‘Does anyone want some more tea?’ Irene asked, pouring the last of it from the pot.
Jenny shook her head. ‘No thanks, Irene. I’ve been nervously drinking it all morning.’ She smiled.
Irene placed the empty mugs on the tray.
‘Here, let me take those.’ Wilson paused for a second and looked over towards Elle. ‘Come on, sis, we can wash these up,’ he said warmly.
‘We can,’ she said, genuinely touched by his words. ‘I’ve always wanted a brother.’
Elle noticed a smile pass between Jenny and Irene as she and Wilson left the room together, heading into the kitchen. Wilson ran the hot water and put the cups in the bowl. He took a sideward glance at Elle. ‘Jenny is the best mum anyone could have. Without her, goodness knows where I’d have ended up.’
Elle nodded.
‘Jenny and George aren’t my biological parents.’ He began washing the cups then one by one handed them to Elle to dry. ‘I was taken into care when I was younger.’
Elle could relate, sharing such a similar past.
‘My biological father is serving time in prison, and my mother took her own life.’
‘Oh, Wilson, I’m so sorry.’
‘They married young and my mother was fifteen when she had me… Being taken in by Jenny and George turned my life around. I couldn’t love either of them any more than I already do. And now there’s a new beginning for all of us. Wait until you meet George, you’ll like him.’
Elle was in no doubt.
‘I can’t wait,’ she said.
He grinned. ‘Come on – let’s get back in there. They’ll be wondering where we’ve disappeared to.’
Just after they’d both sat down again in the living room, the front door bell rang, followed by Pippa’s voice shouting down the hallway. ‘It’s only me.’ Pippa popped her head around the living room door. ‘I hope you don’t mind. I dropped Buddy back a bit early…’ She didn’t finish her sentence, struck mute by the four pairs of eyes staring back at her.
‘Is everything okay?’ she asked, looking between them all. ‘What’s going on here? You texted me fifteen minutes ago asking me to come over… I thought you…’ She looked towards Elle but stopped mid-sentence, not wanting to give away that Elle was meant to have met her biological mother today.
‘Pippa knows where I was this morning,’ explained Elle as Pippa perched on the arm of the chair.
Elle looked at Jenny who nodded, confirming it was okay to share the information.
‘Pippa, meet my mother.’
With the look of puzzlement on her face, Pippa glanced around the room, not quite understanding.
‘Jenny is my mother.’
Pippa’s eyes widened as the realisation hit her.
‘You?’ she asked, amazed.
Jenny gave her a warm smile. ‘Yes, me.’
‘I wasn’t expecting that.’
‘We weren’t either,’ added Elle.
‘But your name is Jenny?’
‘I started using my middle name many years ago, and Hughes is my married name.’
Pippa shook her head in amazement. ‘Wow! Just simply that – wow!’ she exclaimed, standing up. ‘Are you both okay? Happy? I’m so pleased for you both!’ She hugged Elle first and then Jenny.
