Page 257 of The Sun Sister

‘We thought a couple of months,’ said Bill.

‘A couple of months?! But what about my teaching? My garden?’

‘I spoke to Rosalind earlier on the telephone and she thinks that you should go too. I know you don’t like to think about it, but you are replaceable,’ said Stella calmly. ‘Rosalind’s got a great new part-timer who’s eager to be doing more.’

‘And as for the garden,’ piped up Bill, ‘I’ve already contacted a domestic agency to find a housekeeper who can keep both the apartment and the garden under control.’

Cecily sat back in her chair. ‘Jeez! You two sure have everything worked out.’

‘Yes, we do, and for once in your life, you need to let someone else take charge, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Cecily breathed. ‘But I’d like to meet the person who is going to take care of Rosa. You know how difficult she can be, Stella, but I don’t want a witch and—’

‘She’s my child! Do you seriously think I’d leave her with a witch?’ said Stella. ‘I’m twenty-eight years old, with a career that relies a lot on character assessment. Please, trust me, okay? Now, I must leave or I’m gonna miss my train.’ Stella stood up and kissed Cecily on the top of her head. ‘Remember, we all love you, and it’s about time you got a chance to relax and snatch some happiness. See you next Friday,’ she said as she picked up her carry-on and left the kitchen.

‘Gin?’ suggested Bill as the front door closed behind Stella. Without waiting for a reply, he stood up. ‘I went to what they call the liquor store and replenished the stocks,’ he said, holding aloft a new bottle from the cupboard. ‘Cheers,’ he said, after he’d added tonic and ice to the glasses and put one in front of Cecily.

‘Cheers, I think,’ Cecily toasted back and took a large gulp. ‘So, don’t I have any say in the matter?’

‘Sadly not.’

‘I feel as though I’m being kidnapped! What if I don’t want to go?’

‘Oh, but I think you do,’ Bill said with what Cecily felt was a rather patronising smile. ‘I can see it in your eyes every time I talk of Kenya.’

‘I’m just concerned about Rosa...’

‘As Stella said, she is a grown woman and ultimately responsible for her daughter. You said that they don’t spend enough time together – maybe this will help them bond.’

‘If I’m not here, you mean.’

‘Quite.’ Bill drew Cecily up to standing next to him and held her hands. ‘Two months, Cecily. That’s all. Two months to discover if there is any chance that we could find a way to stay married in ways other than the legal sense, if you know what I mean.’

‘Yes, I do,’ said Cecily, feeling the blush travel up her neck to her face.

‘I admit, when I arrived here, there was no thought in my mind that there might be a future for us. But, well, I have so enjoyed being with you and find myself dreading the thought of leaving you behind. After all we’ve been through, surely we owe each other some time together? Unless, of course, these past few days have been utter hell for you and you’re just waiting for me to go? If that is the case, then yes, you’d better tell me, but if it isn’t...’

Cecily lowered her eyes. ‘It isn’t.’

‘Good. Then we have a plan. I must say, coming here was just about the best decision I’ve ever made.’

Then Bill bent down towards his wife and kissed her for the first time in twenty-three years.

June 2008

‘So, when a suitable nanny and housekeeper had been found, Bill took Cecily back home to Kenya with him,’ Stella finished.

‘Well, thatwasa happy ending, and it sure sounds as though she deserved it,’ I said. ‘Especially after having to deal with my mom. I hate to admit it, but she sounds a lot like me when I was a child.’

‘I can’t say, Electra, because I wasn’t there to see you grow up, and I will never forgive myself for that. Or for the fact that I wasn’t there for Rosa in the ways I should have been either.’

‘You were a single working mom, which must have been seriously hard.’

‘It was, yes, but millions of women across the world manage to do it successfully. Sadly, I didn’t.’

‘Did Bill and Cecily ever come back?’ I said, wanting to know the answer before we moved on to what I felt from Stella’s expression were far murkier past waters.

‘No, they did not.’