Page 31 of The Half Sister

‘Please,’ begs Jess. ‘I need to know.’

Lauren clears her throat. ‘He was with another woman, a beautiful woman, and he was pushing a pram.’

Jess’s mouth falls open. ‘Yousawhim?’ she croaks. ‘Withme?’

Lauren nods and a tear falls onto her cheek. ‘I think so.’

‘Yousawmy mother?’ Jess cries in a high-pitched voice. ‘Who was she? What did she look like?’

‘She was beautiful,’ says Lauren.

Jess lets out a sob. ‘Where were they? Do you remember where you saw them?’

‘It wasn’t far from where we lived in Harrogate,’ says Lauren. ‘Just on the other side of town.’

‘I was born in Harrogate?’ says Jess, almost to herself, as if in a trance. ‘I’m from Yorkshire?’

Lauren can’t begin to comprehend the enormity of how it must feel to know where you were born, after a lifetime of wondering.

‘Would you know the road?’ asks Jess, suddenly more animated. ‘Might you recognize it? I could go there and ask around. Someone might remember her. Oh my God, she might even still be there.’

Lauren feels under siege as Jess’s questioning gathers pace. ‘I couldn’t tell you exactly where it was,’ she says. ‘I just know the area of town. Where did youthinkyou were from? What did your adoptive parents tell you?’

Jess’s palpable excitement immediately dissipates. ‘Just that I’m from the north of England and was put into foster care as a baby. They didn’t know anything about my birth parents, or at least claimed not to.’

‘But they’ve cared for you and loved you.’

‘As if I were their own,’ says Jess, smiling. ‘I’ve had the best education, went to a really good university...I couldn’t have asked for more.’

‘And do you have any brothers or sisters?’

‘No, I’m a spoilt only child.’

‘And where did you grow up?’ asks Lauren, eager for as much information as she can garner.

‘On the south coast,’ says Jess dreamily, her eyes glazing over as if caught up in a fond memory. ‘Near Bournemouth. We had a beautiful house overlooking the sea and every day after school, I’d take the dog down onto the beach and walk for miles.’

Lauren smiles. ‘It sounds idyllic. Are your parents still down there?’

Jess’s jaw tightens and her brow furrows. ‘No, not anymore. They’ve both passed away, sadly.’

‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ says Lauren.

‘That’s why I decided to upload my DNA,’ says Jess. ‘After they’d gone, I realized I didn’t have anyone who I could call family. Sure, I had a couple of aunts and a few cousins, but I felt detached, as if I didn’t really fit in anywhere. I couldn’t have done it when they were here. I didn’t want to hurt them and make them think that everything they’d done for me had been a waste of their time. They were so proud of everything I’ve achieved.’

‘You should be proud ofyourself,’ says Lauren. ‘Despite everything you’ve been through, you’ve turned into a wonderful young woman.’

‘Thank you,’ says Jess. ‘If only everyone thought so.’

‘Kate, you mean?’

Jess nods, pulling at the tissue that’s in her lap.

‘Just give her time, she’ll come around,’ says Lauren, all the while thinking,not in a million years.

14

Kate

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