Vic shook her head, agog. ‘I can’t even imagine.’
‘He showed me a photo of them together. They looked so happy and in love.’
‘So terribly sad, that you lost her so young,’ Vic said softly.
‘Yes.’ Joti sighed. ‘I’m not sure if it’s worse that I didn’t know her, and I have nothing at all to miss about her, or the fact that I never got to know her and now she will never get to share my life with me. It was so nice for Jake to be able to relay everything about her personality when she was a young woman.’
‘Isn’t he just the coolest and sweetest person?’
Vic nodded. ‘He really is.’
‘Not unlike you,’ Joti added.
Vic blushed. ‘Oh stop it.’
‘I mean it. You are such a solid woman, and I’m so glad that I’ve met you.’ Joti put her hand on her new friend’s. ‘I feel such an affinity with you in such a short space of time.’
‘Despite Chandler pooing on your lawn and me being a moody bitch when we first met?’ Vic gave an awkward giggle.
‘You were struggling with your mum. I get it.’
And that was before I found out I had HIV, Vic thought, butshe couldn’t tell Joti – not yet – even though Joti was a nurse and probably wouldn’t blink an eye. But defintely not until she had told her mum and brother – and she wasn’t sure when that would be.
‘What I can’t quite get my head around is howyouknow Jake, though,’ Joti said.
‘Basically, Mum and Dad were unhappy, and one day, Mum tells me, she was walking along the river, he was on the deck of his boat and they started chatting. She tells me he was a great confidant and friend. I have fond memories of me and Albie playing on his boat whilst Mum and he would talk and laugh together. We would also sometimes go for walks with him on the Brocas – that’s the large meadow on the Eton side of the river – with whichever dogs were around at the time.’
‘Sounds idyllic. I have had two fathers all my life – how mad is that.’ Joti drained her glass.
‘Beats having half a one, like me and Albie did growing up.’
‘Aww. Saying that,MisterAdams – my, umm, other dad – was always so busy with his work, he was an absent party a lot of the time, too.’
‘Ah, OK. Did you get on with your stepmother?’
‘Yes. I knew no different. She was always very lovely to me. Never had children of her own so I never felt like I wasn’t number one.’
‘That’s good, then. And dare I ask how Albie is?’ Vic gave a wry smile. ‘Or should I say, you and Albie?’
‘He’s all right.’ Joti couldn’t keep the grin off her face.
‘I’m not saying anything else about my dear brother, except that in there somewhere is a heart of gold.’ Vic swirled the ice around in her glass.
‘I’m not proud of the fact he was living with someone when, well… it happened… And I wouldn’t have carried on if he had stayed with her. It’s just the feeling was strong and…’
Vic closed her eyes as her thoughts sprang to Jerico. ‘Youdon’t have to explain. And I would love it to all work out for you both. But I might have to remind you that it wasn’t long ago that you were saying – and I quote: “If I never have a man again, it will be too soon.”’
Joti laughed. ‘At the moment, it’s amazing. Albie is amazing. And after finding out about what happened with my mum and Jake, well, I intend to live in the moment.’
‘Yes, your parents’ sad love story is worthy of a film,’ Vic said wistfully.
‘It really is.’ Joti took off her sunglasses and turned her face up to the strong lunchtime rays. ‘Jake said something odd as I was leaving, though.’
‘Go on.’
‘He said that he had always dreamt of having a family, and it was like a miracle that they were now living right next to each other.’
Vic frowned. ‘Did you tell him you were seeing Albie, by any chance?’
