‘It’s an email.’
‘And what do you usually do with emails? You read them and reply to them.’ Chloe squeals and jumps onto Luke’s back. He makes an umph sound as she knocks his breath out.
I pick up my phone. I don’t know why I’m suddenly apprehensive about looking at the email. I have such a mix of emotions flying around inside me about Alice getting in touch. I suppose it’s the reality check now. First there was shock, then happiness and now caution. I wonder if there are stages of emotion for being reunited with a family member, a bit like there are supposed to be stages of grief. I’ll Google it later.
‘It’s Alice. It’s come through on the email account I set up for Mum,’ I say. ‘I’ll get her to open it on the computer downstairs.’
‘Don’t you want to vet it first?’ says Luke.
‘Why?’
Luke swings his legs off the bed and plants his feet on the floor as Chloe hangs around his neck. ‘I don’t know. Just in case you have to prepare your Mum for bad news.’
I frown. ‘How do you mean?’
‘Forget it. It doesn’t matter.’
‘No, what did you mean?’
Luke stands up, Chloe still hanging on like some sort of circus act. ‘In case Alice has changed her mind or something.’ He gives a shrug and unhooks Chloe’s arms from his neck. ‘Like I said, forget it. I’m sure everything will be okay.’
I pause while I think about what Luke has said. He may have a point. ‘Okay, I’ll just have a quick look.’
I sit on the bed and tap the email to open it. There’s a paperclip icon indicating an attachment and it takes a bit longer for the message to download. Before I can read what Alice has said, I find myself scrolling down to look at the attachment. It has to be a photograph of her, surely. I’m going to finally see what my sister looks like. I close my eyes for a moment, thinking back to the last time I saw her. Her little face looking out at me from the back of a car window.
I open my eyes, expecting to see a young woman. I’m surprised when two faces appear smiling out at me. They look to be sitting on a sofa. It’s not a selfie as the shot is too long. Maybe taken with a camera on a timer or maybe someone took their photo. They both have the same dark coffee-coloured hair, which has been curled into big, loose waves and one cut slightly shorter than the other. The two young women look to be the same sort of age; early twenties. I zoom in to have a closer look at their faces, their eyes in particular. I’m looking for those beautiful blue eyes which have haunted me all these years. The picture becomes pixelated and I can’t make out their eye colours. I look back at where Alice has signed off and the P.S. underneath her name. I’m the one on the left.
‘Alice,’ I whisper.
‘Which one is Alice?’ says Luke looking over my shoulder.
‘The one on the left.’ Chloe, now deposited on the floor, is occupying herself with the shoes from my cupboard. I smile and lean back into Luke. ‘Do you think Alice looks like me?’
Luke peers closer. ‘It’s hard to say. Maybe? The hair’s the same and possibly the cheekbones too. Who’s the other girl?’
I scan through the letter, skimming across the words. ‘It’s her friend, Martha.’ I go back and read the email properly. ‘Oh, shit.’
‘What’s up?’
‘She wants to come over and she’s going to bring her friend with her.’ I look at Luke. ‘Why would she do that?’
‘Is it a problem?’
‘Well, it would be better if she came alone. But, then again, maybe she’s nervous. Maybe she wants someone there who she knows.’ I press my lips together in that sympathetic way people do when they want to show someone they know how they’re feeling without having to say any words. Usually accompanied by a sorrowful or resigned expression. ‘Suppose I’d better tell Mum.’
Mum cries when I open the email on the computer downstairs and show her the picture. She touches the screen, caressing the image of Alice. ‘My darling Alice,’ she says several times. ‘I can’t wait to hold her for real.’
‘She’s bringing her friend,’ I say gently. ‘Did you read that bit?’
‘Yes. It’s fine. If that’s what she wants, then I don’t mind at all. Whatever makes Alice happy.’
I exchange a look over the top of Mum’s head with Luke. He gives me the eyes which say to let it go. That’s one of the reasons I love Luke. He knows what I’m thinking without me even saying a word. He knows I’m thinking Mum is perhaps being a little more soppy than I expected and he can probably guess that I’m wondering whether I should say anything to her. From the small shake of his head, clearly, Luke thinks not.
‘Marion, would you like me to print the email and photo for you?’ he says.
‘Oh, would you, Luke? That would be wonderful. I mean, it’s lovely that emails are so instant, but you can’t beat holding a letter in your hand.’ Mum smiles gratefully at Luke and then turns to me. ‘I’m going to put it with all of Alice’s other things.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ I say, knowing she’s referring to a small black suitcase, where she has kept Alice’s favourite dress, some of her old cuddly toys, like the brown teddy bear who has lost its eyes and the bunny rabbit in the blue jacket like Peter Rabbit, her nightdress with ladybird print, her book about the zoo, anything that provided a connection to her daughter, in fact. There’s also a small stash of presents Mum has bought every birthday and Christmas.
Luke prints out the email and photograph and Mum goes off to her room with it. Luke stands behind me and massages my shoulders. ‘She’s bound to be a bit emotional. It’s a lot for her to take in. And you.’ He turns me to face him. ‘Are you okay, yourself?’
I nod. ‘Yeah. If Mum’s happy, then I am.’
‘That’s not what I asked.’
‘I am happy. It’s just …’ I hesitate, not wishing to sound like I’m put out by my sister coming on the scene and displacing me. Luke says nothing as he waits for me to continue. ‘It’s just all happening quite fast and I’m not sure about this friend coming, if I’m honest. Seems a bit of an odd thing to do when you’re going to meet your family for the first time.’
‘It is a little odd, but let’s try to relax and go with the flow, eh? Perhaps Alice just wants a bit of moral support.’
‘You’ve changed your tune,’ I say.
‘I have no control over it,’ Luke says. ‘Alice is making plans to come over, whether we like it or not. So, we had better get used to it and embrace it, that’s all I’m saying. I’m sure everything will be all right.’
‘I wish I had your laid-back attitude.’
‘Clare, Babe. I know you must be feeling all sorts of things. Christ, I know I am and she’s not even my sister, but I’ve invested the time and emotion in Alice too. Not on your sort of scale, granted, but all those times we’ve tried to find her, to track her down. The money we’ve spent … okay, you’ve spent, trying to find her. And now, that’s all behind us. She’s found us. You’re getting your sister back, your mum is getting her daughter back, I’m getting a sister-in-law and the kids are getting an aunty. Let’s concentrate on the good things.’
‘Speaking of the kids,’ I say looking up at the ceiling as I hear the sound of feet cross the landing and descend the staircase. ‘Sounds like Hannah is up.’
I put on a brave smile as I take the girls out for what is turning into a brunch. Luke is right. I must think of the good things, the positives. My little sister is coming home. Yet, despite