Page 189 of The Pearl Sister
‘I’m trying to learn to keep my mouth shut,’ I said with a shrug.
‘Well, for once in our lives, I’m saying the words for you. And I think you should go.’
I saw then that she had changed in the past few months. The old Star would have thought all of this stuff on the inside, but would never have said it out loud. Whereas I had always said too much. Perhaps we were both adjusting to being apart from each other.
‘Okay, okay,’ I agreed. ‘I know he’s at Wormwood Scrubs Prison. I’ll find out what the visiting hours are.’
‘Promise?’ she asked me.
‘Promise.’
‘Good. I have to leave in a bit to collect Rory from school.’
‘Okay, well, before you go I was wondering if you’d help me fill in my Australian passport application? My grandfather’s given me all the documents I need, but you know how I am with filling in forms.’
‘Of course. Do you want to go and get them?’
I brought the envelope downstairs and Star went off to find a black ink pen to start filling it in. We spread the documents out on the kitchen table and had a brief glance at my mum’s birth certificate, before Star reached for mine.
‘So you were born in Broome on the fifth of August 1980,’ she read, her head bent in concentration as she read more details on the certificate. ‘Oh my God! Cee, have you actually looked at this yet?’
‘Er, no. My grandfather just gave me the envelope before I left.’
‘So, you haven’t seen what your original birth name was?’ She pointed to it and I leant over to take a look.
‘Strewth! As they say in Oz.’
‘Too right, Miss Pearl Abraham!’ Star said, then she began to giggle.
‘Pearl,ugh,’ I groaned. ‘And I always complained about Celaeno . . . I’m sorry, Pa.’
Then I couldn’t help myself and joined Star in her laughter, trying to imagine this othermecalled ‘Pearl’. It just wasn’t possible. Yet, in so many ways, it was perfect.
Once we’d calmed down, I slid the birth certificate back into its envelope.
‘Speaking of birth certificates, my mum’s flying over here in a few days’ time. And so is Ma,’ said Star.
‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’ I said, thinking it would save me the trip to Geneva. ‘Are they coming to meet each other?’
‘Sort of,’ said Star. ‘When my birth mum found me, she got in contact with some of the other members of her family. There’s a heap of them still living in the East End of London. We’re all going to a surprise party there for a relative of ours. My mum said a while ago she’d like to meet the woman who brought me up and thank her in person, and this was the perfect moment to invite Ma. I’d love you to meet my mum too – I’ve told her everything about you.’
‘What’s she like?’
‘Lovely, really lovely. She’s not bringing her other kids over with her this time, but I’m going to fly over to New England and meet my three half-siblings soon. Right, you need to sign there.’ Star indicated the box. ‘You’ll also have to include a copy of your official adoption papers. Just give Uncle Georg Hoffman a call,’ she added. ‘He certainly had mine.’
‘So, how are the rest of the sisters? I haven’t heard a peep from anyone since the newspaper thing.’
‘Well, Maia’s started teaching English to kids in afavelain Rio, and Ally told me last week her tummy is getting more enormous by the day, but she sounds good. I called Tiggy just after New Year, she’s changed jobs and is working on an estate not far from the animal sanctuary. She also wants to organise us all getting together at Atlantis for the anniversary of Pa’s death in June. And I haven’t heard a word from Electra in weeks,orseen her in the newspapers, which is unusual. That badge of notoriety goes to you, little sis,’ she chuckled. ‘By the way, when are you flying to Australia?’
‘Early next Wednesday morning.’
‘So soon?’ Star looked crestfallen. ‘The party’s on Tuesday night. Can you make it?’
‘Probably not. I have to pack. And stuff,’ I added pointlessly.
‘I understand. Then maybe we can have a little leaving celebration for you before we go to the party? Then you could meet my mum and see Ma too.’
‘If you could spare Ma for a night, I could collect her from Heathrow and she could stay with me on Monday night and then go to the party with you from here on Tuesday?’
