I touch Chuck’s arm. ‘I’m sorry, Chuck, I really am. I just had to do it, I had to find out once and for all if Caitlin would accept her own sister. And you’re right, she doesn’t want anything to do with her.’ I look over at Gabi, who is being helped with her coat by Jackie. ‘I can’t even put it down to shock either, can I? She’s known she’s had a twin for at least a year. She’ll never love her, not the way I do.’
Chuck sighs. ‘Gabi is very lucky to have you in her life. Caitlin will be just fine. She’s stuck with me now.’ He pulls me into an embrace. I feel the safety of his strong arms and I know Caitlin will be okay. She may not have had the love and support of her mother and father, but she has Chuck. She always had Chuck.
Chuck whispers into my ear as we embrace. ‘I love you, I have always loved you, as a very dear friend. Take care.’ He kisses me softly on the head, releases me and strides over to the other side of the room to find his wife.
Oscar is in front of me. His face a mixture of intense emotions.
‘Are you and him…? Is this…? Have you…?’
I grab him by the arm and pull him over to my side.
‘Don’t be daft, I love you, you silly sod. But there are one or two things you might need to know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. Let’s start by introducing you to a couple of people.’
I walk Jackie and Gabi out into the foyer, and we hug our goodbyes.
‘I’ll come and visit you again soon, Gabi, okay?’ I feel a pang of sadness that my visits will no longer be with Chuck, but he had been struggling with the deception, as much as he enjoyed the visits when we were there. He made them so special, and Gabi made us laugh so much. We were always both high from endorphins when we left the day centre.
Gabi claps her hands together and muttered a few yeses.
‘Right, you, let’s get you back on that train – you liked it on the train, didn’t you, Gabi?’ Jackie says, and Gabi claps her hands and stamps her feet. Jackie and I both laugh. It amazes me how someone with so little vocal ability always makes me feel so happy.
Jackie turns to leave with Gabi and suddenly I remember.
‘Hold on, girls, wait there – I just need to grab something.’
I walk over to the reception desk and ask the man behind it to open the safe. He takes out a shoe-sized brown box and hands it to me. I can feel the weight of the object inside. I usher Jackie and Gabi to the edge of the foyer and into a corner, out of sight where there are a couple of chairs. I get us seated and then I open the box. Inside is a lot of screwed up tissue paper and in the centre a small object wrapped tightly in bubble wrap. I take it out and unravel it gently. I leave the wrapper in the box and in my hand I hold a small Japanese-style vase.
‘Pretty,’ Gabi whispers.
‘Oh my God, what is this?’ Jackie whispers.
‘It’s a vase.’
‘Well, I can see that, love – it looks expensive, but I don’t suppose I have to tell you that.’
‘No, and you shouldn’t tell anyone either. I brought this here today to return it to its owner. Should the afternoon have panned out in the way I had have hoped, it would now be in their hands. But I know now that the true owner of this is Gabi. Steve and Gemma and Gabi.’
Jackie holds her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh my, Sasha, are you sure? I don’t want to get Gabi into the middle of a family rift over an heirloom.’
‘I think those days are over. The funny thing about this family is that there are no rifts. Just secrets and then silence. This relic fell into my hands a long time ago, and even if they did know where it was, I think it’s clear no one is interested. They just want their lives to carry on easily with as few disruptions as possible.’
‘Our Gabi was one of those disruptions, wasn’t she?’
‘I’m afraid she was, Jackie. But she’s not to us.’ I smile at Gabi.
I carefully wrap the vase back up in the bubble wrap and nestle it amongst the tissue paper in the box, then I place the lid on the box.
‘Take it and give it to Steve and Gemma. Ask them to get it valued. Reassure them it’s not listed as missing. They won’t be in trouble.’
‘You are such a kind soul. I only wish I could say the same for that family you associate yourself with,’ Jackie said, taking the box.
I shrug. ‘I’m not so sure there’ll be much association after today.’ I look up and see Oscar hovering in the foyer. ‘I’d better go. I’ll come and see you soon, Gabi, okay?’
I hug them both one more time and watch them leave. I sneak up behind Oscar and slide my hand into his.
He spins around. ‘Babe. I’ve been worried. What the hell is going on?’
‘Let’s go – I have a lovely room at the other hotel until ten tomorrow morning. I’ll tell you all about it.’
‘Hotel room, eh? In the middle of the afternoon?’
I laugh. ‘Come on,’ I say.
We’re about to walk through the double doors out into the warm autumn day when I feel a presence behind me. I turn and see Caitlin standing by the
