – Oxford)
Yes! I saw the pictures…as did everyone here in Oxford and our bosses at headquarters. I feel bad for Butcher who was on duty when the pics were taken…since he got called out about it. But he didn't do anything wrong. Miss's classmates had already been vetted and were invited by Miss to come inside for a study session. So, Butcher didn't break any protocols or fail to uphold any standards. No one (including Miss) realized the sort of slimy…underhanded…two-faced "people" (weasels) that these classmates were until seeing the pictures splashed across the tabloids and the websites.
But you're right, any pictures showing details within a protected residence does compromise security to a degree. That is definitely Beckett's concern today.
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Selfishly, I'm very thankful that I was home with you and Jims when the photos got taken. Being home kept me from being the one on the hot seat! I'm also really happy that I'm just working part time right now…and even just 2-3 shifts per week seems too much to be away from you both! The two weeks of paternity leave went by too fast for me!
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Can you delay bath time for Jims until after I get home tonight around 1800? I can bathe and play with him while you take a nap or relax. I can't believe that just three weeks ago, I was terrified to bathe him…now it is my favorite part of the day!
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November 2012 (Current duty location – Surrey)
Sweetheart, have I told you recently that I am happy we are from similar backgrounds and that our lifestyles meshed so well when we got together?
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Thank you…I'm glad you like my friends and family, too. (Well, except for my cousin – but I don't even like him!) As far as why I brought this up, well…I felt bad for how much Miss was struggling to fit in with the other attendees at this event tonight and how their words affected her.
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Actually, I had a brief moment to talk with her when she stepped outside to "get some air" and I think I was able to help reassure her (rather than just being an observer as I normally am). I am glad she knows that you and I are happily married…I didn't want her to misconstrue it when I told her that she was prettier than the other women there. I also reminded her that the best way to annoy them is to not let them see that they are getting to her. That's what always worked with my cousin – the more he would make snide comments, the more I'd ignore him until he'd give up.
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No, I'm not sure if it helped her or not. I could see through the window that she stayed right beside PoW for the rest of the evening, but I couldn't tell more than that. Perhaps tomorrow's activities will let me observe how she's doing. I'm off to bed now…so I'll talk to you tomorrow. Kiss Jims for me!
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How did Jims and you do last night? I still feel bad that I wasn't there with you! But I am glad I volunteered for this away assignment (even though it required an overnight stay). I had a feeling that Miss might be in need of seeing a friendly face…
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(Same weekend - Current duty location – Oxford)
I'm so glad you liked the flowers! And I'm really pleased they got delivered that fast!
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Why did I send them? Well, I'm sure I've done or said something stupid in the past that has hurt you. I saw some very hurt expressions today and just felt compelled to try to make sure you know that I love you and that I don't ever want to be the cause for those expressions to be on your face. Plus I figured no one can never go wrong with flowers, right?!
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I am not completely sure what time I will be heading home. I am waiting for Miss to return in order for me to complete a task for PoW. Once she arrives, I will be able to leave. I will let you know my ETA as soon as I can. Kiss Jims for me! And again, please be assured that I love you both!
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November 2012 (Current duty location – Kent)
I just got a call from Saunders asking if I can cover a shift for him next week. We will swap Thursday/Friday shifts which is fine by me! It will give me a three-day weekend which will be nice since I'm currently handling this overnight detail this weekend.
Funny Saunders story to share with you… While we were on the phone, Saunders was apparently petting Miss's cat. George practically knocked the phone out of Saunders' hand as he moved in to get his ears scratched. I really do think that cat has officially wrapped most of the PPOs around his finger (paw?)…but I think Saunders might be George's current favorite! (How do you think Jims would do if we had a cat of our own? It might be worth considering at some point!)
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I'm back in Oxford but decided to get a quick bite at the new Thai place before driving home. I know you're with your sister right now so I'll just write you instead of interrupting you with a call.
Miss will be joining her friends for her first pub quiz tonight, so she asked me for some pointers while I drove her back to Oxford today. (PoW and his detail headed to a different event.) You are so much better at pub quizzes than I am…it was a shame you weren't with me to help give her some advice.
I think Miss will do fine with the internationally known topics, but if there are a lot of questions about sports (British or otherwise) or UK location nicknames, she'll just have to go with her best guess. But I did try to help her out a bit by giving her a crash course on British sports. (Stop rolling your eyes at me! I know I got slaughtered on the rugby questions last time…but in my defense, it was too noisy for me to hear the questions clearly.) Anyway, I didn't tell her this, but I hope for her sake they don't throw out a lot of English royalty history questions – it would be quite embarrassing if she missed any of those!
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January 2013 (Current duty location – Oxford)
Just a quick note to share something you might appreciate. Remember how embarrassed I was the very first time when you needed me to go into Boots and get "feminine products" for you? Now…imagine my discomfort if I had to do that while having paps taking pictures of me…! I felt bad for the poor guy!
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March 2013 (Current duty location – Oxford)
I learned yesterday that I'm not as invisible as I sometimes feel like I am. (I know, I know…I can hear your voice in my head saying that I'm not invisible to you. Thank you…I love you, too.) Anyway, Miss has some friends visiting from the States – former NYU classmates. (You might have seen photos of them along High Street.)
As PoW, Miss, and their group left the pub last night, one of the young women visiting Miss spoke to me saying that it was nice to see me "again!" Apparently, she observed me and the others while we were on duty at a NYC reception last year. She told me that PoW had smiled broadly towards her at one point that night…but then later found out he was actually smiling at Miss who was standing nearby (though she was there as a caterer). I remember that event – PoW's mood certainly lifted that evening when Beckett explained that Miss would be present (just seeing her helped his mood, even if unable to acknowledge her publicly).
It was interesting to view UK life (and PoW's life) through these Americans' eyes.
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March 2013 (Current duty location – Oxford)
You assumed correctly. This was one of the many things that I am unable to discuss until it becomes public knowledge. But now that she's been identified by the press as Miss's sister, I can share one piece of the backstory.
The night she arrived, we were in the process of the 2300 perimeter duty shift change. I was just preparing to leave when the taxi pulled up. PoW and Miss typically inform the officers on duty of any anticipated guests – so this was unexpected! Since I had been present with Miss's entire family last summer, I was able to provide visual identification and verification that she'd already passed her background check. She looked quite wrung out, so I was glad I could help ease her arrival just a bit. I waited near my car to make sure that she went inside before I drove off.
Her entire body language and expression reminded me so much of your cousin's when he went through a similar heartbreak. It just reminds me again and again how much I love you and how grateful I am that we have each other! I'm thankful that my schedule for this week finishes tomorrow and I will then be home for a nice long four-day weekend with you.
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August 2013 (Current duty location – Oxford)
I can certainly tell that it is Graduation Week! There seem to be more visitors in Oxford than normal…or maybe I just always get caught in traffic behind those who are here for the first time (paying more attention to the buildings and sights than to how they are driving). Anyway, graduation week also means that means that my year of commuting to Oxford is almost completed. Listening to lectures has been interesting at times, but always made me glad that I wasn't having to do the research papers and assignments!
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I had a pleasant drive today down to Heathrow. I wished I could have made a detour to see you and Jims, but that would not have fit with the schedule. PoW asked me if I'd be willing to meet Miss's parents at baggage claim and provide their transportation to Oxford since he and Miss were both sitting exams. As I've mentioned before, Miss's parents are very conversational, and the return drive seemed to flit by in a heartbeat. Apparently, Miss's mother spent some time in Oxford years ago as a visiting scholar, so she is quite pleased to have the opportunity to see it again.
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I've been packing up my stuff in the office and temp sleeping quarters during any of my downtime periods this week. Again…I'd like to know how I've managed to accumulate so many things here despite driving home each day! Thankfully, this time, I just need to put them into the car boot instead of packing them as luggage on a transatlantic flight.
When we return from the upcoming away assignment in India, the PPOs will all fully move out of our Oxford duty lodgings. Also, PoW's office has arranged for a contingent to close up the Jericho house shortly after our return from India and after PoW and Miss fully decamp from Oxford. The crew will make sure to completely de-personalize the house so that no one can sell furniture or décor as "sat in by PoW" or "dishes belonging to PoW" or whatever else they might try to gain notoriety or profit from.
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(A few days later)
As you could see from the media coverage, HM met with PoW, Miss, and her parents outside of the building this afternoon – purposefully in sight of the press pen. I appreciated that this was HM's way of showing public support for Miss. Very kind of him. But I also caught a glance of momentary terror in the eyes of Miss's parents…and Miss herself when she realized that she'd need to properly greet HM in public. They all did quite well despite not expecting this to play out in front of the cameras. Of course, as he always does, HM made everything flow seamlessly and naturally. I certainly can tell that PoW has learned his ways of setting people at ease from his father's example!
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Tomorrow, I should be home by the time you and Jims are back from "storytime" at the Children's Library. Would you want to go out to the Italian place to celebrate the end of my daily drives to Oxford? I can make the reservations if you'd like. Do you think your Mum would be available to babysit Jims? Thinking about our last restaurant attempt, I'm not sure taking an 11-month-old to a restaurant qualifies as a peaceful "date night."
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~ ~ ~ ~ Hanson ~ ~ ~ ~ Hanson ~ ~ ~ ~ Hanson ~ ~ ~ ~
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Author's Note:
Did you guess that the baby's name would be "Jims"?
Per kslchen's character map, Adrian and Summer Hanson became parents to James Anderson Hanson (nicknamed Jims) in the autumn of 2012.
I found information on the Metropolitan Police's website that officers (such as Hanson) receive two weeks of paternity leave and appear to be eligible to work reduced schedules using "parental leave" benefits. Thus, I wrote Hanson as working less shifts than normal for several months after Jims' birth.
It sure worked out well for the Hanson family that Ken's Oxford studies prevented extensive international travel for a while (thus ensuring that Hanson was able to see Jims almost every day during Jim's infancy).
Let me know what you think of this story. What do you think of Hanson as a father? Do you have any suggestions on interests, activities, or subjects that you think Hanson might mention in his texts/emails to Summer?