Jess surveys me for a moment, moving her eyes around my face.
“I didn’t really imagine what you’d be like,” she says at last.
“Oh, right.”
“I don’t imagine things much,” she adds. “I just take them as they come.”
“Have a biscuit, Jess,” Mum says pleasantly. “These are pecan and maple.”
“Thanks,” says Jess, taking one. “I love pecans.”
“Me too!” I look up in astonishment. “I love them too!”
God, it just shows. Genes will out. We were brought up miles away from each other in different families… but we still have the same tastes!
“Jess, why didn’t you call from the station?” Dad says, taking a cup of coffee from Mum. “I would have picked you up. You didn’t need to take a cab!”
“I didn’t get a cab,” says Jess. “I walked.”
“You walked?” says Dad in surprise. “From Oxshott Station?”
“From Kingston. I took the coach down.” She gulps her coffee. “It was far cheaper. I saved twenty-five pounds.”
“You walked all the way from Kingston?” Mum looks appalled.
“It was no distance,” says Jess. “And the bus would have been three pounds fifty.”
“Jess is a very keen walker, Becky,” explains Mum. She smiles at Jess. “It’s your main hobby, isn’t it, love?”
This is too much. We should be on a documentary or something!
“Me too!” I exclaim. “It’s my hobby too! Isn’t that amazing?”
There’s silence. I look around at the bewildered faces of my family. Honestly! What’s wrong with them?
“Is walking your hobby, love?” Mum says uncertainly.
“Of course it is! I walk round London all the time! Don’t I, Luke?”
Luke gives me a quizzical look.
“Certain streets of London have been pounded down by your feet, yes,” he agrees.
“Do you do power walking, then?” Jess asks, looking interested.
“Well…” I think for a few moments. “It’s more like… I combine it with other activities. For variety.”
“Like cross-training?”
“Er… kind of.” I nod, and take a bite of biscuit.
There’s another little silence, as if everyone’s waiting for everyone else to speak. Why are we all so awkward? We should be natural.
“Do you like… films?” I ask at last.
“Some,” replies Jess, frowning thoughtfully. “I like films that say something. That have some sort of message.”
“Me too,” I agree fervently. “Every film should definitely have a message.”
Which is true. I mean… take the Lord of the Rings movies — they’ve got loads of messages. Like “Don’t lose your ring.”
“More coffee, anyone?” says Mum, looking round. “There’s another coffeepot ready in the kitchen—”
“I’ll go,” I chime in, leaping up from the sofa. “And, Luke, why don’t you come and… er… help me? In case I… can’t find it.”
I know I don’t sound very convincing, but I don’t care. I’m just dying to talk to Luke.
As soon as we’re in the kitchen I shut the door and look at him eagerly. “So? What do you think of my sister?”
“She seems very nice.”
“Isn’t she great? And there are so many similarities between us! Don’t you think?”
“I’m sorry?” Luke stares at me.
“Jess and me! We’re so alike!”
“Alike?” Luke looks flabbergasted.
“Yes!” I say, a tad impatiently. “Weren’t you listening? She likes pecans, I like pecans… she likes walking, I like walking… we both like films… ” I make a whirling motion with my hands. “It’s like there’s already this amazing understanding between us!”
“If you say so,” he says dubiously.
“Don’t you like her?” I say, crestfallen.
“Of course I like her! But I’ve hardly spoken two words to her. And nor have you.”
“Well… I know,” I admit. “But that’s because we’re all so stilted in there. We can’t chat properly. So I thought I’d suggest the two of us go out together somewhere. Really have a chance to bond.”
“Like where?”
“I don’t know. For a walk. Or… a little shopping trip, maybe!”
“Aha.” He nods. “A little shopping trip. Good idea. I’m assuming this would be on your daily budget of twenty pounds.”
What? I cannot believe he’s bringing up the budget at a time like this. I mean, how many times do you go shopping with your long-lost sister for the very first time?
“This is a one-off, extraordinary event.” I’m trying to control my impatience. “Clearly I need an extra budget.”
“I thought we agreed, no one-offs,” says Luke. “No ‘unique opportunities.’ Don’t you remember?”
I feel a surge of outrage.
“Fine!” I say, folding my arms. “I won’t bond with my sister.”
The only sound in the kitchen is the ticking of the wall clock. I give a huge sigh and glance surreptitiously at Luke, but he seems unmoved.
“Becky!” Mum’s voice interrupts us. “Where’s the coffee? We’re all waiting!” She comes into the kitchen and looks from Luke to me in alarm. “There isn’t a problem, is there? You’re not arguing?”
I turn to Mum.
“I want to take Jess out shopping, but Luke says I’ve got to stick to my budget!”
“Luke!” exclaims Mum reproachfully. “I think that’s a lovely idea, Becky! You two girls should spend some time together. Why not pop to Kingston? You could have lunch, too.”
“Exactly!” I’m shooting resentful vibes at Luke. “But I haven’t got any money except twenty quid.”
“And as I say, we’re on a budget,” says Luke in implacable tones. “I’m sure you’d agree that successful budgeting is the first rule of a happy marriage, Jane?”
“Yes, yes, of course…” says Mum, looking distracted. Suddenly her face brightens. “The Greenlows!”
The who?
“Your cousins in Australia! They sent a check for your wedding present! I’ve been meaning to give it to you. It’s in Australian dollars… but even so, it’s quite a lot… ” She roots around in a drawer and pulls it out. “Here we are! Five hundred Australian dollars!”
“Fantastic!” I take the check from her and examine it.
“So now you can treat yourself and Jess to something nice!” Mum squeezes my arm with a smile.
“You see?” I say in triumph.
“OK. You win. This time.” Luke rolls his eyes.
Suddenly excited, I hurry into the living room.
“Hi, Jess!” I say. “D’you want to go out somewhere? Like to the shops?”
“Oh.” Jess looks taken aback. “Well…”
“Go on, love!” says Mum, coming in behind me. “Have a little spree!”
“We can go and have lunch somewhere… really get to know each other… What do you think?”
“Well… OK,” she says at last.
“Excellent!”
I feel a zing of anticipation. My first-ever shopping trip with my sister! This is so thrilling!
“I’ll go and get ready.”
“Wait,” says Jess. “Just before you go. I brought you something too. It’s not much, but…”
She goes over to her rucksack, opens it, and takes out a parcel wrapped up in paper printed all over with
