Mam had mentioned my birth mother had made enquiries, but holy fuck, it never occurred to me that I might have siblings. Probably because I never allowed my mind to contemplate another family separate from the one that raised me.
‘My mother,’ Maddy stares stonily at the only mother I’ve ever known, ‘OURmother, passed away last year. After her devoutly religious parents MADE her give you up, they were so ashamed she wasn’t married that they sent her on a one-way trip to America, where she later met my father.’
Bernie’s mouth parts and her age-weathered hand clutches her chest. Any threat she may have felt, perceived or real, is gone forever and it’s reflected in the softening of her voice. ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’
Maddy nods, acknowledging her condolences with grace. ‘It was quick in the end. She had emphysema. Smoked her whole life and it caught up with her. A bad dose of pneumonia last winter and she was gone in the blink of an eye. I never knew my father, but she told me I have an older brother.’ The wind whips menacingly around us, while I’m internally blown away.
A sister.
It’s almost too much to take in, and yet makes perfect sense. It isn’t just Zoe that’s like me, Maddy is too. Those huge hazel eyes, the height and strength of her body, hell, even the way she speaks her mind inappropriately. Is it any wonder I felt so fucking comfortable around her? So familiar? Now I know, I can’t believe I didn’t guess – she’s like a female extension of myself.
‘Wow. I…’ My hand runs over my head as I stare at her from top to bottom, examining her like it’s the first time I ever saw her.
Mam watches the exchange quietly. ‘I told her you didn’t want to know. I warned her you didn’t want anything to do with them, Marcus. I asked her to meet me here so the paps wouldn’t get wind of it.’
A memory from a few weeks ago flashes back, and Mam’s right. I didn’t want to know. But at that point, I’d been envisioning someone from the adoption agency tentatively reaching out. Putting out the feelers, assuming perhaps my birth mother had connected the dots, perhaps saw me somewhere on the TV, recognised me and decidednowI was worthy of her love.
Yet instead, here’s Maddy.My sister.My biological mother is dead. A pang of sorrow flickers through me. I never had the urge to meet her, but now it’s not even an option, the loss is permanent. Yet the gift that I’ve been left with, a sibling, far outweighs any negative emotion I could ever feel.
‘Holy fuck. Come here, will ya?’ Leaning around my mam, I pull Maddy into a bear hug, sweeping her feet from the ground and swinging her round.
‘I swear, I didn’t know it was you. When your mam said you wanted no contact, it hurt like hell, but I accepted it. I had no idea I’d already accidentally befriended the person I came to find.’
It’s Mam’s turn to glance between us now, her wrinkled lips part, cracking into a slow smile, her head shaking in obvious disbelief. ‘It’s almost like it was fate. That you two were meant to meet.’
‘When you said you didn’t want to know, as your mother, I felt obliged to protect your privacy. You can imagine my shock when I saw the two of you on TV this morning. I’m glad you’re ok with this, Marcus. I only ever want you to be happy.’ She shakes her head in awe, and I pull her into a group hug with the sibling I never knew I had, yet somehow already love.
‘Wait till Shelly hears about this!’ Mam exhales, shoulders dropping as the previous tension of the situation evaporates.
‘Yeah, about that. She’s going to take a lot of convincing.’ Turning to my sister, I say, ‘I’m going to need something from you before we break the news.’
‘Anything,’ Maddy says solemnly and I know in this instant, there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for me. Because I feel the exact same way about her. And Zoe. And I needn’t have worried about Mam feeling pushed out by a biological connection because from the beaming grin on her ageing face, she looks like she lost a penny and found a pound.
My phone rings from my pocket, and with two of the women in my life in front of me, I can only pray it’s the third, and most important – my wife. Sadly, it’s Arthur, my agent.
‘Arthur, hi. Not a good time, I’m afraid.’ I don’t want to break this moment, spoil it with another let-down or knock-back.
His throaty chuckle ricochets across the line. ‘Believe me, I heard all about it. But I’ve got a proposition for you…’
